FOR the second consecutive year, female examinees outnumbered men in the Philippine Bar Examinations, a trend that reflects the growing presence and influence of women in the legal profession.
According to Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, chairperson of the 2025 Bar Examinations, 6,673 women, or 51% of the 13,193 admitted examinees, took the exam, compared to 4,764 men. This year’s exam, held on September 7, 10, and 14 across 14 local testing centers nationwide, also saw a record 11,425 finishers out of 11,437 takers.
The latest results continue a long tradition of women excelling in the Bar. Since 1930, 22 women have been Bar topnotchers, with 13 coming from the University of the Philippines College of Law. Other topnotchers have hailed from schools such as Ateneo de Manila University, San Beda College, and the University of Santo Tomas.
The first woman to top the Bar, Tecla Ravago San Andres Ziga in 1930, went on to become a Philippine senator. Other notable female topnotchers who became Supreme Court justices include Cecilia Muñoz-Palma (1937), Ameurfina Melencio-Herrera (1947), and Carolina Griño (1950).
The Supreme Court’s decision to lower the passing score to 74% from 75% for the 2024 Bar exam resulted in 3,962 passers, a 37.84% passing rate and an increase from the 3,812 passers in 2023.
The decentralization of the exams to local testing centers across the country was a key initiative to help applicants "ease the financial burden… while helping them remain close to their families, friends, and loved ones." This move has made the Bar more accessible than ever, a positive step for aspiring lawyers everywhere.
The recent success of female examinees is a testament to the dedication and talent of women in the legal field. As Joan De Venecia, a 2005 topnotcher, once advised, “Avoid unnecessary comparison to the pace of others. We all have our own rhythm according to the laws of inertia.”
Her words ring true for all examinees, but they also serve as a powerful reminder of how women are now setting their own pace and achieving new milestones in the Bar.
(Peyups is the moniker of University of the Philippines Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-502580)
