Friday, March 31, 2006
House Speaker's niece tops Bar exams
MANILA -- A niece of House Speaker Jose De Venecia obtained the highest ratings in the 2005 Bar examinations with a rating of 87.2 percent.
Joan de Venecia, 25, of the University of the Philippines, is also the class valedictorian and is currently working at the Sycip Salazar Gatmaitan and Hernandez law firm.
She is the daughter of Speaker De Venecia's elder brother Antonio, a retired lawyer.
A champion debater and described by friends as a "driven girl," De Venecia bested the 1,526 of 5,610 who passed the exams held in all four Sundays of September last year.
At second place was Jomini Nazareno of Ateneo de Manila with a rating of 86.4 percent, followed by Sheryl Tanquilot, 25, also of Ateneo, who garnered a rating of 85.95 percent. Tanquilot works as a paralegal of the Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayos and Delos Angeles.
Others in the top 10 were Nyerson Dexter Tualla, Manuel L. Quezon University, 85.45; Tamsin Rae Lucila, UP, 85.35; Gladys Gervacio, University of Perpetual Help-Rizal, 85.3; Claudine Orocio-Isorena, UP, 85.2; Pedro Jose Bernardo, Ateneo, 85.05; Dexter Calizar, Philippine Law School, 84.7 percent; and Johnson Ong, Far Eastern University, 84.65.
Tanquilot, who finished third in law school, said she was the first lawyer in the family. "I'm speechless. I'm just relieved that I passed. This is just a bonus," she said when asked how she felt after landing third place in the Bar exams.
Bernardo, a true-blue Atenean, said his parents are retired bankers. He finished valedictorian from Ateneo and considers Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ, a renowned constitutionalist, as his inspiration.
Bernardo, at eighth place, works at the Poblador Bautista and Reyes law firm. "I'm just relieved na natapos na (that it's over)."
The Bar passers comprise 27.7 percent of the total number of aspirants who took the exams at the De La Salle University.
The decoding of the names of the examinees started only Thursday, and it was done by SC Associate Justice Romeo Callejo Sr. and Associate Justice Romeo Callejo, Sr.
Last year's bar examinees reached a record high of 5,610 law graduates. (ECV/Sunnex)
(March 31, 2006 issue)
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