FORMER ABS-CBN anchor and newscaster Atty. Jose Marty Go took his oath as a member of the Philippine Bar at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.
He was among the bar passers of the University of St. La Salle (USLS)-Bacolod College of Law in the 2020/2021 regionalized Bar Examinations held at USLS Bacolod on February 4 and 6, 2022.
Go was joined by his wife, Katrina Cello Emnace Go, and son Manolo when he and other bar passers took their oath as lawyers before Supreme Court Justice Samuel Gaerlan.
Go was among the first takers from USLS-Bacolod College of Law. He was grateful that all his efforts, hard work, and sacrifices in hurdling law school and the bar exams were paid off now that he is a full-fledged lawyer.
They signed the rolls of attorneys after their oath-taking rites.
Go is currently connected with the local government of Bacolod City.
"I really think that this is long overdue. I just thank God that the journey to become a lawyer is finally complete," he said.
He earlier said it was a journey of uncertainty and a test of faith in God.
"Our exam was postponed three times due to the pandemic and Typhoon Odette. I had to take a leap of faith praying that I would not test positive for Covid and be able to take the exam," he told SunStar Bacolod.
The new lawyer added, "It took a lot of sacrifices, hard work, and trust in God and myself. It was not easy, but I thank the Lord for this victory and an opportunity to serve others."
The Supreme Court announced Tuesday, April 12, 2022 that over 72 percent of the 11,402 law graduates passed the tests.
Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, the 2020/2021 Bar exams chair, announced that 72.28 percent is equivalent to 8,241 successful examinees.
The bar exams were held in February after a two-year postponement due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Bar takers who were set to take the 2020 Bar examinations were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.