Legal pride for Region 2: THREE land in Top 20 of 2025 Bar Exams

Cagayan, Philippines – Three new lawyers from the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela in Region II made it to the Top 20 of the 2025 Philippine Bar Examinations.

Spinel Albert Allauigan Declaro and Alaiza Agatep Adviento, both graduates of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, and Richmond Bulan Lucas, a graduate of the University of La Salette, Inc. (ULS), earned average grades of more than 90 percent, securing their spots on the roll of excellence.

They were among the 5,594 new lawyers nationwide, as announced by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, January 7. The results reflected a passing rate of 48.98 percent, or nearly five out of every ten examinees. The three-day examinations, taken by a total of 11,426 examinees, were held in 14 local testing centers in September 2025.

Top 2

Declaro, a native of Iguig, Cagayan, obtained the second-highest score with an impressive average of 92.46 percent.

Top 3

Adviento, from Lasam, Cagayan, placed third. She said she did not expect to see her name on the list of topnotchers. In an interview with the media, she shared that her only goal was to pass and avoid the experience of taking the examination again.

When asked about her review strategy, the topnotcher said she retained the study habits she developed during her law school days, as she found them effective and had limited time to explore other methods. She said she first read an overview of each topic, highlighted important details, and then read the material “again and again.”

These habits helped Adviento earn a rating of 91.91 percent.

At present, she sees herself actively pursuing private practice and eventually hopes to join the academe to help mold aspiring lawyers.

Top 9

Meanwhile, Lucas from Santiago City, Isabela, brought the name of ULS to the map after placing ninth with a rating of 90.45 percent.

Lucas shared it took him a long time to finish his law degree because he was merely encouraged by a friend to enrol and he did not intend to complete his studies at first. There were times when he would stop. When he finally graduated in 2023, he decided not to take the Bar exam yet as he felt unprepared at that time.

Following the release of the results of 2024 Bar exams, he pondered when he saw his batch mates passed and had his ‘what ifs’. It was then that he started preparing and focused intently on his review.

When he learned that he did not only pass but topped the exams, he felt overwhelmed. He exclaimed and leaped with his friends and his “lucky charm” son who were with him watching the results online.

He thanked his family, including his late mother, and friends who supported and believed in him, making his success possible.

Likewise, he extended gratitude to the dean of ULS – College of Law for being stern. The dean’s ‘tough love’, Lucas said, helped him excel.

The new lawyers are set to take their oath and sign the Roll of Attorneys on February 6, according to 2025 Bar Chairperson Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier.