Here is the history and some facts regarding the Bar Exams in the Philippines that reveals the recorded highest score and who got it.
The first ever bar exams in the Philippines was held in 1901 with only 13 examinees all over the country.
Since that year until the recently released result of November 2017 bar, the highest recorded percentage was in 1954. 75.17 percent of examinees passed the exams while the lowest percentage recorded was in 1999 with only 16.59 percent.
Former Supreme Court (SC) Justice Florenz Regalado scored the highest point in the history of bar exams in the country. He obtained 96.70 percent in 1954.
Three of the former Presidents of the Philippines and one Vice President were bar top placers.
The list included the 5th President of the Philippines, Manuel Roxas, who scored 92 percent as a law graduate from University of the Philippines (UP).
In 1936, Diosdado Macapagal who was the 9th President of the country topped the bar with the score of 89.85 percent from University of Santo Tomas (UST).
UP is surely proud to have another bar topnotcher in the person of Ferdinand Marcos, the 10th President of the Philippines. He scored 93.35 percent.
Former Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez from University of Manila (UM) topped the bar exams in 1938.
Current President Rodrigo Duterte is also a lawyer but among the Presidents who were bar takers, he is the only non-placer. He is from San Beda College and passed the bar in 1972.
The first woman who was the bar topnotcher is former Senator is Tecla San Andres-Ziga. She obtained the score of 89.4 percent in 1930.
There was recorded in the history of bar exams in the Philippines that a bar taker failed but on his next take, he topped the exam. It was Francisco Noel Fernandez who failed in 1993 but a year after he topped with the score of 89.2 percent.
Among all bar takers in the Philippines throughout the history, there is only one who topped the exams without finishing in law school. Jose Diokno was the topped the bar in 1944 as he petitioned the SC to let him take the exams. He tied with the class valedictorian of UP with the grade of 95.3 percent. He is also the only one who both topped the CPA Board Exams and the Bar Exams.
From 1913 to 2016, UP has the most number of topnotchers with the total of 48 out of 104. It is followed by Ateneo with 22 and San Beda with 8.
DIOKNO for the win!! He be like, “Who fuckin needs law school?” #BAR2017 pic.twitter.com/MbNiLL8Jwe
— Emilia Regina (@EmiliaReg) April 26, 2018