MANILA, Philippines – Among the hundreds of aspiring lawyers who flocked to the Supreme Court (SC) grounds on Wednesday, January 7, for the 2025 Bar Examinations‘ results, Eduardo Regio, 59, was a stand out.

Not because he belonged to the cream of the crop — the top 20 examinees — but because of his awe-inspiring story. Regio finally passed the qualifying exams for lawyers after 11 tries.

“Ipagpatuloy ‘nyo lang ang pakikipaglaban sa buhay. Habang may buhay, may pag-asa (Continue fighting for your dreams. As long as you’re alive, there’s hope),” Regio told reporters.

Regio’s road to becoming a lawyer was three decades in the making. He said he finished law from the University of Manila. He first took the Bar in 1993 “for the sake of taking,” so he failed. By 2005, he had already failed the exams at least five times.

Regio tried again in 2015, but failed after earning 72.93% rating. In 2023, he tried again, but fell short with his 73.40% rating.

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Despite these setbacks, he did not give up.

He told himself to give it a last try because he believed he did not give his best in the last few times he took the Bar exams. He enrolled in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of Law refresher program and reviewed there.

“Then ipinagkatiwala ko sa Diyos. Kako, ‘Kung ibibigay Mo, ibibigay Mo. ‘Pag hindi, wala na akong magagawa‘,” Regio said.

“And this is the first time na bumalik ako sa Supreme Court para panoorin [ang results]. Kasi sinuko [ko] na talaga sa Diyos na ipagkakaloob niya sa akin this time. Talagang ngayon wala akong kaba na naramdaman pagpunta rito,” he added.

(Then I left everything to God. I told him, “If this is for me, it’s for me. If not, then it’s beyond my control.” And this is the first time that I returned to the Supreme Court to await the results. Because I already left everything to God, to answer my prayer this time around. I did not get nervous going here.)

Regio is among the 5,594 out of 11,420 takers who passed the 2025 Bar Examinations chaired by Associate Justice Amy Lazaro Javier. This number translates to a 48.98% passing rate or nearly 5 passers out of 10 examinees.

University of the Philippines’ Jhenroniel Rhey Sanchez topped the exams with his 92.70% rating. Meanwhile, the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law retained its title as the top law school based on the number of Bar passers and first-time Bar passers.

Inspiring figure

Regio is suffering from cataract. He said his eyes are due for operation, but this never hindered him from taking the Bar exams.

He told reporters that he was not afraid to take the exams again because he believed he had nothing to lose if he gave it another try.

More importantly, Regio said achieving his dreams is not only for him, but for his family as well. He has five children who support him all the way.

“Gusto ko sana na some of my children ma-encourage ko to take law course para maging abogado,” he said.

“Kasi sa pamilya namin, mga magulang ko, hindi naman sila graduate. So gusto ko may courage ‘yong anak ko or some of my pamangkins, nephews and nieces, baka some of them sumunod sa yapak ko kung nakapasa ako,” he added.

(I want to encourage some of my children to take law course so they can be lawyers too. Because in our family, my parents were not college graduates. So I want my children or nephews and nieces to have courage. I hope some of them will follow my footsteps if I pass the Bar.) – Rappler.com