With regards to the 2025 Bar Exams, Catholic priests have also successfully completed the exams. Out of the 11 Catholic priests and 1 religious brother, 10 Catholic priests have successfully completed the exam. This emphasizes the increasing combination of legal services and religious services.
The lawyers who have just passed the exam are priests of the different dioceses in the country, according to a CBCP News report. Fr. Mcwellroe Bringas of the Tagum Diocese and Fr. Marcelo Operiano Jr. of the Tagbilaran Diocese are just two of them. Other priests include Fr. Danilo Dela Bajan of masbate, Fr. Eric Marigondon of Legazpi, and Fr. Gerald Lacson of Antique. From local dioceses, Fr. Joel Pepito Oriesga of the Archdiocese of Cebu completes the group.
Alongside diocesan priests, two chaplains with the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines are also newly minted attorneys. They are Fr. Rommel Kiamko, a chaplain with the Philippine Air Force, and Fr. Gil Rochar Dulay, who works with the Bureau of Fire Protection. Their achievement exemplifies the various pastoral activities priests engage in while obtaining additional academic and professional qualifications.
Success in the Bar Exams also includes religious congregations, such as Fr. Generous Gonesto, an Augustinian, and Fr. Florante Moren, of the Alagad ni Maria religious institute. The accomplishments of these individuals embody the religious community’s commitment to education, social advocacy, and service, extending beyond the conventional boundaries of the ministry.
Completing the list of clergy who passed the bar is Brother Dominador Valdez Jr., a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Philippines. His achievement also demonstrates that religious brothers are also legally trained, thus contributing to the faith-based personnel in the service of the law.
Last Wednesday, Philippine Supreme Court announced the results of the bar examinations. Out of the 11,420 examinees, 5,594 of them successfully passed the exams, a big leap in the Philippine legal profession.
The 2025 Bar Examination was held in 14 testing centers, and the exams took place over three days: September 7, 10, and 14. Like all previous Bar exams, the process took several months of preparation.
The success of these clergy members has been taken by many as proof of the harmony of the faith and the law and the importance of law in promoting and serving social justice, advocacy, and moral leadership in the Philippines.