Bar 2017 topnotcher: Rule of law should prevail

The topnotcher of the 2017 Bar examination vowed Thursday to contribute to upholding the rule of law in the country, saying he took up law to evade going abroad because he believes the Philippines is where he should be.

Mark John Simondo, alumnus of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod, admitted he cried when he heard of the news that he bested over 6,700 other exam takers.  Simondo had a rating of 91.05 percent.

[See full list of 2017 Bar passers here]

"...I will do my utmost to promote justice in this country. At the end of the day, we are still a nation of law and not a nation of men," Simondo told ANC television hours after Bar Chair Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin officially announced the 2017 Bar exam results.

"The rule of law should prevail. I will see to it that I will do my part in upholding the rule of law," he said.

While he is "open" to a public service post, Simondo said he "really like[s]" corporate law.

Meanwhile, he said his reason for taking up law was to evade an unwanted life abroad.

"I took up law because I did not want to go abroad. My parents were pressuring me to go abroad. I felt that the Philippines is where I should be. I needed a job that would justify my stay here," he said, adding that he chose law from among medicine and accountancy.

Simondo, however, declined to share his opinion on the situation of the country's highest judiciary official: Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who faces possible removal from office in the coming months.

A total of 1,724 law graduates passed the 2017 Bar exam. This represents 25.55 percent of the 6,748 takers, who took the grueling Bar exam during the four Sundays of November last year.

The oath taking of the successful Bar candidates will be held on June 1, 2018, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), according to the Supreme Court.

Bar passers may secure their clearances from the Office of the Bar Confidant starting May 7 to May 31 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to Assistant Bar Confidant Amor Entila. — Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/RSJ, GMA News