Two priests in Western Visayas are among passers of the 2025 Bar Examinations. 

Rev. Fr. Generous (Gee) Gonesto, an Augustinian priest assigned at the University of San Agustin-Iloilo, and Rev. Fr. Gerald Lacson, parish priest of Santo Niño de Guinsang-an in Hamtic, Antique are among Bar passers, as announced by the Supreme Court of the Philippines on January 7, 2026. 

It was in 2010 when Fr. Gee started attending Law School. He said he took the Bar exam three times – in 2014, 2015, and 2017 but did not pass. 

According to Fr. Gee, the labor cases that the university deals with have motivated him to take up Law. 

“Doon lahat nagsimula sa University of San Agustin yung dream to become a lawyer and then dahil nabalik ako doon. Parang nagising ulit yun. And new modality in taking the exam,” Fr. Gee said. 

He added that his law journey was challenged by the passing on of his father, as it happened when he was reviewing for the examinations. 

"While we have the wake of my father last June, I was also reviewing sa gabi. Nag-re-review rin ako sa harap ng wake ng father ko. Very thankful to God for this gift,” Fr. Gee said further. 

The passing rate of first-time takers at the University of San Agustin posted 64.29 percent, higher than the 48.98 percent national passing rate. 

Another priest who passed the Bar exam is Rev. Fr. Gerald Lacson, 51 years old, a graduate of the Central Philippine University. 

There are 45 new lawyers produced by Central Philippine University (CPU) College of Law; 17 Bar takers of Batch 2025 all passed. 

“Very happy because the results will show that our examinees have persevered in their study of the law and nag-harvest talaga nang mabuti,” Atty. Aila Rae Endonila, dean of CPU-College of Law.

Twelve out of 12, or 100 percent of Bar takers from West Visayas State Uiversity (WVSU) passed the exam as well. 

WVSU is also the Top 1 best performing law school with 11 to 50 examinees. 

Further, the pioneer batch of the University of the Philippines Visayas with four examinees posted a 100-percent passing rate.

In Bacolod City, 36 Bar takers from the University of St. La Salle passed the exam. 

One of them is 35-year-old Bryan Alvin Rommel Villarosa, a first-time Bar taker. 

He dabbled with Law studies and his main job as a real estate salesperson. 

“Law school is not about reading books. It’s also dealing with your nervous system. How you manage the exams. Your personal life,” Villarosa underscored. 

At the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, over 50 passed the Bar exam.

A total of 5,594 examinees passed the 2025 Bar Exam. Jhenroniel Rhey Sanchez of the University of the Philippines – Diliman ranked Number 1 with a rating of 92.70 percent.

The new lawyers will take their oath on February 6, 2026.