BY EVANGELINE DE VERA

IN 1930, the bar examinations were topped by the lone woman examinee, a UP graduate named Tecla San Andres, later to become a senator.

Since then, 14 women have topped the bar, including the 2007 topnotcher, Mercedita Ona, 27, of Ateneo de Manila University, with a score of 83.55 percent.

Nine places in the Top Ten were taken by women (there were ties for 7th and 10th places).

Of the 1,289 (out of 5,626) who passed, 628 were women, or a little over 50 percent. The overall success rate was 22 percent.

Jennifer Ong from the University of the Philippines was second with 83.35 percent. In third was Yvanna Maalat of Ateneo, followed by Jennie Aclan of University of San Carlos; John Michael Galauran of University of Nueva Caceres was fifth; and Karen Canullas of San Sebastian College (6th).

Tied for seventh place were Cecille Mejia of Ateneo and Sheryl Ann Tizon of UP; Marforth Fua of San Beda College (8th); Ruby Luy of Ateneo de Davao University (9th); and Christian Llido of University of Cebu and Vivian Tan of UP, both at 10th place.

And if Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna, the chairman of the 2007 examinations, had had his way, only 281 out of 5,626 examinees would have passed, for a passing rate of 5 percent.

Such was the original design of Azcuna.

Court sources said that as early as April, Azcuna had been telling and warning law students to study hard because the questions would separate the mediocre from the best.

Azcuna was also quoted as saying that there is a need to raise the standards of the Court in conducting bar examinations "because we already have too many lawyers."

Following an en banc session Friday, the SC decided to adjust the passing rate from 75 percent to 70 percent, with the adjustments in the categories of civil, labor and criminal laws.

With the adjustment, the number of passing examinees went up 22.91 percent, or 1,289.

Azcuna said the adjustment in the passing rate was made not because the examinations were "unusually difficult."

"The correction (by the examiners) was unusually strict so that the justices of the court felt there was a need to lower the passing rate. There was need to lower the passing grade in order to balance the correction in these three subjects," he said.

A number of SC justices did not take part in the deliberations because they have relatives who took the exams. They were Chief Justice Reynato Puno, Associate Justices Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, Conchita Carpio-Morales, and Presbitero Velasco Jr.

Examiners for the 2007 Bar were UP Law dean Raul Pangalangan for International and Political law; Rodolfo Salalima for Labor and Social Legislation; Cirilo Tolosa for Civil law; Lily Gruba for Taxation; Court of Appeals Justice Estella Perlas-Bernabe for Mercantile law; Raymond Fortun for Criminal law; Sandra Olaso-Coronel for Remedial law; and CA Justice Cristina Estrada for Legal Ethics.

Oath-taking is set at 2 p.m. on April 29 at the Philippine International Convention Center. Justice Dante Tiñga is the chair of the 2008 Committee on Bar Examinations.

Former SC Justice Florenz Regalado obtained the highest rating ever of 96.7 percent in 1954.