Former Inquirer scholar tops 2015 Bar exam

She promised to be an honorable lawyer serving the people.

Rachel Angeli B. Miranda made this vow as she topped the 2015 Bar examinations, whose results were released on Tuesday.

“It’s not enough to be an excellent lawyer. You have to be an honorable one,” Miranda told INQUIRER.net.

Miranda, a University of the Philippines College of Law alumna, topped the Bar exam among 1,731 passers with an 87.4 percent rating.

READ: 1,731 pass 2015 bar exam

She said acing the exam was “surprising” as she only hoped of passing the Bar.

“Slowly nagsi-sink in na siya pero hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala (It’s slowly sinking in but I still can’t believe it),” she said, adding she first learned about the results from her friends.

Miranda said her ultimate goal was to be a lawyer and topping the examinations was a “bonus.”

Honor and excellence 

After graduating with a journalism degree from UP Diliman in 2010, Miranda worked as an editorial production assistant for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. She was an Inquirer scholar from 2008 to 2010.

“Habang nagtatrabaho ako, doon ko nalaman na pumasa ako sa LAE (While I was working, that’s when I learned I passed the UP Law Aptitude Exam),” she said.

After passing the entrance test, she resigned from her job and became a full-time law student.

During her stay at UP, she said the values of honor and excellence were instilled in her.

“I try to carry that in me,” she said.

Her stay at UP College of Law, she said, was a “good experience.”

READ: UP Law dominates 2015 bar exam 


She admitted she was not a competitive student but her goal to become a lawyer was always on top of her priorities.

“’Yun ’yung ultimate goal ko (That was my ultimate goal),” she said.

Miranda graduated from UP College of Law in June 2015 and took the Bar examinations in November the same year.

Having only about six months to prepare, she said it was difficult but she was confident of the things she learned from UP.

“At the end of every day, dapat may naa-accomplish ako (I should have accomplished something),” she said.

After taking the Bar, Miranda worked as a legal assistant at the Cruz, Marcelo and Tenefrancia Law Office.

Human rights lawyer

Miranda said she wanted to become a human rights lawyer and defender of freedom of expression.

She also wanted to educate Filipinos about misconceptions on the laws.

“Naisip ko (I think) that there is a lot of misconception about our laws. ’Di pa totally gets ng mga tao (People don’t totally get it). Generally, educating on what the law is,” the Bar topnotcher said.

She urged her fellow Bar passers to use the privilege of being a lawyer to help other people.

To those who did not make it, she said: “Don’t let this define you in a sense that this is just an exam. You will make it if you want to do it again.”

Miranda also thanked UP and Inquirer “for helping me become who I am today.” CDG/rga/RC