Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada honors and hands a gift to former janitor turned lawyer Ramil Comendador, who graduated at the Universidad De Manila, in Manila City Hall. INQUIRER / Richard A. Reyes
The Manila city government on Thursday awarded a former janitor at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) who passed the 2016 bar examination with a cash incentive.
Mayor Joseph Estrada led the simple awarding ceremonies for Ramil Comendador, who finished 194th in the bar exam, at the Office of the Mayor. The 35-year-old Comendador finished his law degree at the city-run Universidad de Manila.
READ: Sacrifices pay off as ex-Comelec janitor passes bar
Comendador received a P100,000 cash incentive and plaque of recognition from the city government.
“Success is no accident… Mr. Comendador truly proved that hard work, perseverance, and sacrifice are all you need to achieve your dream,” Estrada said in a statement.
“It’s not every day you’ll meet someone like Mr. Comendador – rather Atty. Comendador now – who juggled work, family, and study to become what he is now,” he added.
Comendador served as a utility worker assigned at the office of former Election Commissioner Rene Sarmiento from 2007 to 2010. He is currently an election assistant at Comelec’s office in Malabon City.
READ: Comelec janitor-turned-researcher passes 2016 bar exams
Comendador attributed his success to the support of his mother, a single parent. “Lahat ng pinaghirapan ko, para sa pamilya ko, lalung lalo na sa nanay ko na bumuhay sa aming mag-isa,” he said.
(Everything I worked hard for is for my family, especially for my mother who raised us by herself.)
A total of 3,747 out of 6,344 (59.06 percent) passed the 2016 bar examination, one of the highest passing rates in recent history. The bar is dubbed as the toughest professional exam in the country. JE/rga
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