After 11 Attempts, This Examinee Finally Passed the Bar Exams

(SPOT.ph) Most people would’ve stopped trying long before the tenth attempt, but Eduardo Rivera Regio is not most people. On his 11th bid for victory, the 59-year-old aspiring lawyer finally made it, passing the 2025 Philippine Bar Exams. It took more than three decades of trying.

Regio told reporters he was still in his 20s when he took the Bar for the first time in 1993, when results were still posted on bulletin boards. He kept coming back through the early 2000s until a five-strike rule in 2005 prohibited repeat takers from staking their claim on that elusive passing score.

When the Supreme Court lifted that cap in 2014, Regio decided to try again. In 2015, he missed the cut with a 72.93% score. In 2023, he came even closer, landing just under the passing mark once more. By then, he had already been reviewing, failing, and restarting for most of his adult life.

“Baka na-overconfident na ako noon. Mayabang kasi ako. Kaya ‘yun ang tinanggal ko sa sarili ko right after; kailangan ‘yung mapagpakumbaba,” Regio said.

This time, he told himself it would be the last. He enrolled in a refresher course at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. He also chose to wait for the results at the Supreme Court of the Philippines grounds—something he had never done in all his previous attempts.

His name eventually appeared on the list of passers which, this year, amounted to 5,594.

“Habang may buhay, may pag-asa. Magtiwala lang tayo sa Diyos,” Regio said.

Also read: Meet Rosula Calacala, the 62-Year-Old Who Passed the Bar Exam on Her First Try

Outside the Bar exams, Regio has spent years in public service, having served as a barangay kagawad and barangay chairman before working at the Land Bank of the Philippines. So why did he want to become a lawyer in the first place?

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Regio said he wanted to use the law to help people who often don’t have access to legal support: “Maraming puwedeng matulungan lalo na ‘yung mga biktima ng injustices na walang pambayad ng abogado. Then ‘yung mga manggagawa na tinatanggal nang walang pakundangan.”

He has pointed to his family—especially his five children—as his main reason for refusing to quit. He wanted to inspire and encourage them to take up law as well.

“Ayoko na sana, pero sa paniniwala ko na baka kayanin, ‘for the last time’ para may susundan ang mga anak ko,” Regio told GMA News. “Wala namang mawawala eh.”

Regio is set to take his oath this February at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, joining the rest of the 2025 Bar passers.

Also read: What Really Happens When Bar Exam Results Come Out