This Engineer Took the Bar “Casually,” Even Failed a Subject — Then Accidentally Became Top 1

When the Supreme Court released the results of the 2025 Bar Examinations, Jeronelle Rhey Timola Sanchez did not spend the day glued to his phone or refreshing social media feeds every few minutes. He did the opposite. He stayed offline on purpose, hoping to face whatever the results would be at his own pace and in his own time.

“I spent yesterday without an internet connection because I really didn’t want to hear anything about the bar because I wanted to be able to engage with the news at my own pace,” Sanchez said in an interview on News Watch Plus.

“I knew that when it would be the time for results, I would want to be as far away from it as possible so that I can take the results at my own leisure.”

But as it turns out, the Bar does not always wait for leisure. The results found him anyway, in the most Filipino way possible: during a commute.

On his way home, Sanchez received a call. A friend was on the line, struggling to get the words out.

“They were stuttering through it and they said that I was top one. I didn’t believe them. And at that point, I opened up my internet connection and then there it was and things just kind of escalated from there,” he recalled.

That disbelief, he admitted, remains.

“A slight bit of disbelief thinking this can’t be happening, but apparently it is,” he said. “Can’t believe talaga.”

In another account shared in a “24 Oras” report by Sandra Aguinaldo, Sanchez described a similar moment of shock after hearing the news while riding a jeepney.

“One of my friends called me and then informed me. She was like, Sanchez, Top 1 ka. And I’m sitting in a jeepney. I was like, ‘you have got to be kidding me.’ I never really intended to top the Bar,” he said.

Sanchez said he took the exam with only one mindset: “Just do your best, and whatever happens, happens.”

What happened was historic for him. Sanchez topped the 2025 Bar Exams—an achievement that places him at the forefront of this year’s new lawyers, in a Bar season that also highlighted the deeply personal, often painful journeys behind success.

No Plans to Top, Only a Hope to Pass

If there is one thing Sanchez has repeated consistently, it is that becoming the topnotcher was never part of the plan.

“No, not in a million years. No, I just really wanted to pass the bar,” he said.

Even in the interview, when asked how he was taking in the fact that he topped the Bar, his reply was straightforward.

“A slight bit of disbelief thinking this can’t be happening, but apparently it is,” he said.

The humility in his answers matched how he described himself as a student.

“I would really just describe myself as an average student. I wasn’t intending for honors. I didn’t get any honors. I wasn’t intending to lead the class or anything. I just wanted to stay in the middle of the pack, keep my head down, and do what I needed to pass my subjects.”

It is a portrait that will resonate with many law students in the Philippines: those who may not be academic standouts on paper, but who survive the grind through discipline, patience, and consistency.

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An Engineer Who Chose a Second Profession

Sanchez’s path to becoming a lawyer also carries another layer of interest: he is a licensed electrical engineer. The shift to law, he explained, began not with a dramatic turning point, but with a classroom encounter that made him look at professions differently.

“I could really point to when I took engineering ethics as one of the final subjects in electrical engineering,” he said. “It was fascinating to me that a profession needed to be defined by law and constrained by the provisions of law. And from there I just kind of started looking into more legal stuff.”

That curiosity eventually became commitment, pulling him through law school, review season, and finally the Bar.

Asked whether he would practice both professions, Sanchez said he would focus on law, but keep his engineering license active.

“I would probably focus on law the most but I would still keep my license updated because I do like being updated in the current trends in engineering… despite all the grief that the undergraduate course gave me, I do have an appreciation for electrical engineering.”

Law School as an Endurance Game

In the Philippines, law school is often described as mentally exhausting, emotionally draining, and socially isolating. Sanchez did not romanticize it. Instead, he described it as a test of grit more than brilliance.

“Law school by itself is a very difficult challenge. So, it’s not really just about intelligence, but having also the tenacity and the grit to keep going despite how many bad recits, bad exams, bad scores that you take, being able to stand up back up and do it all over again,” he said.

He even disclosed a setback that many students experience but few openly admit.

“I did fail my civil procedure subject and I had to take that again,” he said.

For him, failure was not just pain. It was also correction.

“If you keep passing subjects… you get a sort of inflated sense that yeah I can take anything that gets thrown at me and then suddenly you trip… that serves as a reality check… as much as it sucked, it was also very… a learning experience.”

He described the Bar review itself as a slow burn, where repetition can blur days into one long stretch of fatigue.

“If you’re doing something day in day out for a long period of time, everything starts blending in… you lose yourself in the work… by the time you’re nearing the bar, you’re still very exhausted,” he said. “The bar review and the bar exam is for the most part an endurance game. You just have to last.”

Working While Studying and Learning to Compartmentalize

Sanchez also spoke about working while attending law school.

“I needed to work yes but most of my work was related law related… by the end of law school I was a paralegal at a firm,” he said.

He explained that finding engineering jobs compatible with night law school was difficult, especially during the pandemic.

“There weren’t a lot of engineering jobs that were comfortable with the fact that you were also taking law school in the evening… compounded by the fact that I was also searching during the pandemic,” he said.

To survive the demands of work, study, and review, he leaned on a simple mindset: deal with what is directly in front of you.

“You really just have to deal with the problem that’s in front of you before considering any other problems,” he said. “It’s about compartmentalization… because if you just try to do everything you’re not going to be doing anything.”

Shock at Home, Pride in the Family

Sanchez also shared that his family’s reaction was a mix of surprise and pride.

“Definitely a lot of shock,” he said. “My parents are very proud of me. My siblings were also surprised. Generally shock all around.”

He emphasized that success is never individual.

“It’s never really an individual achievement… we are all carried on the backs of those who have been supporting us from the very start… up to the end of this part of the journey.”

His Message to Aspiring Lawyers: Expect Ugly Fights

When asked what he would say to aspiring lawyers who might be struggling, Sanchez did not sugarcoat the reality.

“You’re going to be taking a lot of ugly fights. It’s never going to be a pretty victory. You’re going to be exhausted. You’re going to be tired. You’re going to be cursing your decision to actually enter law school,” he said. “You’re going to be wondering if you’re doing the right thing.”

At the same time, he acknowledged that walking away is not shameful.

“And there’s no shame if you decide eventually that maybe this isn’t for me,” he said.

But for those who choose to continue, he offered the clearest lesson he learned.

“It’s not always about intelligence. It’s about grit. It’s about tenacity. It’s about being able to take hits and still keep standing,” he said. “If you think it’s worth it, then you’ll just have to grit your teeth and bear it.”

He also underscored the importance of a support system.

“Incredibly important. None of us would be here if it was for our support system,” he said. “Whether it be family… mentors… teachers… whatever place that you would derive your strength from… it’s never really an individual achievement.”

The Bigger Picture: A Bar Exam Year of Many Journeys

While Sanchez stood as Top 1, the 2025 Bar Examination results also highlighted stories of endurance across the board. Outside the Supreme Court, emotions poured out as passers learned their fate. Some were with families, some were alone, and many carried years of unseen struggles before reaching that moment.

Bar passer Ibraham Lumugdang shared that it took him nine years in law school before passing the Bar on his first try. Marge Regino, a mother who went to the Supreme Court to support her child, celebrated after four attempts. Tasnim Cariga Balindong passed on her second try and said,

“Never give up on your dreams, and I always believe that everything comes in perfect timing po. My plan is to represent Mindanao lawyers, especially the Bangsamoro community po.”

Reyo Eduardo Rivera, 59, passed after 11 attempts and said,

“Habang may buhay, may pag-asa. Wag lang tayo mawawalan ng ano (pag-asa). Magtiwala lang tayo sa Diyos.”

According to the Supreme Court, 5,594 out of 11,420 examinees passed, translating to a 48.98 percent passing rate, which is higher than in recent years. Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, the 2025 Bar Examination chairperson, explained the approach to checking.

“I only reminded the examiners that my standard is reasonableness, and then I gave them a rubric of how points will be assigned to the answers,” she said.

She also comforted those who did not pass.

“Failure is just temporary. It’s just a temporary setback. It will never define us,” Lazaro-Javier said.

A Topnotcher Who Stayed Offline, Then Got Swept Into History

In a time when achievements are often broadcast in real time, Jeronelle Rhey Timola Sanchez tried to avoid the noise. He wanted to face the results quietly. Yet even offline, the Bar found him, pulled him into the spotlight, and reshaped his life mid-commute.

He did not chase the title of topnotcher. He chased survival—passing subjects, retaking what he failed, working through school, enduring review, and lasting until the end.

His story, anchored on discipline and humility, is now the face of the 2025 Bar Examinations: a licensed engineer turned lawyer, an “average student” who topped the Bar, and a reminder that in the Philippines, big victories often arrive in the most ordinary places—like a jeepney ride home.