TACLOBAN CITY — Far from the usual spotlight of Metro Manila, a law school in this city has quietly made its mark on the national stage.
The Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation (DVOREF) College of Law has broken into the national Top 5 law schools with the highest passing percentage in the 2025 Bar Examinations, according to official results released by the Supreme Court (SC).
The feat places the Tacloban-based school alongside long-established legal institutions in the country.
Among the nine law schools operating in Eastern Visayas, DVOREF stood out as the region’s top performer—and the only provincial law school to enter the national Top 5 in the category of schools with more than 100 examinees.
Out of 106 first-time takers, 85 successfully passed the Bar, giving the school an impressive passing rate of 80.19 percent. This performance ranked DVOREF fourth nationwide, ahead of San Beda College of Law–Alabang and on the same list as Ateneo de Manila University, the University of the Philippines, and the University of Santo Tomas.
The DVOREF College of Law is headed by Leyte Representative and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a lawyer and graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law. He said the achievement was the result of shared commitment and teamwork across the school.
“This achievement shows that excellence in legal education is not confined to Metro Manila,” Romualdez said in a statement hours after the 2025 Bar examinations was released on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
“I thank our administrators, faculty, students, and parents for their unwavering support in turning our shared goal into reality.”
The rankings form part of the Supreme Court’s “Performance of Law Schools” report, released on January 7, 2026, which measures the results of first-time Bar examinees nationwide and serves as the official benchmark for the 2025 Bar Examinations.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
