In a deeply personal triumph, Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo has successfully passed the challenging 2025 Bar Examination on her very first attempt. This significant achievement is rooted in a heartfelt promise she made to her father during their final conversation before his passing in 2017.
A Promise Kept After Eight Years
Following the release of the Bar results, Lamentillo shared an emotional reflection on social media. She recounted the pivotal moment eight years ago when she vowed to her father that she would become a lawyer. "I've carried that promise with me ever since—quietly, stubbornly, even on the days I wasn't sure I could finish what I started," she wrote.
Her dedication to this goal was unwavering. She revealed that she brought law books with her to the University of Oxford, studying diligently between her other commitments to ensure her promise would not fade. When the time came to take the Bar, her father was at the forefront of her mind. "This was my first time taking the bar, and I walked into it thinking of him the whole way through," she stated.
The moment of victory was simple and profound. Upon seeing her name on the passers' list, she addressed her father directly: "Today, more than 8 years later, I finally get to put Atty. before my name. Dad, I kept my word. You can finally rest in peace."
Championing Bisaya Identity and Language on the World Stage
Beyond her remarkable legal achievement, Lamentillo has emerged as a passionate advocate for her cultural heritage. As a proud Bisaya from the Karay-a ethnolinguistic group in Western Visayas, she uses her platform to highlight issues of linguistic equity.
Speaking at the prestigious One Young World Conference in Munich, she shared her personal struggles with language. She recalled being mocked for her English accent and a childhood stutter. It was her mother's use of Kinaray-a proverbs that helped her find her voice. "On nights when my tongue felt locked… my mouth would loosen to the sounds – familiar, ours," she shared.
This experience shaped her worldview, leading her to a critical observation: "My struggle taught me; words are not equal. Language is not fair." She powerfully illustrated this point by highlighting a gap in modern technology, noting that when she tried speaking Kinaray-a to ChatGPT, it did not respond. "How can we call technology that only understands less than one percent of the world’s languages fair and responsible?" she challenged the audience.
A Distinguished Academic and Professional Journey
Lamentillo's path to becoming a lawyer is marked by consistent academic excellence. Her impressive educational background includes:
- Graduating from the University of the Philippines Los Baños in 2012 with Latin honors and the Faculty Medal for Academic Excellence.
- Earning her Juris Doctor degree from UP Diliman in 2020.
- Completing executive education at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2018.
- Finishing her MSc in Cities at the London School of Economics with honors in July 2025.
- Currently pursuing an MSc in Major Programme Management at the University of Oxford.
The story of Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo is one of profound personal dedication, cultural pride, and intellectual rigor. Her success in the 2025 Bar Exam is not just a professional milestone but the fulfillment of a sacred familial promise, while her advocacy ensures that her voice and the voices of other linguistic communities are heard on a global scale.
