VOLUME XCVIII / NO. 4 · JANUARY 30, 2026 · THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS · Manila, Philippines
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4 THOMASIANS LAND IN TOP 10 OF BAR EXAMS; UST IS NO. 3 SCHOOL By Louisse Raye Shara C. Santos
FOUR THOMASIANS led the fresh batch of Thomasian lawyers, with the University ranking third among law schools with more than 100 examinees. UST obtained an overall passing rate of 87.16% in the 2025 Bar examinations, and a 96.3% passing rate for first-time takers. The 2025 overall passing rate was an improvement from the 80.35% it recorded in 2024. Spinel Albert Declaro placed second nationwide with a 92.46% score. Alaiza Adviento claimed the third spot with a score of 91.91%. Marc Angelo Santos scored 91.58%, placing fifth. He was followed by Johann Raphael Gata at No. 7, with 90.90%. Adviento, who graduated batch valedictorian in 2025, said topping the Bar examinations still felt surreal. “My goal was to just pass the Bar exam. Pero siyempre, at the back of my head, I knew I still needed to top the bar exam because I needed to give pride to UST, especially to the UST Faculty of Civil Law community, [which] had very high hopes for our batch,” Adviento told the Varsitarian.
Gata said he felt overwhelmed seeing his name appear on the list of topnotchers. “ H o n e s t l y, hindi po ako makapaniwala na ‘yong name ko [ay] lumabas doon. [I’m] thankful po for the blessings,” he said. Lexanne Garcia, former associate editor of the Varsitarian, and former Filipino section writer Kim Naparan, were among the successful examinees. ► Bar examinees gather at the Supreme Court’s front yard in Padre Faura during the release of the Civil Law 2025 Bar exam results on Wednesday, Jan. 7. — PHOTO BY ETHAN JOSHUA NIKHOLAI F. GUISAMA Dean Nilo Divina congratulated the fresh batch of cellence, producing four Bar topnotchers our Barristers every step of the way— Thomasian lawyers and topnotchers and posting an outstanding 96.3% passing thank you. This victory belongs to all of on Facebook. rate,” his post read. “In the 2025 Bar Examinations, UST “To the families, mentors, students, BAR EXAMS PAGE 2 ► once again affirmed its tradition of ex- office staff, and friends who stood with
FEATURES ► PAGE 8
Concerns raised on rise of ‘manufactured reality’ by AI
LENSPEAK ► PAGES 6–7
Traslación 2026
Longest Traslación logs 4 deaths amid historic crowd By Reya Vincent P. Misa
THE CENTURIES-OLD image of Jesus Nazareno arrived at Quiapo Church on Saturday, Jan. 10, after a procession that took 30 hours, 50 minutes, and one second, the longest ever Traslación since 2012. The annual procession however claimed the lives of four people, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said. The Traslación began at 4 a.m. on Jan. 9, at Quirino Grandstand and ended at the gate of Quiapo Church at 10:50 a.m., drawing an estimated 9.6 million devotees, the Quiapo Church Command Post reported. This year’s turnout and duration surpassed Traslación 2025, which lasted 20 hours and 45 minutes with over 8.1 million devotees, with no recorded deaths. Deaths
Among the fatalities was Itoh Son, a photojournalist from a local news outlet, who collapsed at a station near the Quirino Grandstand and died before the start of the procession. The NCRPO also confirmed the death of one devotee who was rushed to the hospital on Friday morning after suffering from a heart attack. Two more deaths were confirmed by the NCRPO but it did not provide details as of writing. “We’re going to report our casu-
► Devotees cling to the glass-enclosed carriage of Jesus Nazareno. — PHOTO BY JAMES MICHAEL M. MAGBOO
alties once we have all the details already. Currently, these are fresh pieces of information, but we need to really hone in on the details of these two casualties,” Nazareno 2026 spokesperson Fr. Robert Arellano said in a press conference on Saturday morning. Delays
The procession moved slowly despite several improvements to the andas or carriage, including a four-wheel mechanism, steering system, brakes and a reinforced underchassis. Quiapo Church communication coordinator Silgen Cabrito said the delays were caused not by mechanical issues but by human factors, as large groups of devotees attempted to
mount the andas, affecting its balance. “Sa bigat at dami ng mga sumasampa, napapayuko ang harapan ng andas,” Cabrito said. Church marshals and officials repeatedly urged devotees to refrain from climbing the andas, but many ignored the reminders, visibly exhausting the hijos pulis or policemen-devotees assisting in the procession. The delays worsened when the main rope pulling the carriage snapped along Quezon Boulevard between 2:50 p.m. and 3 p.m. A 30-meter backup rope was installed nearly an hour later, allowing the procession to resume. At 7 p.m., organizers recorded more than 980,000 devotees along
the route, surpassing last year’s turnout of 387,010 devotees. After passing through Arlegui Street, the andas entered Fraternal Street at about 8:15 p.m. and reached Vergara Street at 8:56 p.m., drawing massive crowds. Devotees continued to gather along Hidalgo Street, particularly near the Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus convent, despite the slow pace of the procession. “Siyempre tatapusin natin ‘yung panata,” said Eric Mallari, who had been waiting since Jan. 7. “Hindi natin mafe-feel kung hindi natin natapos ang pagpasok ng Señor,” he said. At 4:21 a.m., the andas arrived at Plaza del Carmen in front of San Sebastian Basilica for the traditional Dungaw or encounter between the Nazareno and the image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Although Quiapo Church Rector and Parish Priest Fr. Ramon Jade Licuanan initially announced that the image would remain at San Sebastian Basilica indefinitely, devotees later pulled the andas back to its original route. According to Cabrito, the image passed through Villalobos Street at 9:58 a.m. before finally returning to Quiapo Church at 10:50 a.m. to conclude the Traslación. WITH REPORTS FROM DJENHARD YRENEO RAPHAEL
Y. SAPANHILA AND JUSTIN JACOB S. URAG
Student writers from UP, PUP win in UST campus press awards By Luis Angelo N. Palma
SEVEN campus journalists emerge victorious among hundreds of entrants in the 11th UST National Campus Journalism Awards (UNCJA) organized by the Varsitarian. Named Best In-Depth Report was “She Was Only 16. But She Was Able to Vote,” by Eunicito Barreno of the Philippine Collegian, the official student publication of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. The winning story tackled the erosion of democratic safeguards in Lanao del Sur, revealing how minors were illegally registered to vote and drawn into electoral fraud through family pressure, vote-buying, and institutional failures. The report showed how election laws are bent to benefit political dynasties and how accountability breaks down at the local level. The entry titled “Cash in, crash PRESS AWARDS PAGE 5
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