Dannyka Manangan

Nico Antonio shares what inspired him to finally take the bar exam after graduating from law school

Article (news)

E. Kristhoff Cagape

Push Team

Nico Antonio opened up about what encouraged him to take the bar exam years after graduating from law school.In an interview with Bernadette Sembrano on her latest YouTube vlog, Nico shared that, although he graduated from law school in 2014, he initially chose not to take the bar exam after receiving advice from his mother, Atty. Joji Alonso.&quot;Balak ko sana mag-bar but my mom dissuaded me. My wife dissuaded me also. Sabi nila, especially my mom, sabi niya, &#x27;Hindi kita nakikitang abogado. You don&#x27;t have the lawyer material in you.&#x27; Siguro &#x27;yung the way I compose myself, the way I present myself to the public, my temper, I have a temper kasi, and I am very emotional. So ang abogado daw is dapat kontrolado niya &#x27;yung emotions niya, very cerebral, hindi mo ipapahalata sa tao o sa kalaban mo lalo na naiinis ka na, galit ka na, dapat hindi. Hindi ako ganun at that time. So sabi niya, &#x27;Huwag kang mag-bar baka hindi mo kayanin &#x27;pag hindi ka pumasa &#x27;yung depression.&#x27; I took it sa puso ko, nakinig ako, hindi ako nag-bar,&quot; he recounted.The actor added that during an acting workshop, director Laurice Guillen gave him a candid pep talk and told him he had to choose between acting and law. &quot;During the break she gave me a pep talk, she asked me, &#x27;Ano ba ang gusto mong mangyari sa buhay mo? Sabi niya ‘gusto mo ba mag-artista o gusto mo mag-abogado?&#x27; Sabi ko pareho. Sabi niya, &#x27;Hindi pwede &#x27;yun, you have to choose only one’,&quot; he relayed.Shortly after, Nico landed a role in the hit teleserye On the Wings of Love aired in 2015, which he took as a sign to focus fully on his acting career. &quot;It was fate telling me, choose this. So every time the bar results came, may kurot pero at the same time, ah hindi na. May mga what ifs, pero sabi ko hindi, eh maraming projects dumarating eh so parang isinantabi ko na siya,&quot; he said.When asked what finally motivated him to take the bar exam years later, Nico cited a moment in 2023 that inspired him. &quot;Nung 2023, nung lumabas &#x27;yung bar results merong 62-year-old na babae, first time taker, she passed it and I was like, she did it, if she could do it, bakit hindi ako?&quot;He also shared that ABS-CBN&#x27;s loss of its franchise became a major turning point. With fewer acting projects available, the uncertainty pushed him to reconsider his future.&quot;The franchise of ABS-CBN, tinaggal sa ABS-CBN so isa rin &#x27;yun sa nag-udyok sa akin bumalik sa akin sa pag-take ng bar kasi nawalan ng work, maraming nawalan ng work. Siyempre yung ABS-CBN, hindi na makapag-produce ng ganun karaming teleserye compared as before,&quot; he shared.Nico also pointed out that the rise of Artificial Intelligence triggered the decision. &quot;Also the advent of AI. Nakikita ko yung AI, pinapalitan na &#x27;yung tunay na tao na umaarte so natakot rin ako dun,&quot;he admitted.<div><iframe width="795" height="447" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/71RKzHjsLo4" title="REEL TO REAL LAWYER NICO ANTONIO: LIFE AFTER TOLAYTS | Bernadette Sembrano" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Before committing to preparing for the bar exam, Nico said he sought the approval of the two most important people in his life: his mother and his wife.&quot;I went back to my mom. I asked permission from her, sabi ko pwede ba ako mag-take ng bar? [Sabi niya], &#x27;Paano &#x27;yung trabaho mo?&#x27; Eh di pagsasabayin ko. [Sabi niya], &#x27;Okay.&#x27; Oh, wow. I went to my wife, asked permission from her, she said the same thing,&quot; he recounted. &quot;&#x27;Yun lang kailangan ko &#x27;yung approval nila and &#x27;yung trigger na &#x27;yung 62-year-old na pumasa na first time taker.&quot;Nico was among the 2025 bar exam passers which was released on January 7. He graduated with a degree in AB European Studies before entering law school.

Nico was among the 2025 bar exam passers.

Nico was among the 2025 bar exam passers.