MANILA (UPDATED) — When Czar Matthew Dayday heard 2022 Bar exams chair Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa announce the topnotcher for the test, he thought it was someone else.

"When he said that the top placer, he said 'Dayday,' I was like 'Oh, may iba palang Dayday who took the Bar," Dayday, who was at home with his parents when they learned of the news, told ANC hours after the Friday announcement. "But I realized, 'Oh, that's my name.'"

Following the much-awaited announcement, Dayday, who led the successful takers with a rating of 88.8083, said tears began to flow.

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"It was just me crying, my family's screaming... and shocked that I topped the Bar," he said.

Dayday, a University of the Philippines - College of Law graduate, told ANC he didn't expect to clinch the top spot.

"No, really not," he said when asked about becoming the no. 1 passer.

"After the Bar, there were some items that I knew for sure that I was wrong... I really was just hoping that I would pass the Bar on this take," Dayday shared.

"Finishing first was really just a really, really good bonus on top of that."

• LIST: 30 topnotchers in the 2022 Bar exams

Bar 2022 second placer Erickson Mariñas, with an 88.7666 rating, also from the UP College of Law, told the same interview he also didn't expect to land on the list of top passers but admitted aiming to ace the No. 1 spot.

"I was praying that I would top the Bar or pass the Bar," Mariñas told ANC, saying one of his professors in law school told them to set their sights on being the topnotcher.

"Para at least kahit nag-fail daw kami," he went on, "'yung babagsakan pa rin namin is a passing grade, 'di ba."

ADVICE TO BAR TAKERS

Mariñas told future Bar takers to have systematic study habits.

"Make their own calendars, I also schedule mine how many days would I devote for this particular subject, for this particular topic, that I try to hit the marks every day," he said.

"I think that helps to make sure na all Bar topics you hit and hindi ka nagka-cram towards finish line."

Rest is also important between study days to avoid burnout, Mariñas said.

Dayday, for his part, believes that success is a product of the work that one puts in.

"It's a product of the small things that you do every day, be it reading one more page or studying one more case and so on. It's really a matter of not aiming for a particular result but just focusing on your process on what works for you, so that the results will just fall naturally," he said.

"And also I think it's a matter of surrounding yourself with people who will help you achieve your goals."

WHAT'S NEXT

Dayday is now with a law firm. He said he's still enjoying working in different areas of his profession.

When asked about his target focus in law practice, Dayday said he couldn't give an exact answer just yet.

"I want to really experience, or learn more about the different areas of law so that I'll be able to make much better informed decision maybe by next year," Dayday said.

Same with Dayday, Mariñas is still uncertain about his specialization.

But he said he wanted to do litigation since it was what he enjoyed the most during law school.

"So I think gano'n 'yung sentiment ko na, 'Oh I excelled at this subject maybe I'll be good at it'. Pero right now I'm also exploring other — I'm also being exposed to other practicing areas that I might also find very interesting for me," he added.

A total of 3,992 takers passed the 2022 Bar Examinations, the Supreme Court announced Friday.

• FULL LIST: 2022 Bar exam passers
• 43 percent pass 2022 Bar exams; top 5 examinees from UP

They account for 43.47 percent of 9,183 law graduates who took the grueling exams last November, said Caguioa.