Atty. Samantha Faye B. Tribiana
The first law scholar of the provincial government of Catanduanes, a former mayor and the daughter of a jail officer are among the new lawyers with Catandunganon parentage who passed the 2023 bar exam given by the Supreme Court last September.
Atty. Jude Masagca Tacorda, son of the late retired police officer Mauricio Tacorda Jr. and the former Marilou Tacorda of San Isidro Village, is the first law scholarship grantee of the Catanduanes Medicine and Law Scholarship Program to pass the tough test.
He is a product of the Virac Pilot Elementary School and the Catanduanes State University Laboratory High School.
“For aspiring lawyers of Catanduanes, continue to strive hard. As the first graduate and at the same time the first lawyer under the pioneer batch of the CMLSP program headed by our dear Governor Joseph Cua, I and my family extend our sincerest gratitude to this program. The burden of studying the complexity and intricacies of law can be overcome through the help of the government of Catanduanes. Godbless!” the University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi said in a message to the Tribune.
Former Pandan chief executive Honesto “Olog” Castillo Tabligan II, 50, made it to the lawyers’ list, to add to his professional licenses as Certified Public Accountant, Real Estate Broker, Real Estate Appraiser and Real Estate Consultant.
The native of Napo, Pandan is the husband of the former Ruth Icaonapo and father to two daughters who are students of UST Manila.
A product of Pandan Central ES and Pandan School of Arts and Trades, he attended classes at St. Gregory the Great Seminary for four years before studying Accountancy at Divine Word College of Legazpi where he graduated Cum Laude.
He also studied Entrep-Finance-Groundwork and Financial Management at the Asian Institute of Management-Makati, took up MBA at CatSU before entering law school at Arellano University.
Tabligan was finance head at Liberty Commercial Center, Director for Operations at NLEX/Easytrip Services Corp., and vice president at DDC Land Inc. before he was elected as Pandan Mayor from 2019 to 2022.
Also among the 3,812 new lawyers is Atty. Samantha Faye Budy Tribiana, 25, the youngest of the two children of SJO1 Roy G. Tribiana of BJMP Virac District Jail and DTI employee Mrs. Celeste Budy-Tribiana.
She studied at VPES -Division Pilot Special Science and Math Class (DPSSMC) and CNHS- Science and Technology Oriented Class (STOC).
After graduating as Cum Laude in Bachelor of Arts in English at Bicol University, Legaspi City, she obtained her Juris Doctor Degree at University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi (USTL).
Currently, she is the Legal Assistant at DENR-Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Virac.
Also among the bar passers is Atty. Rosalie Templonuevo Tesorero, 28, daughter of Salvador Tesorero and Rosie Templonuevo-Tesorero of Aroyao, San Miguel.
She graduated Cum Laude from Ateneo De Manila University with a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2015 before taking up law at the University of the Philippines.
Atty. Imee Joyce Rima Seña, 26, is the daughter of Imelda R. Seña and Jose A. Seña of Datag West, Caramoran. After finishing Political Science at CatSU, she took up her Juris Doctor at UST-Legazpi.
Another Caramoran native is Atty. Jhonel Sis Dellova, 26, son of Anastacio B. Dellova Jr. and Mrs. Gloria Sis-Dellova of barangay Hitoma. A member of Catsu AB Political Science Class 2018, he finished his law degree at Arellano University School of Law and is currently employed by Concrete Stone Corp.
Two more lawyers are from Virac: Atty. Elizabeth Marino and Atty. Peter Emiliano Tolledo Villamor Jr.
Villamor Jr., 27, is the son of Engr. Peter Emiliano Villamor Sr. and Dr. Edna Tolledo-Villamor of Sta. Elena, Virac.
The UST-Legazpi graduate is currently working for the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Catanduanes as legal officer under Project SPLIT.
On the other hand, Marino, 27, is the daughter of Maria Elvira Marino of San Pablo, Virac. A 2013 BA Philosophy Cum Laude graduate of UP Diliman, she earned her Juris Doctor at San Beda University – College of Law this year.
Atty. Teodora Litong Abundo of Tinago, Viga is the daughter of the late couple Panfilo T. Abundo and Josefina T. Litong. The graduate of Tinago Elementary School and CatSU Laboratory High Scjool, went to college at Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila and took up Law at San Beda University and Manuel L. Quezon University. She is working at the Senate of the Philippines.
There are two new lawyers with Gianan surnames in the SC list but apparently at least one of them is not from the island.
Atty. Jonathan Tan Gianan, 37, of Calbayog City, Samar, is the son of City Councilor and former police officer Jessie Camarines Gianan and Lorna Tan-Gianan. He got his law degree at Christ The King College.
In a message to the Tribune, he said that his father grew up in Metro Manila, the son of one Perfecto Urbano Gianan of Antipolo, Virac.
The other Gianan lawyer in the list is a certain Maryshel Sepacio Gianan but the Tribune could not find any contact information.
Also passing the Bar is Atty. Charlene Mae Olesco Tugano of Virac, Atty. Jennifer Romero-Zafe of Virac and Atty. Maria Yna Krista Tapado Soriano of San Andres.
The second among four siblings, Charlene Mae, 33, is the daughter of retired couple SFO3 Exequiel T. Tugano and public school teacher Exerferencia O. Tugano of West Garden Village Phase 2, Bigaa, Virac.
The Virac Pilot ES and CSC Lab HS graduate first took up Nursing at Bicol University in Legazpi under the ladderized curriculum.
She was already a registered midwife and licensed nurse before she entered law studies at UP Diliman.
She is an immigration officer at the Bureau of Immigration in Intramuros, Manila.
With roots in Bato town, Soriano, 28, finished ber BSBA major in Economics course at UST Manila before earning her JD at San Beda College Alabang.
There is also one Atty. Sebastian Leyva Tesorero but the Tribune has yet to confirm if he has roots in Catanduanes.
The new attorneys will join the other successful examinees in the oath taking and roll signing set this December 22, 2023 at SMX Convention Center, Manila.