Prosecutor highlights AMLC chief's 85.75% bar score during impeachment hearing

In the Senate impeachment proceeding against Vice President Sara Duterte, private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia questioned AMLC executive director Ronel Buenaventura about his qualifications, specifically his bar exam results. Buenaventura disclosed that he placed 10th in the 2015 bar exam with a score of 85.75%, which Divinagracia highlighted as 5.75 points above the 80% score of a lawyer known to both her and Duterte’s defense counsel Mark Vinluan.

The exchange occurred as Buenaventura testified regarding bank transactions bearing the names of Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, forming part of the prosecution’s case on alleged unexplained wealth. Vinluan objected to the relevance of the bar score comparison and sought to have the comment stricken from the record. Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero approved the defense’s request, effectively removing the remark from the official transcript.