Photo credit: Congress PH

A law dean has firmly pushed back against claims made by Ramil Madriaga, dismissing allegations that Sara Duterte received special treatment during her time in law school.

The statement came from Atty. Ted Pastrana, dean of San Sebastián College of Law, who said the claim that a former associate dean used influence to secure Duterte’s passing marks simply doesn’t add up.

“Why would an associate dean do that?” Pastrana pointed out, stressing that law students are treated as “ordinary students” regardless of background. At the time Duterte was studying, she wasn’t the daughter of a sitting president—and even if she were, it wouldn’t matter inside the classroom.

In law school, Pastrana explained, connections don’t carry weight. “Even if your father were Pontius Pilate, you’d still be a ‘who you’ in law school,” he said, underscoring how professors are expected to uphold fairness and independence in grading.

Pastrana also categorically rejected the allegation, calling it baseless and untrue. He emphasized that faculty members follow strict academic standards, where grades are based solely on merit and guided by established policies and rigorous evaluation.

He warned that spreading such claims risks damaging not just the reputation of the institution, but also its students and the legal profession as a whole.

In closing, Pastrana urged the public to be cautious about unverified accusations and to rely on facts instead. He reaffirmed the school’s commitment to transparency, fairness, and excellence in legal education—values, he said, that remain non-negotiable.