MANILA, Philippines – Netizens were deeply moved after a video chronicling a father’s long and arduous journey to becoming a lawyer went viral online, showcasing a story of perseverance that spanned more than two decades.
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| Screenshots from TikTok/courtesy: Shifra Euraoba (Ali) |
The video, uploaded on TikTok by his daughter Shifra Euraoba on Wednesday, January 7, captured the emotional moment when 52-year-old Edilberito B. Euraoba II finally found his name on the list of passers of the 2025 Bar Examinations.
The clip showed an intimate family reaction, quiet disbelief turning into tears of relief, after years of deferred dreams and repeated setbacks.
According to Shifra, his father first took the Bar Exam in 2002, the same year he graduated from law school as a working student. Despite the effort, he did not pass.
Life soon took over, as he started a family and prioritized providing for them, placing his ambition of becoming a lawyer on hold.
A decade later, in 2012, he decided to try again. However, the demands of full-time work, raising children, and limited preparation once more proved overwhelming.
The second attempt ended in disappointment, much like the first.
Undeterred, he saved enough money to sit for the Bar Exam anew in 2019. Yet for the third time, success remained elusive. The repeated failures, Shifra shared, were heartbreaking, but they did not extinguish his father’s determination.
In 2025, 23 years after his first attempt and on his fourth try, the long-awaited victory finally came. Shifra described the moment as the fulfillment of a prayer patiently carried for decades.
“Congratulations, Daddy! Your journey reminds us that delays are not defeat,” Shifra wrote, a message that resonated with thousands of viewers.
The video quickly gained traction, drawing an outpouring of support and admiration from netizens who praised the father’s resilience, patience, and unwavering commitment to his dream, proving that persistence, even after years of waiting, can still lead to triumph.
Congratulations, Atty Edilberito B. Euraoba II!
— Noel Ed Richards, The Summit Express