Actor Janus del Prado drew criticism from an online prosecutor after making Jimmy Bondoc’s passing of the Bar Exams the punchline of a Facebook post addressed to this year’s examinees.

As the 2026 Philippine Bar Examinations got underway, Janus posted a brief message telling examinees not to be nervous.

“‘Wag kayo kabahan sa Bar Exams. Si Jimmy Bondoc nga nakapasa eh,” the actor wrote.

The joke generated mixed reactions online, including criticism from some members of the legal profession who felt it diminished Bondoc’s achievement of becoming a lawyer.

Among those who responded was Fiscal EJ, who addressed Janus in an open letter on Facebook.

“Are you a lawyer?” the prosecutor began.

“If not, you have no particular credibility to assure Bar examinees that they should not be nervous about the Bar Exam, much less to use another person’s passing as a punchline.”

Fiscal EJ also acknowledged that he disagrees with Bondoc politically but argued that those differences should be separated from the latter’s accomplishment.

“I don’t like Jimmy Bondoc’s politics. But that has nothing to do with the fact that he passed the Bar and became a lawyer,” he said.

“You probably felt clever when you said it. You probably thought you had delivered a witty little punchline.

“You didn’t.

“It was neither clever nor funny. It was simply a cheap attempt to demean someone’s achievement because you don’t like him.”

He ended his criticism with another pointed remark: “Because at the end of the day, Mr. Del Prado, Jimmy Bondoc has something you apparently don’t: a Bar admission.”

Janus later addressed the criticism his post received, telling his detractors to relax and commenting on the attention his joke had generated.

“Masyado bang nagviral yung pinost ko?

“Masakit ba?

“Ngayon lang kasi ako pinutakti ng mga troll ng ganito eh.

“Nagpakawala pa kayo ng mga DDebs Final Boss para puksain ako,” he wrote.

The actor continued, “Relax mga DDebs.

“Ako lang to.

“Yung laos na walang bitaw na sinasabi niyo.

“Wag masyadong praning at masyadong nahahalata na manang mana talaga kayo sa pinagmanahan niyo.”

Janus did not back away from his original joke in the response.

Bondoc, a former singer who later pursued law, began his legal studies in 2017. He initially attended San Beda University before transferring to the University of the East, where he completed his law degree in 2023.

He was among the 3,812 successful examinees in the 2023 Bar Examinations, the results of which were released by the Supreme Court in December that year.

Bondoc has also been publicly identified with the Duterte political camp and has expressed support for former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte.

Fiscal EJ, however, specifically argued that political disagreement with Bondoc should not be used to dismiss his accomplishment as a Bar passer.

The 2026 Bar Examinations are scheduled for September 6, 9, and 13.