Raissa Laurel-Subijano

Ma. Antonia Raissa Dawn H. Laurel-Subijano (born April 22, 1987) is a Filipino lawyer and politician serving as a city councilor of San Juan since 2016.

Bar exam bombing

Then a 23-year-old law student from San Sebastian College, Laurel-Subijano was waiting in Taft Avenue for her friends who finished the 2010 bar exam in the law school tradition of salubong when a grenade targeting members of a fraternity exploded next to her.

At the time, doctors estimated her chances of survival at only 20% and had to have both legs amputated below the knee.

Political career In 2016, Laurel-Subijano was elected as city councilor of San Juan, and re-elected again in 2019, and in 2022.

When she was in the city council, Laurel-Subijano was appointed in three committees as chairperson: Committee on Social Services, Women, Children, and Persons with Disabilities’ Welfare; Committee on Laws and Ethics; and Committee on Public Order, Safety, and Illegal Drugs. As a person with disability (PWD) herself, she pushed the rights of those disabled, and by 2017, the council approved an ordinance providing benefits and allotted funds for indigent PWDs.

Personal life After recovering from her injuries, Laurel-Subijano continued her law studies at Philippine Christian University and graduated in 2015. As a blast survivor, Laurel-Subijano has been invited to speaking engagements as a motivational speaker.

She is a distant relative of former President Jose P. Laurel.