[JOHN HANCOCK FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. LETTERHEAD]

John Hancock Place
Post Office Box 111
Boston, Massachusetts 02117


Todd G. Engelsen, FSA, CLU, ChFC
Vice President


                                            December 17, 2001


Board of Directors of the John Hancock Life Insurance Company

          Re: Actuarial Opinion
              -----------------

Members of the Board:

     This opinion is furnished in connection with the filing of the Registration
Statement on Form S-6 in which this opinion is being filed as an exhibit,
pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to variable
life insurance policies under which amounts will be allocated to one or more of
the subaccounts of one or more variable life insurance separate accounts. The
policies described in the prospectus(es) in said Registration Statement.

     The policy form was reviewed under my direction, and I am familiar with the
Registration Statement and exhibits. In my opinion, the illustrations of policy
benefits, values, and accumulated premiums shown in the prospectus(es) (or
appendix thereto) included in the Registration Statement, based on the
assumptions stated with the illustrations, are consistent with the provisions of
the policies. Such assumptions, including, to the extent applicable, the current
cost of insurance rates, current scheduled rates of other charges, current
dividend scales, and any other currently scheduled credits, are reasonable. The
policies have not been designed so as to make the relationship between premiums
and benefits, as shown in the illustrations, appear disproportionately more
favorable to a prospective purchaser of a policy for an insured persons(s) with
the characteristics illustrated than to a prospective purchaser of a policy for
an insured person(s) with other characteristics; nor have the particular
examples set forth in the illustrations been selected for the purpose of making
this relationship appear more favorable.

     I hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Initial
Registration Statement and to the use of my name under the heading "Experts" or
"Accounting and actuarial experts" in the prospectus(es).


                                            /s/ TODD G. ENGELSEN
                                            --------------------
                                            Todd G. Engelsen, FSA
                                            Vice President and Actuary