BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Some 10,483 aspiring lawyers finished yesterday this year’s three-day digitalized and regionalized Bar exams, arguably the toughest professional licensure test in the country.
Supreme Court Associate and 2024 Bar chair Mario Lopez has shared a brief inspiring message to the 2024 Bar examinees.
“To the Bar candidates, you are on the brink of turning your dreams into a reality. You’ve come this far because you already have what it takes. By this time, believe in the power of your preparation and the strength of your resilience and perseverance,” said Lopez.
“It is understandable that you feel tired and anxious. Your studies and review have brought you unprecedented pressures, but the exhaustion and anxieties are small pains compared to the lifetime of glory that awaits you,” he added.
Out of more than 12,000 registered applicants, about 10,483 examinees showed up on the first day of the Bar examination last Sept.8, according to Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario Lopez, this year’s Bar chair.
Lopez explained that several applicants were still finishing their final year in law school or taking refresher courses.
“Unfortunately, some did not graduate and encountered unforeseen circumstances that led to withdrawals,” Lopez said in a recent press briefing at San Beda College in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.
Of the 10,483 examinees, only half or 5,234 are new applicants, 4,060 are previous takers, and 1,189 are refreshers, or those who failed thrice during the last exams.
The youngest examinee is 23 years old and the oldest is 78, which reflects the “wide range of individuals aspiring to join the legal profession,” Lopez said. Females outnumbered male examinees at a ratio of 6,108 to 4,375.
Likewise, Lopez said the Supreme Court accommodated 155 senior citizens and 313 examinees with special needs “to ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications.”
The first Sunday of the Bar exams covered Political and Public International Law in the morning and Commercial and Taxation Laws in the afternoon.
The barristers took the civil law, labor law, and social legislation on the second day of the Bar exams on Sept. 11.
The third and last day of the exam yesterday covered remedial law and legal and judicial ethics with practical exercises.
When asked whether this year’s Bar exams were more difficult than last year, Justice Lopez replied “Quite difficult but we tried to [frame the questions] objectively.”
One of the questions in the civil law subject that went viral on social media featured the names of two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo and his girlfriend Chloe San Jose.
The question posed an issue of whether or not Angelica Yulo, Carlos’ mother, is liable for damages when she failed to deliver a gold wedding ring purchased by Chloe for Carlos due to a typhoon.
The names of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, and her sister, Shiela Guo, as well as a scenario involving Yulo and some characters from the famous family flick “Four Sisters and a Wedding” were also featured in the Bar exams.
Since the number of aspiring lawyers is steadily growing, Lopez said the Supreme Court opens the application period as early as January to accommodate the application. “The application period spanned from January to April, providing applicants with four full months to complete their requirements and apply seamlessly,” Lopez said.
The tribunal designated 13 local testing centers across the country to accommodate the Bar examinees, with San Beda University in Manila having the highest number at 1,455.
This year’s Bar exams remained digitized and regionalized. It was the fourth time the exams were digitized — different from the traditional handwritten tests.
In 2023, a total of 3, 812 out of 10, 387 examinees passed the Bar exams, with a passing rate of 36.77 percent. It was lower than the 2022 passing rate of 43.47 percent, or 3,992 out of 9,183 examinees.
Ephraim Porciuncula Bie of the University of Santo Tomas topped the Bar exams in 2023 with a grade of 89.26 percent.
The release of the 2024 Bar exam results is expected in early December, while the oath-taking and the signing of the Roll of Attorneys is scheduled on Jan. 24, 2025./PN
