ILOILO City – Central Philippine University (CPU) has once again secured its place as the only Bar examination testing center in Western Visayas, after the Supreme Court designated the Iloilo City-based institution as one of just 15 Local Testing Centers (LTCs) nationwide for the 2026 Bar Examinations scheduled on Sept. 6, 9, and 13.
The designation reinforces Iloilo City’s standing as a major legal education hub outside Metro Manila while sparing aspiring lawyers across Western Visayas from the financial and logistical burden of traveling to other regions to take the country’s toughest licensure examination.
This is not the first time CPU has hosted the Bar examinations. The university also served as a testing venue in 2022, 2024, and 2025, underscoring the Supreme Court’s continued confidence in the institution’s capability to administer the national examinations.
The designation was contained in Bar Bulletin No. 3, Series of 2026, issued on July 8, 2026 by the Office of the #Bar2026 Chairperson, Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, regarding the “List of Local Testing Centers and Venue Assignment.”
According to the bulletin, the establishment of Local Testing Centers forms part of the Supreme Court’s commitment to making the Bar examinations more inclusive, accessible, and efficient.
“The list of local testing centers and venue assignment are part of the commitment of the Supreme Court to inclusivity, accessibility, and efficiency finds concrete expression in the continued administration of the 2026 Bar Examinations in Local Testing Centers (LTCs) across the country.”
“This modality, now institutionalized under Rule 138, Section 9 of the Rules of Court, spares examinees from the financial and logistical burdens of travel and temporary relocation.”
The Supreme Court also explained that the selection of testing venues was based on the geographic distribution of applicants and the ability of prospective testing centers to meet the operational and technical requirements of the examinations.
“In designating the venues, the Court considered the geographic distribution of applicants and the suitability of prospective LTCs to meet the operational and technical requirements of the examinations.”
For the 2026 Bar Examinations, the Supreme Court designated 15 Local Testing Centers nationwide—seven in the National Capital Region, three in Luzon, three in the Visayas, and two in Mindanao.
The three testing centers in the Visayas are Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Education Foundation in Tacloban City, University of San Jose-Recoletos in Cebu City, and Central Philippine University in Iloilo City./PN
