BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – About 1,763 registered examinees missed the first day of the 2024 Bar Examinations on Sept. 8, leaving only 10,483 out of 12,246 approved applicants to show up at 13 testing centers nationwide.
In a press briefing, Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario Lopez, the 2024 Bar chairperson, shared these figures at the start of the yearly qualifying exams for Philippine lawyers on Sunday.
A total of 12,246 applicants originally applied to take the exams but Lopez explained that some of them did not graduate or have encountered unforeseen circumstances that led to withdrawals.
“During the application period, many prospective examinees were still completing their final year of law school or refresher courses. Unfortunately, some did not graduate and/or encountered unforeseen circumstances that led to the withdrawals,” the magistrate stressed.
Justice Lopez noted this year’s group of examinees is diverse, with 5,234 new applicants, 4,060 previous takers, and 1,189 refreshers.
Females outnumbered male examinees at a ratio of 6,108 to 4,375. A total of 155 senior citizens and 313 examinees with special needs were also among the examinees. The youngest examinee is 23 years old, while the oldest is 78. This year’s batch includes 5,234 new applicants, 4,060 retakers, and 1,189 refreshers.
“The exams are designed not only to assess legal knowledge but also to test practical skills, ethical responsibility, and problem-solving abilities. We aim to produce lawyers who are not just prepared to practice but who are also equipped with the professionalism, empathy, and commitment to public service needed to serve effectively,” Justice Lopez said after the traditional breakfast with deans from various law schools.
Justice Lopez also gave a breakdown of the number of examinees per each of the 13 local testing centers nationwide for the 2024 Bar Examinations:
1) University of the Philippines- Diliman in Quezon City (1,023)
2) University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc, Manila (785)
3) San Beda University in San Miguel, Manila (1,455)
4) Manila Adventist College in Pasay City (438)
5) University of the Philippines-Bonifacio Global City in Taguig (739)
6) San Beda College Alabang in Muntinlupa City (579)
7) Saint Louis University in Baguio City (1,158)
8) University of Nueva Caceres in Naga City, Camarines Sur (527)
9) University of San Jose-Recoletos, Basak Campus in Cebu City (1,055)
10) Central Philippine University in Jaro, Iloilo City (582);
11) Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation in Tacloban City (461)
12) Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City (598)
13) Ateneo de Davao University in Bangkal, Davao City (1,081)
A total of 2,316 personnel are deployed across all 13 local testing centers nationwide to ensure the smooth conduct of the exams.
Just like the previous three bar exams, the current bar exams remain digitalized and regionalized.
The release of the results of this year’s Bar Exams is tentatively scheduled for early December, while the oath-taking and signing of the Roll of Attorneys are scheduled on January 24, 2025.
Traditional breakfast with the law deans
Asked about how difficult these year’s questions are compared to last year’s, Justice Lopez said they are neither difficult nor easy, “exacto lang (just right).”
He presented the questions for the first exam on Political Law and Public International Law during the traditional breakfast meeting with the deans of the country’s law schools at St. Maur’s Hall of the San Beda College Alabang.
The breakfast was attended by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, Members of the Supreme Court, and deans from all over the country.
Meanwhile, Justice Lopez said that the Supreme Court will continue implementing reforms in the Bar Examinations.
“These reforms incorporate structural and methodological improvements recommended during the 2019 Legal Education Summit and are part of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI),” Justice Lopez said.
He expressed confidence that these reforms and innovations will continue to raise the standards of legal practice in the Philippines and better prepare future lawyers for the challenges ahead.
The next set of exams will be held on Wednesday, September 11, and Sunday, September 15. This year’s Bar exams remained digitized and regionalized. It was the fourth time the exams were digitized — different from the traditional handwritten tests.
The exams’ six core subjects are Political and Public International Law (15 percent); Commercial and Taxation Laws (20 percent); Civil Law (20 percent); Labor Law and Social Legislation (10 percent); Criminal Law (10 percent); and Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises (25 percent).
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./PN
