The Supreme Court on Friday announced that 10,816 candidates are expected to take the 2023 Bar examinations – higher than the previous year’s 9,183 examinees.
Of the total, 5,832 examinees will take the exam for the first time, while 4,984 will be taking it for at least the second time.
Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, chairman of the Bar Committee, said around 2,571 Bar personnel will be deployed to the national headquarters and the 14 local testing centers (LTCs) nationwide.
Hernando said the Office of the Bar has been closely monitoring the feedback of candidates on the High Court’s releases regarding the exams.
“We connect with the Bar takers through the hard work that we share. To be with our baristas is our way of giving them a feeling of enlightenment, comfort, a boost of confidence, and a push to proceed and succeed,” Hernando said.
The LTCs include San Beda University – Manila; University of Santo Tomas; San Beda College – Alabang; University of the Philippines (UP) – Diliman; Manila Adventist College, UP – Bonifacio Global City; Saint Louis University; Cagayan State University; University of Nueva Caceres; University of San Jose – Recoletos; University of San Carlos Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation; Ateneo de Davao University; and Xavier University.
San Beda College – Alabang will serve as the national headquarters of the Bar, which will be held on September 17 (Sunday), September 20 (Wednesday), and September 24 (Sunday).
The SC also announced that some roads in areas where LTCs are located will be closed while others will experience an increase in traffic.
Bar candidates are no longer required to present negative COVID-19 test results, though they are still highly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, examinees who exhibit symptoms during the security process or during the examinations will be assessed by the medical staff.
The examinees may be placed in isolated testing rooms, where they will be allowed to continue taking the test.
