The Supreme Court on Wednesday bared that only 29.66 percent or 156 out of the 532 Law graduates passed the 2022 Special Shari’ah Bar examinations held last March 20 and 22 at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
The SC-Office of the Bar Confidant announced the top 10 passers in the 17th Special Shari’ah Bar Examinations namely: (1) Cayasalam Ambung-Maniri with 85.6 percent, (2) Norhasima Curo with 85.5 percent, (3) Aina Laguindab with 84.9 percent, (4) Nur-aima Mortaba with 83.9 percent, (5) Norajannah Lantud (83.4 percent), (6) Hasmin Barambangan (83.2 percent), (7) Shaibani Ameril with 83 percent, (8) Abdul Raheem Tawano with 82.9 percent, (9) Moumina Sheryne Domadalug-Abdullah with 82.4000 percent, and 10) Mohammad Muzahim Alioden with 82.1 percent.
Seven of the top 10 Shari’ah Bar exam passers were women.
According to 2022 Special Shari’ah Bar Examinations chairperson Macrina Morados, dean of the UP Institute of Islamic Studies, the SC en banc approved the Shari’ah Bar Committee’s petition to lower the passing percentage to 70 percent, taking into consideration the challenges and circumstances encountered by the examinees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dean Morados identified the members of the Board of Examiners for the 2022 Special Shari’ah Bar Examinations as lawyers Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba (Persons, Family Relations and Property), Counselor Sheikh Luqman Bin Usman Imam (Jurisprudence [Fiqh] and Customary Laws [Adat]), Atty. Mehol Sadain (Procedure in Shari’ah Courts), and Dean Abdulcader Ayo (Succession, Wills/Adjudication and Settlement of Estates).
Morados thanked SC Justice Japar Dimaampao “for his unwavering support and guidance all throughout the conduct of the examinations.”
Dimaampao served as the chair of the 2020 Special Shari’ah Bar Examinations when he was still an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals (CA).
Morados also expressed her gratitude to OBC officer-in-charge and Assistant Bar Confidant Amor Entila and the OBC-Shari’ah Bar Task force, and to UP Chancellor Dr. Fidel Nemenzo for allowing the conduct of the examinations at the UP Diliman Testing Center free of charge.
The 17th Special Shari’ah Bar Examinations were simultaneously held at the College of Engineering, the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, and the School of Economics of UP Diliman. The examinations were previously conducted at the CA in Manila.
The 29.66 is not the lowest passing rate for the Shari’ah Bar Exams. The lowest passing rate was recorded in 1983 with 7.69 percent, and the second lowest passing percentage was in 2020 with a 10.8 percent.