ILIGAN CITY, Philippines — The long wait is over.
Thousands of aspiring Filipino lawyers began the 2026 Philippine Bar Examinations on Sunday, September 6, as the country’s newest generation of legal hopefuls faced the first day of one of the Philippines’ most demanding professional licensure examinations.
In Iligan City, aspiring lawyers and their supporters gathered around Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), one of only two Bar examination centers in Mindanao.
The Northern Mindanao cluster is part of a nationwide operation involving 13,441 qualified examinees across 15 testing centers.
For many examinees, Sunday represented years of preparation compressed into several hours of high-pressure testing.
13,441 examinees cleared to take the Bar
The Supreme Court said 13,441 applicants were qualified to take this year’s Bar examinations.
The figure came from 14,291 registered applicants, meaning hundreds of registrants did not make it to the final list of qualified examinees. The 14,291 registrations represented the highest registration figure in the history of the Philippine Bar Exams.
The examinations are being conducted digitally and regionally, continuing the system adopted by the Supreme Court in recent years.
Instead of forcing all examinees to travel to Metro Manila, the Court has established testing centers in different regions of the country.
Iligan becomes a major Bar hub in Mindanao
For Northern Mindanao examinees, the pressure is centered at MSU-IIT in Iligan City.
The university is one of two Mindanao testing centers for the 2026 Bar, alongside Ateneo de Davao University.
The regionalized setup means aspiring lawyers from Mindanao can take the examination closer to home while still participating in a nationwide examination administered under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
The scene in Iligan was also marked by the presence of family members, friends and supporters accompanying examinees as they prepared to enter the testing venue.
For many families, the moment represents the culmination of years of law school, review sessions, sacrifices and financial commitments.
Three days that could change their lives
The 2026 Bar examinations are being administered over three Sundays:
- September 6 — Political and Public International Law; Commercial and Taxation Law
- September 9 — Civil Law and Land Titles and Deeds; Labor Law and Social Legislation
- September 13 — Criminal Law; Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises
The examination committee is chaired by Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan.
The Supreme Court has also specified that questions will be drawn solely from laws, rules, issuances and jurisprudence effective as of June 30, 2025.
That means examinees are not simply being tested on legal principles—they are being asked to demonstrate mastery of a defined body of Philippine law under intense time pressure.
The country has prepared for the massive examination
The Bar is not only a test for examinees. It is also a logistical challenge for host cities.
Authorities have implemented security and traffic measures around testing centers to prevent disruptions.
In Iligan, for example, authorities announced partial road closures around MSU-IIT during examination periods. The two outer lanes along Andres Bonifacio Avenue beside the university are scheduled to be closed during specified hours on examination days.
Similar traffic restrictions and road-management measures have been announced around other testing centers nationwide.
The Supreme Court’s national headquarters for the examinations is San Beda College Alabang in Muntinlupa City, which is also serving as one of the testing centers.
A growing pool of aspiring lawyers
The number of people seeking admission to the Philippine Bar continues to rise.
The 2026 registration figure of 14,291 surpassed the previous year’s registration count, highlighting the continuing demand for admission to the legal profession.
The final number of qualified examinees, however, is lower at 13,441.
For comparison, 5,594 of 11,425 examinees passed the 2025 Bar Examinations, giving last year’s examination a passing rate of about 48.98 percent. In 2024, 3,962 of 10,480 examinees passed.
Those figures underscore the reality awaiting this year’s examinees: reaching the testing center is only the beginning.
The pressure now shifts to the examinees
For the thousands sitting inside testing rooms across the country, months—or in many cases years—of preparation now come down to performance under pressure.
The first examination day covers two major areas of law, with another two scheduled for September 9 and the final two on September 13.
Every answer matters.
Every minute counts.
And for 13,441 aspiring lawyers, the road toward having their names eventually attached to the title “Attorney” has officially entered its most demanding stage.
The first questions have been handed out.
The countdown has begun.
And when the final examination day ends on September 13, thousands will leave the testing centers knowing that one of the longest and most difficult chapters of their professional journey is finally over.
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