The 2026 Bar Examinations in Davao City concluded without any major security incidents, with police and partner agencies completing a three-day security operation around the testing site.
About 1,000 examinees from across Mindanao took the examinations at the Ateneo de Davao University–Senior High School Campus in Bangkal, one of the designated testing centers for this year’s national Bar exams.
The final examination day was held on September 13, when the Davao City Police Office deployed 222 security personnel around the campus and its entry points.
Police deploy specialised security teams
The security operation brought together several units and government agencies to protect examinees and maintain order around the testing venue.
The deployment included personnel from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Canine Unit, Traffic Enforcement Unit, Special Weapons and Tactics, Bureau of Fire Protection and the City Transport and Traffic Management Office.
DCPO City Director Police Colonel Peter Bauzon Madria led the operation, with support from Police Major Sheryl Bautista, commander of Police Station 3-Talomo, and Police Major Antonio Perona Jr., officer-in-charge of the 2nd City Mobile Force Company.
Madria said the priority was to ensure the safety of examinees while protecting the integrity of the national examination.
The three-day security operation covered all three examination dates and included heightened monitoring around the testing site.
More than 12,000 candidates took the first exam
The Supreme Court administered the 2026 Bar Examinations nationwide on September 6, 9 and 13.
A total of 12,029 candidates took the first-day examination, marking the highest first-day turnout in Bar history.
There were 14,291 applicants who initially registered for this year’s examinations.
The 2026 Bar is also significant because it is the first to follow the codified framework introduced under the 2025 amendments to Rule 138 of the Rules of Court.
For the first time, the examinations were administered electronically through the Supreme Court’s prescribed digital platform.
Final day covered criminal and remedial law
The examinations covered different areas of legal practice across the three testing days.
The first day focused on Political and Public International Law as well as Commercial and Taxation Laws.
The second day covered Civil Law and Land Titles and Deeds, together with Labor Law and Social Legislation.
The final day examined Criminal Law, Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics and Practical Exercises.
With the final tests completed, examinees can now await the Supreme Court’s announcement of the official results.
Davao marks the end of a closely monitored examination
The peaceful conclusion of the Bar examinations in Davao City provides a positive end to a major security operation involving police, emergency responders and traffic authorities.
The large deployment was designed not only to protect the candidates but also to ensure that the examinations proceeded without disruptions that could compromise the testing process.
As of September 14, the Supreme Court had not yet announced the official results of the 2026 Bar Examinations.
For the candidates who completed the final examination in Davao, however, the long preparation and three-day test have now come to an end, leaving them to wait for the results that will determine who joins the country’s next generation of lawyers.
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