A total of 10,816 law graduates has been registered to take the 2023 online and regionalized Bar examinations on Sept. 17, 20, and 24 in 14 local testing centers (LTCs) nationwide, the Supreme Court (SC) announced on Friday, Sept. 15.

In a press statement, the SC’s public information office (PIO) said that of the total number of examinees, 5,832 will be first takers while 4,984 will take the examinations at least for the second time.  

The SC will be deploying 2,571 Bar personnel during the three-day examinations.  They are court officials, judges, and personnel from the SC, the Court of Appeals, the Sandiganbayan, the Court of Tax Appeals, and trial courts, and lawyers in the government and private practice, the PIO said.

Six core subjects will be covered in the examinations -- Political and Public International Law, 15 percent; Commercial and Taxation Laws, 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 the National Capital Region, the LTCs will be at the San Beda University, Manila; University of Santo Tomas, Manila; SBCA; University of the Philippines, Quezon City; Manila Adventist College, Pasay City; and University of the Philippines, Bonifacio Global City.

In Luzon, the LTCs will be at the Saint Louis University in Baguio City; Cagayan State University, Tuguegarao City; and University of Nueva Caceres, Naga City.

In the Visayas, University of San Jose-Recoletos in Cebu City, University of San Carlos also in Cebu City, and Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation in Tacloban City will be the LTCs.

There will be two LTCs in Mindanao – one at the Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City and the other at the Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City.

The San Beda College Alabang (SBCA) in Muntinlupa City will be the SC’s national headquarters for the Bar examinations.

SC Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, the 2023 Bar exams committee chairperson, had earlier said: “Commercials Law and Taxation Law have practice, while Remedial Law and Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises were fused together as these subjects complement each other in actual practice.”

Thus, the subjects for examinations on Sept. 17, 2023 will be Political and Public International Law in the morning, and Commercial and Taxation Laws in the afternoon, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

On Sept. 20, 2023, the subjects covered are Civil Law in the morning and Labor Law and Social Legislation in the afternoon.

On Sept. 24, 2023, Criminal Law and Remedial Law will be in the morning and Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises in the afternoon.

Justice Hernando said the early release of the Bar exams results would be complementary to an early conduct of the examinations.

“We will therefore have aspirants to the profession earning their J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree, taking the Bar exams, taking the oath and signing the roll of attorneys all in the same year,” he said.

Court offices in areas where the examinations will be held on Sept. 20, Wednesday, will be closed to court users.

Several local governments in Metro Manila have announced traffic rerouting in areas where the examinations will be held.