A TOTAL of 8,241 examinees or 72.28 percent of the 11,402 who took and completed the 2020/2021 digital Bar examinations held for two days last February passed the exams, the Supreme Court announced yesterday.
“Of the 11,790 admitted to take the exam, 11,402 completed the examinations. Only 3.9 percent were unable to take or finish the bar exams; 8,241 of the 11,402 bar takers passed the bar examinations,” Associate Justice and Bar Examinations Committee chair Marvic Leonen said in a press conference.
The passers, according to Leonen, earned a grade of 75 percent and above, with the passing rate pegged at 72.28 percent, a record high. The highest passing rate recorded in Bar history was 75.17 percent in the 1954 examination.
The 2020/2021 Bar exams marked many first in the Philippine bar history — the first digitalized Bar examination, with the results released after just two months waiting, compared to the previous five months of waiting time.
It was also the first regionalized Bar exams with 31 testing sites scattered in 22 local government units across the country. And unlike the previous four Sundays of exams, the 2020/2021 Bar was only held for only two days from February 4 and 6.
Originally set in November 2021, the exam was deferred to January 16, 23 and 30 due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. It was deferred anew to February 4 and 6 this year due to the uptick in COVID-19 cases after the holidays.
Earlier yesterday, the SC said fire hit one of its offices on Padre Faura, Manila but did not affect the release of the results.
Departing from tradition, the SC did not release a list of topnotchers and instead recognized examinees who obtained a total weighted score of 85.00 percent or higher for their “exemplary performance in the Bar examinations.”
Leonen said 761 takers, representing 9.23 percent of those who passed, had a grade of 85 percent to 90 percent.
“A further 14 Bar takers earned recognition for excellent performance, having obtained grades higher than 90 percent. This represents 0.17 percent of all those who passed,” he added.
The SC said the 14 takers with excellent performance, in alphabetical order, were Julia Alexandra Chu and Camille Angel Cruz of UP Diliman, James Louie Cuevas of Ateneo de Manila, Chelsie Eichel Dauz of San Beda, Stephanie Mae Domingo of University of the Cordilleras, Francis Roel Dulay of Ateneo de Davao, Danica Mae Godornes of UP Diliman, Fernando Felix Imperial of Arellano University, Geremae Mata and Jani Omamalin of University of San Carlos, John Stephen Pangilinan of Ateneo de Manila, Mervyn Joshua Reyes of Far Eastern University, Kristel Shayne Sigua of UP Diliman and Sandra Jane Soon of niversity of Cebu.
Leonen said UP topped the law schools with the most number of exemplary and excellent Bar passers with 147 and 4, respectively.
Ateneo de Manila University had 100 exemplary passers, followed by San Beda University with 94, University of San Carlos in Cebu with 57, and Arellano University with 39.
Ateneo de Manila and University of San Carlos had two excellent passers while Arellano University, Ateneo de Davao, Far Eastern University, San Beda, University of Cebu, and University of Cordilleras in Baguio City had one each.
Ateneo de Manila topped the law schools with more than 100 Bar takers who passed the exams for first-time examinees with 99.6429 percent, followed by UP with 98.8406, San Beda 98.1061, University of San Carlos 98, and University of Sto.Tomas-Manila with 93.0556 percent.
In his message to the successful examinees, Leonen told them to act with humility, adding that passing the Bar only gained them entry to the legal profession.
“To those who made it today, face your success with magnanimity and humility. Bar examinations only facilitate your entry to the legal profession. Do not be blinded by today’s success. Be awed by what lies ahead. There is suffering among our people. Their clamor for justice is beyond audible,” he said.
Leonen also asked them to begin their practice with the values that have been inculcated to them during the Bar examination, namely, “compassion, serve the people and passion for justice.”
