THE Supreme Court (SC) said 10,387 aspiring new lawyers showed up for the final day of the 2023 Bar exams on Sunday as it dismissed social media posts that artificial intelligence (AI) will be used to check the examinations.
The number is five lower than the 10,392 law graduates who took the second day of the Bar examinations last September 20. The first day of the exams on September 17 had 10,404 examinees.
The High Court earlier said 10,791 individuals applied to take this year’s Bar exams.
Of the last batch of Bar examinees, the SC said San Beda University-Manila and UP Diliman had the highest number of examinees with 1,609 and 1,604 respectively.
There were 988 examinees at the Saint Louis University in Baguio City, 945 at the Ateneo de Davao University, and 924 examinees at the University of San Jose-Recoletos.
The High Court said 730 law graduates took the exam at the University of Sto. Tomas, 721 at the San Beda College-Alabang, 705 at the UP-BGC campus, 550 at the University of Nueva Caceres in Naga City, 530 at the Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City, 518 at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, 393 at the Cagayan State University in Tuguegarao City, 387 at the Manila Adventist College, and 323 at the Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation in Tacloban City.
SC Associate Justice and 2023 Bar Exams chairperson Ramon Paul Hernando has said they are targeting to release the results of the exams in early December.
The results of the Bar exams were previously released during the summer session of the High Court in Baguio City.
Aside from this, Hernando also said there will be simultaneous oath-taking and signing of the Roll of Attorneys in December before Christmas day.
Hernando denied Facebook posts of the Bar Law for Dummies Training Program and the Tzidkenu Dizon which said that the Bar exams would be sorted, checked and corrected by means of artificial intelligence.
“The Office of the 2023 Bar Chair condemns these social media publications as false, baseless, irresponsible, defamatory, contumacious, detestable, and formulated with apparent intent to erode the integrity of the digitalized Bar Examinations,” Hernando said.
“The 2023 Bar Examinations shall be checked by four examiners per subject, all of whom are established experts in their respective fields, and who are by no means created or powered by artificial intelligence,” he added.
He said the SC has already coordinated with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct an investigation and identify those behind the social media accounts and to file the necessary complaints against them.
