Marilyn Cahatol

Article (news)

Eon Sanchez

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA &mdash; A mix of high stakes, nervous tears, and shared dreams filled the early morning air as 13,441 law graduates nationwide were expected to troop to various testing sites on Sunday, September 6, for the first day of the 2026 Bar Examinations.</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F993083687126498%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br></div><div>&nbsp;</div><p>This year&rsquo;s historic run is being held across 15 local testing centers (LTCs) nationwide&mdash;seven in the National Capital Region (NCR), three in Luzon, three in the Visayas, and two in Mindanao&mdash;with the national headquarters stationed at San Beda College Alabang in Muntinlupa.</p><p>At the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, gates opened at 4 a.m. to accommodate the heavy influx of examinees.</p><p>Security was tight as all gates officially slammed shut at exactly 7 a.m. ahead of the grueling 8 a.m. morning session.</p><p>To ensure peaceful exams, 180 Manila Police District (MPD) personnel were deployed around the venue. Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno also inspected the area to guarantee a smooth and safe process for the examinees.</p><div><br></div><div><strong>REVIEW PARTNERS FOR LIFE</strong></div><p>Among those who arrived early at the UST campus were Lalaine Mae Santos and Jan Ivan Gordola.</p><p>The two are not just steps away from realizing their ultimate dream&mdash;they are also a real-life couple of three years who survived law school together.</p><p>For Lalaine, the heavy weight of the moment was palpable.</p><p>&quot;Syempre sobrang kinakabahan. Kasi eto na yung time para ma-prove namin sa mga mentors namin, sa teachers namin, and syempre sa sarili namin at sa pamilya namin na eto na yun,&quot; Lalaine said.</p><p>&quot;Sana palarin. Sana enough yung mga naaral namin.&quot;</p><p>Jan Ivan admitted that despite nearly half a decade of rigorous training, the jitters still took a physical toll on him.</p><p>&quot;Four years din naman kami nag-aral tsaka nag-prepare pero mostly anxious at takot. Kagabi pa naninikip yung dibdib,&quot; Jan Ivan shared. Still, his ultimate prayer is to cross the finish line holding hands with Lalaine.</p><p>&quot;Ang wish ko, lumabas kami pareho sa results. Maging attorney kami pareho tsaka matupad yung mga pangarap namin. Which is, of course, pumasa ng bar exam.&quot;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>THE ULTIMATE SUPPORT SYSTEM</strong></div><p>Standing outside the UST gates was Lalaine&rsquo;s family, who proudly raised a custom-printed tarpaulin to cheer for the couple.</p><p>Lalaine&#39;s mother, Emilyn Santos, woke up at the crack of dawn to make sure the couple was well-fed.</p><p>&quot;Masayang kinakabahan. Maaga akong gumising para sa baon nila,&quot; Emilyn smiled, recalling how they tried to break the tension at home.</p><p>&quot;Niloloko namin [na] kami na lang mag-eexam para hindi na kayo kabahan.&quot;</p><p>Meanwhile, her husband, Jose Santos, held onto his faith. &quot;Si God lahat naman nakakaalam niyan. Sabi ko, mag-pray lang kayo. Sabi ko, every night, pinagda-pray namin mag-asawa yan kahit mga anak ko pinagda-pray sila.&quot;</p><p>Lalaine expressed deep gratitude for her family&#39;s unconditional love: &quot;Sobrang na-appreciate ko po sila kasi, syempre, sa grueling preparation, sila yung talagang umiintindi pa sa amin. Sinusuportahan nila kami every step of the way.&quot;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>&#39;SALUBONG&#39; AND SCHOOL SPIRIT</strong></div><p>Outside the perimeter, the streets of Espa&ntilde;a erupted in color and school anthems as student bar operations from different universities mounted heavy support for their respective &quot;barristers.&quot;</p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F897554463182082%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br></div><p>For UST, the goal is nothing less than excellence.</p><p>&quot;Naniniwala kami sa UST na, this year, is a year of golden pursuit and naniniwala kami na yung mga barristers namin will always have their pursuit and naniniwala kami na magta-top kami this year,&quot; asserted Lance Fernandez, UST Bar Operations Internal VP.</p><p>Other law schools also showed up in full force. Edgardo Taay Jr., Treasurer of the Law Student Government of Philippine Christian University (PCU) College of Law, shared that today is about honoring grit.</p><p>&quot;Nandito kami sa labas ng UST para i-celebrate yung mga barristers ng Dolphins, ng PCU College of Law. Itong araw din po cine-celebrate namin yung katapangan nila para sumabak sa bar exam.&quot;</p><p>For Lavienne Mutia, the Universidad De Manila Law Student Government President, their presence is practical and immediate: &quot;We&#39;re here for anything that they need and if there are any issues that they come up with, we&#39;ll be here immediately to assist them in any of those things.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Ang wish namin para sa mga barristers is makapasa silang lahat, most especially yung mga Chiefs,&quot; added Mariah Ilagan, a law student from the Arellano University - School of Law.</p><p>The 2026 Bar Exams will continue on September 9 and 13.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/7/working-by-day-studying-by-night-up-law-grad-tops-the-2025-bar-exam-1825">Working by day, studying by night: UP Law grad tops the 2025 Bar exam</a></div><div><br></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X1-yzQB5aUg?si=ShM9UXy9k-PnCALy" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>A mix of high stakes, nervous tears, and shared dreams filled the early morning air as 13,441 law graduates nationwide were expected to troop to various testing sites on Sunday, September 6, for the first day of the 2026 Bar Examinations.</p>

A mix of high stakes, nervous tears, and shared dreams filled the early morning air as 13,441 law graduates nationwide were expected to troop to various testing sites on Sunday, September 6, for the first day of the 2026 Bar Examinations.

‘Sana palarin’: Jitters, high hopes as examinees hurdle Day 1 of 2026 Bar Exams

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‘Sana palarin’: Jitters, high hopes as examinees hurdle Day 1 of 2026 Bar Exams

Eon Sanchez,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 06, 2026 08:05 AM PHT

Read More:

2026 bar exams

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manila

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