Camille Naredo

Bar examinees enter UST on Day 1 of the 2026 Bar Exams, September 6, 2026. Eon Sanchez, ABS-CBN News

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2026 Bar Exams

Darylle Sarmiento

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788712000244viber_image_2026-09-07_00-20-47-194.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Bar examinees enter UST on Day 1 of the 2026 Bar Exams, September 6, 2026. Eon Sanchez, ABS-CBN News"><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align: left;">Bar examinees enter UST on Day 1 of the 2026 Bar Exams, September 6, 2026. <em>Eon Sanchez, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA &mdash; Out of the 13,441 admitted to take the exams, 12,029 Bar examinees showed up for the first day on Sunday, marking the highest number of test-takers in recent history.</p><p>Notably, 6,773 of the takers are women.</p><p>&quot;Nakaka-inspire na maraming mga babae ang mag te-take ng bar exams,&quot; said Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, the 2026 Bar Chairperson.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/6/-sana-palarin-jitters-high-hopes-as-examinees-hurdle-day-1-of-2026-bar-exams-0805">READ: Jitters, high hopes as examinees hurdle Day 1 of 2026 Bar Exams</a></div><p>Atty. Cheska Ann M. Pazziuagan, Bar Head for the Office of the 2026 Bar Chairperson, said that women who are mothers and wives are pursuing their professional dreams without leaving their responsibilities behind.</p><p>&quot;The numerous requests that we receive this year are moms who would wish to bring breast pumps inside. This also shows that we have so many examinees who just gave birth, who are moms, who are wives and despite those family circumstances, despite their other struggles in life, they still show up and they still went to take the bars,&quot; she said.</p><p>Meanwhile, due to inclement weather conditions, contingency plans were put in place in coordination with the Local Government Units (LGUs), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Judiciary Marshal.</p><p>According to Justice Gaerlan, if weather conditions worsen, there is a possibility of cancelling the succeeding examinations.</p><p>&quot;If ever, let us say, in Cebu, there will be a strong typhoon in Cebu, so we have to cancel the whole examination on that day, nationwide. Kasi, just to be fair ayaw namin na yung questions, for sure mag-iiba na yung questions, kung papayagan namin na mag ti-take ng exam yung mga taga Luzon,&quot; said Gaerlan.</p><p>However, he said they are confident that the weather will permit the Bar takers to proceed as scheduled.</p><p>&quot;We will bombard the heavens again with our prayers. So, join us in praying for good weather,&quot; Gaerlan added.</p><p>Despite the digitalized format of the examination, three examinees were allowed to take the examination through handwritten responses.</p><p>Four examinees were allowed to take the examination through an encoder.</p><p>Meanwhile, one Person Deprived of Liberty (PDL) was allowed to take the test through a local testing center, with security protocols in place.</p><p>A dedicated technical team is also on standby at the testing centers in case of any glitches.</p><p>The remaining examinations are scheduled for September 9 and 13, with the official results expected to be released in January 2027.</p><div><br></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QM09fBzFaCY?&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br></div>

<p>"Nakaka-inspire na maraming mga babae ang mag te-take ng bar exams," said Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, the 2026 Bar Chairperson.</p>

"Nakaka-inspire na maraming mga babae ang mag te-take ng bar exams," said Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, the 2026 Bar Chairperson.

'Nakaka-inspire': Women account for over half of 2026 bar examinees

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'Nakaka-inspire': Women account for over half of 2026 bar examinees

Darylle Sarmiento,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 07, 2026 12:36 AM PHT

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Bar Exams

2026 Bar Examinations

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