A TOTAL of 3,812 out of 10,387 examinees passed the 2023 bar examinations, marking a 36.77% passing rate, the Supreme Court (SC) announced on Tuesday.
This year’s passing rate is lower than the 2022 rate of 43.47% (3,992 out of 9,183), and significantly below the 2020/2021 digital bar exams which had a passing rate of 72.28% (8,241 out of 11,402).
Ephraim Porciuncula Bie from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) is the year’s topnotcher with a mark of 89.26%, followed by Mark Josel Padua Vivit from the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) who scored 89.12%, and Frances Camille Altonaga Francisco from San Beda University (SBU) with 88.91%.
Top-performing law schools with more than 100 examinees were ADMU at 94.08%, followed by SBU at 92.2%, the University of San Carlos at 90.91%, the University of the Philippines at 89.45%, and UST at 85.25%. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa said the country there has been no recorded outbreak of “walking pneumonia” cases in the Philippines, citing the monitoring of the Health department’s epidemiology bureau.
The 2023 Bar chair Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando announced the results after the SC’s special en banc session.
The roster of successful examinees can be accessed on the Supreme Court website and social media platforms. Oath-taking and roll signing for those who passed will take place on Dec. 22 at the SMX Convention Center Manila in Pasay City. — Jomel R. Paguian