More than 8,000 candidates for the 2018 Bar exams

BAR EXAMINATIONS. The examiners with their parents, classmates and friends meet at the Supreme Court on April 26, 2018, at the time of the announcement of the results of the bar exams 2017. Photo file of LeAnne Jazul / Rappler

MANILA, Philippines – The 2018 Bar exams began on Sunday, 4 November. More than 8,000 candidates presented themselves to what is considered the most difficult of the country's licensing exams.

Held again at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), the Supreme Court (SC) announced that a record number of 8,701 people had registered to pass the bar exams from 8 hours. "This is the largest number of bar candidates in recent years, "said the CS in a statement.

The president of this year's Bar is Deputy Judge Mariano del Castillo. (WATCH: "Anak, pasado ka!" And other victorious moments of Bar 2017)

For the bar exams 2017, only 25.55% past. This was a dramatic drop from the 59.06% success rate in 2016 awarded by law schools to the "reasonable" President of the bar then.

The bar exams will take place on the 4 consecutive Sundays of the month, November 4, 11, 18 and 25.

On the eve of the first Sunday, the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) wrote an open letter prompting future lawyers to ask them if it's always worth the bar.

Citing unprecedented decisions of the Supreme Court, such as the ouster of a chief justice via the mode quo, the NUPL said that "recent events have confused, redefined and reinvented the legal concepts of book horns ".

"When you know that the law is finally justice, that you will not be an instrument to perpetuate injustice and iniquity, or that you will serve the poor, the exploited, and the powerless, whom you will aspire to to become one of the best lawyers that money can not buy, that you will use your education, your training and your skills to change the ills of society, and that you will vow to change the law of rulers for that they become a state of justice – so take this bar to all mean, and make the best performance of your life, "said NUPL.

In case of heavy rain on one of the 4 Sundays, the Supreme Court reminded candidates and their schools of emergency plans:

1. Ten (10) SC buses must be available to transport candidates and service personnel to the east of several starting points in case of heavy rain on the morning of any day. examination at the bar.
2. Buses must be parked at 4:30 am and will depart exactly at 5 am in the following areas: Quezon City Memorial Circle, near the Philippine Coconut Authority (two buses); Park and Ride, Lawton, Manila (a bus); New complex of buildings SC Avenue Taft (two buses); Greenbelt and Glorietta, Ayala Center, Makati (two buses); and Marikina Sports Complex (a bus).
3. Only bar candidates and service personnel are allowed to use the shuttles. Boarding will be on a first-come, first-served basis. To benefit from this service, they must present their admission notice, their pass and / or identity cards, as the case may be, to the driver before being able to board.
4. If, after completion of exams, there is a flood, SC vans must also be available in each examination building to allow bar assistants and service personnel to return to Osmeña and Arellano Drives near the airport. Gate 5 along España, where SC shuttles are parked.
5. The SC shuttles will transport them and drop them off in the following areas: Northbound passengers will be transported to the Memorial Circle QC (near the Filipino Coconut Authority) while the passengers in the direction from the South will be at Park and Ride, at Lawton, on the premises of the Supreme Court, and at EDS Magallanes Overview (under the flyover) in Pasay. For passengers traveling to the Makati area, the drop zone will be located in the Ayala Center (Glorietta and Greenbelt), while those traveling to the Marikina area will be at the Marikina Sports Complex.

Mark John Simondo, the summary of the 2017 Bar, was originally from the University of St. La Salle (USLS) in Bacolod. he She was also a specialist in the Faculty of Law and, before that, graduated in nursing with great distinction. He dominated the bar with a score of 91.05%.

A total of 1,724 of the 6,748 law graduates who passed the bar exams in 2017 were passed. – Rappler.com