ILOILO City – Hundreds of aspiring lawyers from across Western Visayas and the Negros Island Region converge at Central Philippine University (CPU) in Jaro district. The university is the region’s lone testing center for the 2026 Bar Examinations.
The regional concentration of Bar examinees is turning CPU into a major testing hub, drawing candidates from law schools in Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz and Negros Occidental for the grueling three-day examination that started on Sunday, September 6, and would resume on September 9 and September 13.
Nationwide, 13,441 law graduates were cleared by the Supreme Court’s Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) to take this year’s examinations at 15 testing centers.
Among the Iloilo-based schools, the University of San Agustin (USA) fielded the biggest contingent with 107 examinees, followed by host Central Philippine University with 82 and West Visayas State University (WVSU) with 25.
Examinees from Aklan Catholic College in Kalibo, Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion (CPC) in Roxas City, University of St. La Salle College of Law and University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos School of Law in Bacolod City also traveled to Iloilo for the examinations.
Long before the first day of examination began, the streets surrounding CPU were already alive with chants, prayers and emotional send-offs as law students, faculty members and supporters gathered as early as 3 a.m. for the traditional “Bar Salubong.”
Bar Operations teams from different law schools set aside institutional rivalries, lining the approaches to the campus with banners while cheering and praying for their respective examinees.
“We’ve been here since 3 a.m. to make sure our seniors feel the entire law community backing them,” said Jeffrey Legita, 38-year-old fourth-year law student from Aklan Catholic College (ACC).
“They spent four or five years in law school preparing for this day; the least we can do is give them our voices at the starting line,” Legita added.
“Sa subong nga year, medyo na-improve namon ang amon manpower and gusto namon ma-maintain ang amon standing. Kon indi kami mag-improve, ma-maintain man lang tani ang amon passing rate sa ACC,” Legita said.
CPC fourth-year law student Shella Mae Duronio said their school had also mobilized support for its Bar candidates.
“Sa amon nga batch subong sa Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion, they have prepared well and kami nagahatag supporta,” Duronio said.
“Very high ang amon hope nga dako nga percentage ang makuha namon subong. We are very positive,” she stressed.
At WVSU College of Law, Bar Operations chairman Raffy Palmares said preparation for the examination begins long before graduation.
“It has been instilled in us that our first day in law school is our first day of bar review,” Palmares stated.
Formal review sessions for WVSU candidates started in April, two months before their graduation.
University of San Agustin College of Law dean Atty. Rommel Billones likewise expressed confidence in the preparation of the Augustinian contingent, about 80 percent of whom are fresh graduates.
“You have prepared for this. Put your trust and faith in the Lord that you will be guided while taking the exam,” Billones reminded the candidates.
He also underscored the years of preparation required of those aspiring to enter the legal profession.
The 2026 Bar Examinations, chaired by Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, follow a compressed three-day digital format.
On Sunday, examinees tackled Political and Public International Law in the morning and Commercial and Taxation Law in the afternoon.
They return on Wednesday, September 9, for Civil Law and Land Titles and Deeds, followed by Labor Law and Social Legislation.
The final examination day on September 13 covers Criminal Law in the morning and Remedial Law, Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises in the afternoon.
Authorities imposed traffic rerouting and road closures around CPU to maintain security, silence and order during the examinations.
The road from St. Joseph the Worker Parish to Bangga Cabangbang was closed to public traffic from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m., with another closure from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to manage the midday transition.
Police personnel and campus security also established a tight security zone around the testing venue.
As the CPU gates closed and the first examination began, the early-morning cheers outside the campus gave way to silence, while supporters moved to nearby churches and establishments to wait and pray for the candidates pursuing one of the most coveted titles in the legal profession — Attorney./PN
