A total of 1,126 passed the 2014 bar exam, the Supreme Court announced Thursday.
That is equivalent to 18.82% of the exam takers.
READ: Full list of the 1126 passers of 2014 bar exam
Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, chairperson of the 2014 Committee on the Bar Examination said the passing grade is lowered from 75 percent to 73 percent.
The announcement came after a special en banc (full court session) conducted Thursday morning to determine the need to adjust the passing percentage based on the recommendation of the chairperson.
Under the Rules of Court, a Bar examinee is deemed to have passed the examination if he/she has obtained a general average of 75 percent.
But the high court has the discretion to lower the passing rate based on the committee chairperson’s recommendation.
There were 6,344 law graduates who were allowed to take the exam administered on the four Sundays of October, but only 5,984 completed the test.
Last year’s exam also saw more exam re-takers than first-timers with a total of 3, 229 (50.9 percent) compared to the 3, 115 first takers.
The Bar examination covers eight subjects-Political Law and Public International Law, Labor and Social Legislation, Civil Law, Taxation, Mercantile Law, Criminal Law, Remedial law and Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises.
This year’s examiners are the following:
Atty. Rene B. Gorospe (for Political and International Law). He currently teaches law at the University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University Institute of Law;
PCGG Chair Juan Andres D. Bautista (for Labor and Social Legislation);
Atty. Maria Liza Lopez-Rosario (for Civil Law) has degrees in Philosophy (1984; magna cum laude) and law (1988, magna cum laude), both from the University of Santo Tomas. She is a Partner at the Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & De Los Angeles Law Offices. She is also a member of the UST Faculty of Civil Law and is the legal counsel of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP);
Court of Tax Appeals Associate Justice Esperanza Fabon-Victorino (for Taxation);
Atty. Ferdinand M. Negre (for Mercantile Law) obtained his law degree from the Ateneo Law School in 1991. He pursued a post-graduate degree of Master of Intellectual Property at Pierce University, New Hampshire, USA. Atty. Negre co-founded the BengzonNegreUntalan Intellectual Property Attorneys;
Assistant Court Administrator and Chief of the SC Public Information Office Atty. Theodore O. Te (for Criminal Law) who has a Masters degree in Law in 2012 from Columbia University in New York;
Atty. Edgar Julio S. Asuncion (for Remedial Law). He placed 8th in the 1981 Bar Examinations. He is currently the Senior Vice President for Legal Services for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth); and
Court of Appeals Associate Justice (retired) Rosalinda A. Vicente (for Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises) earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology at the University of Santo Tomas, where she graduated magna cum laude. In 1968, she obtained her law degree with cum laude standing also from UST.
Earlier, the high court removed the cap on exam retakes as it lifted the five-strike rule.
In the 2013 bar exam, only 1, 174 out of the 5, 593 examinees managed to pass the exams.
Innovations were also introduced in the 2014 bar exam including the use of Bar Codes for the examination booklets and the requirement that all examinees should place their personal belongings in clear, plastic bags or containers to avoid long lines at the entrance and facilitate entry into the UST campus.
Oath taking of the successful examinees will be on April 24 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). IDL
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