MANILA, Philippines –  Over 8,000 law graduates will troop to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) on Sunday, November 3, for the first Sunday of the 2019 Bar Examinations.

A total of 8,245 candidates were admitted to the Bar Examinations, according to the Supreme Court. The 2019 Bar Exams has the highest number of Bar candidates in recent years, higher than the 8,158 Bar takers in 2018.

The Manila Police District (MPD) will deploy 600 cops to UST and its vicinity to secure the area.

“It’s all system go for the MPD as it prepares for the conduct of Bar exams wherein more than 8,000 law graduates are expected to flock to the UST on all Sundays of November,” MPD acting Director Brigadier General Bernabe Balba said Saturday, November 2.

The examinations will take place on November 3, 10, 17, and 24.

A stop-and-go traffic scheme will be implemented on streets around UST – P. Noval, Dapitan, Lacson, and España – during the examinees’ drop-off time, which is 5 am to 8 am; and pick-up time, which is 5 pm onwards.

Parking is prohibited in the 4 streets.

The SC has also set up a contingency plan for bar takers in case of heavy rains and flooding.

“In case of heavy rains, 10 SC buses shall be available to transport examinees and duty personnel to UST from several pick-up points in the morning of a Bar examination day,” said the SC.

The buses will leave at 5 am from the following stations:

• Quezon City Memorial Circle (two buses)
• Park and Ride, Lawton, Manila (one bus)
• Supreme Court Compound, Taft Avenue (two buses)
• EDSA Magallanes Flyover (beneath the Flyover), Pasay (two buses)
• Greenbelt and Glorietta, Ayala Center, Makati (two buses)
• Marikina Sports Complex (one bus)

The 2019 Bar Examinations is chaired by Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe, who earlier promised a “fairer” Bar Exams with a “markedly different” syllabus.

The 2018 Bar Exams registered a 22.07% passing rate, lower than the 25.55% passing rate in 2017, and a dramatic drop from the 59.06% passing rate in 2016 attributed by law schools to the “reasonable” Bar chairman then, retired Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco. – Rappler.com