MANILA -- Malacañang urged thousands of aspiring lawyers to give their "best shot" as they take the Philippine bar examinations starting Sunday.
“To our bar candidates, study hard, believe in yourselves, and give it your best shot. We wish you all the best,” Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said in a statement on Sunday.
A total of 8,701 candidates trooped to the University of Santo Tomas in Manila for the 2018 Bar Examination to be held on four Sundays of November.
“You have survived the taxing days (and nights) of law school and reviewed for several months for the 4-day bar exams. As you take another step on the ladder of your legal career, we offer you our fervent prayers,” Panelo said.
“While this is certainly a test of your academic knowledge, it is likewise a yardstick of your calmness and courage under pressure. All these are, however, only requisites to the practice of law as the real challenge is upholding the integrity and dignity of the profession, amid all fascinations of the legal world, after you've taken your oaths and signed the rolls,” he added.
In 2017, only 25.55 percent or 1,724 of the 6,748 examinees passed the Bar. In 2016, 59.06 percent of the 6,344 examinees passed, the highest passing rate in 16 years. (PNA)
