Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan said on Sunday that the 1,412 examinees who failed to show up on the first day of the 2026 Bar Examinations on Sunday are already disqualified from taking the second and third days of the test.
Gaerlan, chairperson of the 2026 Bar Examinations, said examinees who missed the first day would have to wait until next year to take the Bar.
“If they miss this day, the first day of examination, they’re already disqualified from taking the exams for the second day or the third day,” Gaerlan said during a press conference.
“But they can take it next year,” he added.
Of the 13,441 examinees admitted to take the 2026 Bar, 12,029 were present on the first day, which means that 1,412 did not take the exam.
Gaerlan said the SC did not yet have official statistics on the reasons behind the absences.
He said some examinees may have voluntarily decided not to take the exam after feeling that they were not sufficiently prepared.
“As the examination day was getting nearer, they may have become confused and felt that their preparations were not enough,” Gaerlan said.
He also cited possible family and health problems as other reasons why some examinees failed to show up.
Gaerlan said some examinees may have also fallen ill in the days leading up to the examinations because of the bad weather.
However, he said the SC was not yet certain whether the weather was a direct reason for the absences.
The 2026 Bar Examinations are being held in 15 local testing centers nationwide with San Beda College Alabang serving as the national headquarters.#