CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (September 8) — In Northern Mindanao, aspiring lawyers faced the first day of the 2026 Bar Examinations Sunday at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) testing center in Iligan City, drawing support and encouragement from their schools, families and communities.
MSU-IIT is one of 15 testing centers nationwide and one of only two in Mindanao. The other is Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City.
Northern Mindanao has five law schools, while another is located in Lanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro region.
Lawyer Ernesto Neri, assistant dean of the Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan Law School, urged examinees to rely on the skills built through years of study.
“All those years of preparation and repetition will surely, naturally flow in the next three days,” Neri said.
Former judge Gil Bollozos, dean of the Liceo de Cagayan University College of Law, said the examinees had already crossed a “definitive threshold” after enduring sleepless nights over codal provisions and Supreme Court jurisprudence.
“Silence the self-doubt, trust your preparation, and anchor every answer on sound legal reason and your core integrity,” Bollozos said.
About 120 examinees from Liceo de Cagayan University and at least 50 from Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan were among the 13,441 candidates admitted nationwide.
The examinations will continue on Sept. 9 and Sept. 13.
In Baguio City, authorities imposed a temporary liquor ban within a 50-meter radius of Saint Louis University, one of the testing centers, to help maintain order during the examinations.
Under Executive Order No. 35, Series of 2026, Acting Mayor Faustino Olowan prohibited the consumption, sale, distribution and serving of liquor and other alcoholic beverages in the area during the three examination dates.
The ban runs from midnight to 8 p.m. on Sept. 6, Sept. 9 and Sept. 13.
Olowan said the measure was intended to protect the safety and security of examinees. Violations will be dealt with under existing laws and city ordinances.
