Bar exams 2023 start for almost 11,000 examinees nationwide

The three-day 2023 Bar examinations began on Sunday with almost 11,000 aspiring lawyers taking the test.

Examinees trooped early to 14 local testing centers nationwide for the exam which was to start at 8 a.m.

WATCH: Mga kukuha ng 2023 Bar examinations ngayong araw, maagang dumating sa San Beda College Alabang sa Muntinlupa City. | via Mao dela Cruz pic.twitter.com/9FnouPoqGN

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) September 16, 2023

Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, chairperson of the 2023 Bar exams, personally greeted some of the examinees as they entered the testing venue at San Beda College Alabang, according to Super Radyo dzBB reporter Mao dela Cruz.

WATCH: Sinalubong ni Supreme Court Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, chairperson ng 2023 Bar examinations, ang mga aspiring lawyers sa San Beda College Alabang sa Muntinlupa City. | via Mao dela Cruz pic.twitter.com/k6WQ6JVJuE

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) September 16, 2023

According to the SC, San Beda College Alabang also serves as the national headquarters for the examination.

At University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, examinees were seen walking to the testing venue as traffic built up on University Avenue as the sun rose, according to Super Radyo dzBB reporter Luisito Santos.

LOOK: Tuloy-tuloy ang pagdating sa U.P. Diliman sa Quezon City ng mga kukuha ng 2023 Bar examinations ngayong araw. | via @luisitosantos03 pic.twitter.com/0ORWpb8BVg

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) September 16, 2023

Parents of examinees were seen tearfully hugging their sons and daughters before the latter entered the gates of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila which was also designated as a local testing center.

Security personnel check the examination permit and belongings of examinees as they enter the testing center at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila on Sunday, September 17, 2023, for the first day of the three-day Bar examinations 2023. Danny Pata

The other local testing centers are San Beda University – Manila; Manila Adventist College; University of the Philippines – Bonifacio Global City; Saint Louis University; Cagayan State University; and University of Nueva Caceres in Luzon; University of San Jose – Recoletos; University of San Carlos; and Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation in Visayas; and Ateneo de Davao University and  Xavier University in Mindanao.

The Bar exams will continue on September 20 and 24.

The SC said Sunday it is targeting to release the results of the 2023 Bar examinations in early December.

Hernando also said this year's examination has 10,791 takers.

Meanwhile, the Manila City government announced that some roads around UST and San Beda University will be closed temporarily at certain hours on Bar exam dates. Motorists were advised to expect heavy traffic in those areas.

The Manila local government unit also imposed a liquor ban and banned ambulant vendors at certain dates and times as part of its security measures for the Bar exams. —KG, GMA Integrated News