MANILA, Philippines - The fate of the more than 5,903 law graduates from 109 law schools who took the 2009 Bar Examination will be known on Friday.

At a press briefing, Court Administrator and spokesman Jose Midas Marquez confirmed that the Supreme Court will hold a special en banc session on Friday to deliberate on the passing percentage for last year’s bar examinations.

Marquez said 2009 Bar examinations chairman Associate Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura will present the results of the Bar to the Court en banc for deliberation and then decide whether to make adjustments or not on this year’s passing percentage

“There are 5,903 law graduates who took the bar exams, and it would depend on the discussion during the session of the Court en banc on how many will pass, what percentage of the 5,903 applicants or examinees will pass the bar exams,” Marquez said.

Marquez added that Nachura will also make a report on whether or not the Court should continue with the experiment of having two examiners per subject or revert back to the old practice of having only one examiner per subject.

He noted that the two examiners per subject was first introduced last year in a bid to hasten the release of the results of the Bar examinations but admitted that “there is not really much change with regard to the release.”

The Bar exams are traditionally held in 4 consecutive Sundays at the De La Salle University in Taft, Avenue in Manila.

Last year’s Bar exam was supposed to be held in four consecutive Sundays of September -- September 6, 13, and 20 and 27.

However, the last week of the examinations was reset to October 4, 2009 due to the widespread flooding caused by typhoon Ondoy.

Under the Rules of Court, a candidate may be deemed to have passed his examination if he has obtained a general average of 75 percent in all subjects without falling below 50 percent in any subject.

In determining the average, subjects in the examinations are given the following weights: Political and International Law, 15 percent; Labor and Social Legislation, 10 percent; Civil Law, 15 percent; Taxation, 10 percent; Mercantile Law, 15 percent; Criminal Law, 10 percent; Remedial Law, 20 percent; and legal Ethics and Practical Exercises, 5 percent, for a total of 100 percent.

Meanwhile, the Court has announced that it has approved the proposal of former Solicitor General Estelito Mendoza to amend Sections 5 and 6 of Rule 138 of the Rules of Court, to allow Filipinos with foreign law degrees to take the Philippines subject to certain conditions.

Section 5 now provides prior to their admission, Bar applicants should be able to satisfactorily show that they have successfully completed all the prescribed courses for the degree of Bachelor of Laws or its equivalent degree, in a law school or university officially recognized by the Philippine government or by the proper authority in the foreign jurisdiction where the degree has been granted.

It further requires a Filipino citizen who graduated from a foreign school to submit to the SC certifications showing completion of all courses leading to the degree of Bachelor of Laws or its equivalent degree; recognition or accreditation of the law school by the proper authority; and, completion of all the fourth year subjects in the Bachelor of Laws academic program in a law school duly recognized by the Philippine government, as a prerequisite for his admission to the Philippine Bar.

Under Section 6, a Filipino citizen who completed and obtained his or her Bachelor of Laws degree or its equivalent in a foreign law school must present proof of having completed a separate bachelor’s degree course.