By DateLine Philippines

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

Jose Midas Marquez, Court administrator and spokesman, confirmed during a press briefing 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.

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

He added that the en banc session will determine how many or what percentage of those who took the exams will pass the bar.

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 Marquez admitted “there is not really much change with regard to the (speed of) release.”

The Bar exams are traditionally given in four consecutive Sundays at the De la Salle University in Taft, Avenue in Manila.

Last year’s Bar exams was supposed to be held on September 6, 13, 20 and 27. The last week of the examinations was reset, however, 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% 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%; Labor and Social Legislation, 10%; Civil Law, 15%; Taxation, 10%; Mercantile Law, 15%, Criminal Law, 10%; Remedial Law, 20%; and legal Ethics and Practical Exercises, 5%, for a total of 100%.

Meanwhile, the Court announced it has approved the proposal of former Solicitor General (Solgen) 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 Philippine bar exams.