Muslim Filipino lawyers-in-the-making who prefer to be tested in Arabic no longer have to converge on a single venue, after the Supreme Court spread out the language option across multiple sites for this year’s Shari’ah Special Bar Examinations.
The change applies to the 2026 SSBE, which drew 800 aspirants who sat the two-day test simultaneously at four schools: New Era University in Quezon City with 84 takers, Ateneo de Davao University with 164, Ateneo de Zamboanga University with 72, and MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology, which hosted the bulk at 480. Of the full roster, 45 chose to answer in Arabic while the rest took the exams in English.
For years, anyone wanting the Arabic version of the test had only one assigned center available to them. Rising numbers of Arabic-proficient candidates prompted the High Court to shift toward a regionalized setup that cuts down on the difficulties of getting to a far testing site.
Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul Inting, who chairs the 2026 SSBE, framed the shift as a matter of fairness for applicants. “This innovation reflects a deeper institutional commitment to inclusivity and accessibility. By bringing the examinations closer to the examinees, the Court helps reduce financial burdens, travel difficulties, logistical challenges, and unnecessary stress that many applicants previously experienced,” he said during the welcome breakfast on Sunday, May 24, at MSU-IIT.
The court ran the examinations through the same digitalized and localized method it had used in earlier cycles. Day one tested Jurisprudence and Customary Laws in the morning before moving to Persons, Family Relations, and Property in the afternoon.
