By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — A total of 235 examinees successfully passed the 2026 Shari’ah Special Bar Examinations (SSBE), posting a 29.52-percent passing rate, the Supreme Court (SC) announced on Wednesday.
The official results were announced by Supreme Court Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, chairperson of the 2026 SSBE, during ceremonies held at the Supreme Court Session Hall.
The oath-taking and roll-signing of the new Shari’ah counselors-at-law are scheduled on July 16, 2026, at the Manila Hotel.
Leading this year’s successful examinees were Ahmad Nuska Bato and Van Regine Lim Perlas, who tied for first place with an impressive 89.15-percent overall rating.
The Top 10 passers are:
Ahmad Nuska Bato – 89.15%
Van Regine Lim Perlas – 89.15%
Cairah Abdul Azis Cairodin – 88.775%
Michelle Lovely Carl Saludsod Go – 88.575%
Hanna Nazia Sambitory Macapintal – 88.475%
Sittie Ayesah Djulaida Arindig Escander – 88.15%
Mohammad Muktadir Ahmad Estrella – 87.55%
Hanna-Tunisia Fatima Usman – 87.475%
Rauda Ismael Salisa – 87.15%
Alpha Carole Onrubia Pontanal – 86.975%
Salahudden Saripada Misbah – 86.95%
Out of 1,055 registered applicants, 796 examinees completed both examination days, representing a 99.62-percent completion rate.
Among those who completed the examinations:
529 were female
267 were male
536 were first-time examinees
260 were repeat takers
A total of 751 examinees took the exams in English, while 45 chose the Arabic version.
The examinations were conducted at four testing centers nationwide:
New Era University – Quezon City
Ateneo de Davao University – Davao City
Ateneo de Zamboanga University – Zamboanga City
Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology – Iligan City
The Supreme Court reported the following subject passing rates:
Persons, Family Relations, and Property – 73.87%
Jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Customary Laws (Adat) – 35.43%
Succession, Wills, Adjudication, and Settlement of Estates – 18.09%
Procedure in the Shari’ah Courts – 11.43%
The 29.52-percent passing rate marks an improvement over the 24.48 percent recorded in 2025 and is nearly equal to the 29.66 percent posted in 2022.
With the addition of this year’s successful examinees, the Philippines will now have more than 1,000 qualified Shari’ah counselors-at-law authorized to practice before the country’s Shari’ah courts.
The Supreme Court also announced that Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez will chair the 2027 Shari’ah Special Bar Examinations.
ia/xf
