Manila: The 2025 Shari’ah Special Bar Examinations (SSBE) passers took their oath as Shari’ah Counselors-at-Law and carried out roll signing ceremonies held at the Manila Hotel in Ermita, Manila on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, a total of 154 out of 629 examinees, or 24.48 percent, passed the first fully digitalized special examinations for the Shari’ah courts conducted on May 25 and 28 at four local testing centers across the country: University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City; Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology; Ateneo de Davao University; and Ateneo de Zamboanga University.
Princess Jannah Saudagar Pumbaya topped this year’s SSBE with a rating of 89.9667 percent. SC Associate Justice Antonio Kho, Jr., chairperson of the 2025 SSBE, congratulated the newly admitted Shari’ah counselors-at-law, commending their perseverance and dedication.
In his message, he emphasized that their admission to the Shari’ah Bar marks their solemn commitment to service, ‘to be the voice of clarity in moments of uncertainty, the heralds of peace in times of conflict, and the guardians of fairness when rights are at stake.’ He highlighted that, with the passage of Republic Act No. 12018 establishing additional Shari’ah judicial districts, their admission comes at a pivotal time — as they will now be called to serve the legal needs of Muslims in Luzon and Visayas before courts that understand their faith and customs.
Kho likewise shared the guiding principle behind the recent reforms. ‘We do not innovate for the sake of innovation. We do not regionalize for the sake of convenience. We do not digitalize for the sake of efficiency. We do all of these because we are committed to building a Judiciary where no Filipino is ever left behind, where the rule of law is imbued with compassion, and where our Muslim brothers and sisters see their faith and traditions respected by the very institution charged with administering justice,’ he said.
SC Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul Inting, chairperson of the 2026 SSBE, reminded the new Shari’ah counselors-at-law that they are now part of a distinguished group tasked with the important duty of developing and applying Shari’ah. ‘Your roles are vital in ensuring the Shari’ah legal framework continues to reflect the values and traditions of the community,’ he said.
This year’s SSBE was the first to be fully digitalized, enabling examinees to take the examinations in either English or Arabic through a dedicated software application. Additionally, the process utilized a translation software to convert English questions into Arabic and to translate Arabic answers back into English.
On Day 1 of the exams, 629 examinees took Jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Customary Laws (Adat) in the morning. Only 628 examinees returned in the afternoon for the Persons, Family Relations, and Property. On Day 2, all 628 examinees completed the remaining subjects: Succession, Wills/Adjudication, and Settlement of Estates in the morning, followed by Procedure in the Shari’ah Courts in the afternoon.
