Lawyers propose anew: Regionalize Bar exams

CEBU, Philippines - Following the release of the 2013 Bar examination results, the call to regionalize the conduct of the said exam is again being pushed.

University of Cebu-College of Law Dean Baldomero Estenzo said that it has been two years that deans of law schools in the Visayas have been filing a petition before the Supreme Court to conduct Bar examinations, not just in Metro Manila, but also in Cebu, Davao and Cagayan de Oro.

Estenzo said that after they filed such petition, they were asked by the SC to conduct a survey among the students in the Visayas about their request.

“The result was overwhelming and we submitted this result to the Supreme Court. Pero hangtud karon, wa na mi update kung na unsa na to ang among petition,” Estenzo said, hoping that SC Administrator Jose Midas Marquez will act as their lawyer and will push for it.

Marquez was the guest speaker yesterday on the “Building Resilient Justice: A panel forum on the structural integrity of courthouses” organized by the law students of UC.

Marquez, however, said that this issue should be better raised to the Bar Confidant as this would need to be deliberated first.

Estenzo pointed out that Bar exam takers have to file a leave for work as well as be away from their families, consequently causing a lot of emotional and psychological stress, aside from the physical exhaustion in taking the said examination.

UC-College of Law has recently produced a topnotcher, Manuel Elijah Sarausad, who landed 6th among the 1,174 passers.

Sarausad, a father of two and who lives in Cebu, said that he strongly backs the move regionalizing the Bar exams.

“I support this. Taking the bar exams in Manila is an added expense and difficulty for those in the province to stay in Manila for the four Sundays of the Bar examinations,” said Sarausad.

Estenzo added that the SC can always ask judges to protect the integrity of the Bar examinations once it is done in regional centers.

“If we can trust our judges in the administration of justice, there is no reason why the Supreme Court cannot trust them in administering the bar examinations,” he added.

Meanwhile, Marquez reminded passers of the 2013 Bar examination of their responsibilities as new lawyers.

“Live to your oath,” said Marquez, as a message to the 1,174 Bar passers, which was only 22.18 percent of the 5,292 who took the exam.

But as stated in national reports by Associate Justice Arturo Brion, chairman of the 2013 committee on Bar exams, the 22.18 percent result was even higher than the 17.76 percent result in 2012.

He added that because of various considerations, including the difficulty of the exam, they adjusted the passing average from 75 percent to 73 percent.  — (FREEMAN)