Bar codes to be used in Bar exams

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has adopted a new measure to “modernize” the Bar examinations.

For the first time in 113 years, the SC will use bar codes to identify 6,344 law graduates who will take the four-Sunday exams starting tomorrow at the University of Santo Tomas.

The new system, where bar codes will be put on exam booklets with corresponding stickers bearing the name of examinees placed on their assigned seats, replaces the use of name cards for examinees in all previous Bar exams.

In a press conference yesterday, Bar confidant Ma. Cristina Layusa said the use of the bar codes is expected to “protect the integrity of the results” of the exams.

“This will modernize the conduct of the exams and will also make the process of checking, encoding and decoding the examination booklets faster and more secure,” she added.

Apart from this, the SC also introduced another innovation in this year’s Bar exams. It required all examinees to use transparent or see-through bags for purposes of convenience and security.

Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, chairman of the committee for the 2014 exams, said the new measure was adopted “to speed up the inspection of bags and personal belongings of the examinees before entering their respective room assignments.” It was also meant “to further ensure the safety and security of the examinees and Bar personnel.”

This measure would also be implemented in succeeding Bar exams.

In another recent advisory, the SC laid down the usual security measures for this year’s exams.

Police authorities would be deployed along España Boulevard, P. Noval Street, Dapitan Street and Lacson Street near UST.

“They shall disperse groups clustered at these sidewalks, particularly during the entry and exit of the examinees, and during lunch breaks. As and when necessary, they may declare portions of the sidewalks off-limits to pedestrian traffic,” read the advisory.

España Boulevard, P. Noval Street and Lacson Street would be open to vehicular traffic, while Dapitan Street (from the corner of Lacson up to the corner of P. Noval) would be closed to traffic from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. during the examinees’ lunch break.

In the same advisory, the Bar committee announced that the pedestrian overpass in front of Gate 3 at España Blvd. shall be for the exclusive use of Bar examinees and personnel.

To use the overpass, Bar examinees shall be required to show their notices of admission, while bar personnel will be required to present their identification cards and gate passes, to the police, SC guards, and barangay officials deployed at the entries to the overpass.

The SC committee stressed that the exams would push through even in case of heavy rains and flooding in the venue.

Should there be heavy downpour in the morning of the exam days, buses of the SC and Court of Appeals would be deployed to fetch examinees in five pick-up points: Quezon City Memorial Circle, Park and Ride on Lawton and SC compound in Manila, Coastal Mall Terminal in Parañaque City, Greenbelt and Glorietta Malls in Makati City and Marikina Sports Complex.

The buses would be stationed at these areas as early as 5 a.m. and will leave at exactly 6 a.m., the committee said.

“In case of flooding inside the UST compound before the Bar examinations start, commuter vans of the SC shall be available to transport Bar examinees and duty personnel from the UST gates to their respective examination buildings within UST. Priority in the use of the commuter vans shall be given to senior citizens, pregnant women and persons with disability,” it added.  

A total 1,174 out of 5,292 examinees or 22.18 percent passed last year’s Bar exams.

It was the year the SC reverted back to its previous format, which was predominantly essay type (80 percent) and the rest multiple-choice questions (MCQ).

In the preceding two years, the SC had conducted a predominantly MCQ format of Bar exams.

The high court also lifted its five-strike rule in Bar examinations, a policy implemented since 2005 in which examinees who have flunked five times are disqualified from further taking the exams.