EDITORIAL - Get the Bar to the provinces

Members of the legal profession insist that the Bar Exam is the hardest of all professional licensure examinations. True or not, there is no argument that it is the most anticipated (even by non-takers, non-family members, and non-acquaintances) and the most publicized there is.

Its seeming importance and significance notwithstanding, there is no reason why the Supreme Court, which administers the exam, would continue to hedge on allowing the regionalization of the exam when all other licensure exams, administered by the Professional Regulation Commission, have long gone in that direction.

Nothing manifests more strongly the elitist suspicion that Imperial Manila must never relinquish its grip on the country's premier exam for the country's premier profession than the Supreme Court's adamant refusal to spread the exam over the provinces.

Why is this? Does the Supreme Court and its jaded men in robes think regional centers are not good enough to host the Bar Exam? Do they think highly urbanized cities in the regions such as Cebu City are not capable of securing the integrity of the results?

Come to think of it, many regional centers are far better in many respects than the Bar Exam testing centers in Manila, if only the Supreme Court allows itself to think out of the box. These regional centers have long begged to host the exams. It is time the high court gives their pleas the serious thought they deserve.

Aside from the many tangible and intangible benefits that can be derived from regionalizing the Bar Exams, the most immediate good that can be reaped from such a decision, if it ever comes, is the tremendous savings that Bar takers from the provinces can enjoy.

Tough economic times call for practical measures to deal with them. If the Supreme Court can bring itself to lowering the passing grade -- which has something to do with the quality of the overall product -- why can it not bring itself to make ancillary adjustments that do not bear directly on product quality?

The Supreme Court can remain staid and uncompromising in its interpretations of the law. But outside of that main function, it does not violate anything to keep up with the times. And the times are changing, Your Honors. If things can now be done with the press of a button, what is so wrong about spreading the exams?