Bar exams still in Manila

CEBU, Philippines - It's final. The Bar examinations this year will still be held in Manila.

In a resolution, the Supreme Court announced the exams will be at the University of Santo Tomas on November 6, 13, 20 and 27.

The Supreme Court said earlier it would consider administering the bar exams in Cebu if at least 1,000 law students will sign the petition.

The University of Cebu even offered a venue for the Bar exams, free of charge, should Cebu be chosen as pilot area. 

As of March, however, less than 500 signed the petition.

Retired Court of Appeals Justice Portia Hormachuelos, Dean of the Gullas Law School, said earlier examinees would be able to save a lot if the exams will be held here.

There had been several proposals for the regionalization of the bar exams but previous efforts failed to get the nod of the Supreme Court to protect the integrity of the examinations.

Hormachuelos said, however, that cheating will not happen as doing so will lead to imprisonment for contempt. 

More effort may have to be exerted for this to happen.

The SC has already given a go signal for the Bar Confidant to negotiate with UST for the use of its campus and facilities for the Bar exams.

Law graduates from schools with original academic calendar, which is from June to March, may start filing their applications to take the Bar Exams on June 1 until July 31, without extension while schools whose academic year ends in June 2016 have until August 15, without extension.

The exams cover eight subjects, namely, Political Law, Labor Law, Civil Law, Taxation, Mercantile Law, Criminal Law, Remedial Law, and Legal and Judicial Ethics.

Two graduates of the University of San Carlos College of Law landed in the top 10 in the 2015 Bar exams - Athena Plaza and Jecca Jacildo who clinched the second and eight spots, respectively.

Plaza and Jacildo were among the 1,731 aspiring lawyers who successfully hurdled the so-called "toughest" exam of the country. The passers are only 26.21 percent of the 6, 605 bar exam takers with passing rate remained unadjusted at 75 percent.

The 2016 Bar Examination Committee is chaired by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. — (FREEMAN)