Rewards for topnotchers ‘not a priority’

CEBU, Philippines —  It remains to be seen whether the 2017 Bar topnotchers from Cebu City universities would get incentives from the city government.

What’s certain, though, is that Mayor Tomas Osmeña is willing to hire them to work for the city.

“The City Hall is always open to them, but they won’t work for me, you know. Once you top the Bar, all the big companies and law firms will offer you a job. But of course I want them. If I can get them, I will get them,” he said.

Osmeña said while the five topnotchers deserve recognition, the city is giving priority to students who can’t afford to go to school, rather than those who have already graduated.

“I will not necessarily recommend the incentives. It depends on how much and to whom. Let me put it this way: My priority is those who are going to school, not those who already graduated,” said the mayor.

“We can give them recognition because they deserve recognition but using the city money, atong tabangan ang mga tawo nga mo-eskwela pa. For example, naay mga cum laude nga mag-review pa, mao na atong tabangan so they can do well. There are two trains of thought -- one is the reward; mine is to provide assistance. So maybe there is a middle ground somewhere but my priority is always assistance. Why give assistance to someone who graduated?” he added.

Osmeña, however, said it would be up to the City Council to sponsor a measure giving them monetary incentives.

Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos said the council has not discussed the matter yet, but she has already filed a resolution commending the topnotchers and the universities where they graduated.

Among the topnotchers from Cebu in the 2017 Bar exams are Christianne Mae Balili (2nd), Ivanne D’laureil Hisoler (4th), and Rheland Servacio (7th), all from the University of San Carlos.

Stephanie Claros of the University of San Jose-Recoletos also finished 15th while University of Cebu’s Ella Mae Mendoza landed 17th.

 “We haven’t met yet because we just learned about the topnotchers last Thursday. What I did first is I already filed a resolution commending the Bar topnotchers and, secondly, commending the university, as well as the dean of the College of Law. The city government will give the money but we will first validate if they are compliant with the requirements of the auditors,” said de los Santos.

Under City Ordinance No. 2405, or the Cebuano Topnotchers Ordinance, the amount of cash incentives to be awarded shall be based on the ranking of the awardees.

For Bar passers, the first placer shall receive P100,000. Those on second to fifth places shall receive P50,000 while the sixth to 1oth placers shall be entitled to P20, 000.

USC College of Law dean lawyer Joan Largo said the three topnotchers from their school will be receiving a scholarship program. Balili, Hisoler, and Servacio can sponsor either a relative or anyone not related to them to study in college at the USC for free.

“Regionalize Bar’

Meanwhile, the dean of the UC College of Law believes that more law graduates from provincial schools would perform better if the Bar is regionalized.

Lawyer Baldomero Estenzo said taking the Bar in Manila entails additional costs to takers from the province. In addition, he said the fact that these examinees are far from their families may also affect their performance.

Estenzo cited the case of a taker who gave birth weeks before taking the Bar last November. She had to go through the psychological battle of staying far from her child because the exams cover four Sundays.

Though she passed, Estenzo said she could have performed much better if she took the exam closer to home.

Since 2007, proposals for the Bar to be taken to some regional centers like Cebu have been pushed.

One time, Estenzo said, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno reportedly directed lawyer Theodore Te to pilot the new scheme but this has not materialized until now.

In previous reports, the SC explained that the centralized administration of the Bar exam is intended to avoid leakages.

However, Estenzo said the integrity of the questionnaires can be assured with the use of modern technology.

Besides, he added that if the Professional Regulation Commission holds examinations outside Manila that are free from fraud, why can’t the court do the same for the Bar? — Ivory Pauline Escarro, CNU Comm Intern/KBQ (FREEMAN)