In Re: 2020/21 Bar Examinations

January 4, 2022

EN BANC

B.M. No. 3490

IN RE: 2020/21 BAR EXAMINATIONS

NOTICE

Sirs/Mesdames :

Please take notice that the Court en banc issued a Resolution dated JANUARY 4, 2022, which reads as follows:

"B.M. No. 3490(In Re: 2020/21 Bar Examinations)

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the current 11,790 Bar examinees for the upcoming 2020/21 Bar Examinations have been reviewing for longer than any other batch of Bar examinees in the past;

WHEREAS, Typhoon Odette has wreaked havoc in several parts of the Philippines, especially in the Visayas and Mindanao;

WHEREAS, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is nowhere in sight, given the most recent surge in the number of persons affected by the virus, the positivity rate reaching its highest since October 9, 2021, and the newest threat posed by the Omicron variant;

WHEREAS, the various crises plaguing the country have caused untold anxiety on the Bar examinees;

WHEREAS, there is a need to reduce the examinees and personnel's risk of being exposed to COVID-19;

WHEREAS, the preparations for the 2020/21 Bar Examinations have been going on for more than two years, with the examinations being postponed twice;

WHEREAS, pushing through with the 2020/21 Bar Examinations is indispensable to meet the demand for new and promising lawyers;

WHEREAS, any further postponement will again mean renegotiation of most of the arrangements for the Bar Examinations;

WHEREAS, considering all these circumstances, it is possible, without compromising the qualifications of future lawyers, to reduce pro hac vice the coverage of the 2020/21 Bar Examinations so that there will be enough lawyers to meet the needs of our people during this pandemic;

NOW, THEREFORE, acting pro hac vice, unanimously and upon the recommendation of the Bar Chairperson, Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, the Court En Banc has resolved to: (a) REDUCE the coverage of the 2020/21 Bar Examinations; and (b) SHORTEN the duration of the 2020/21 Bar Examinations to only two days: January 23, 2022, Sunday; and January 25, 2022, Tuesday.

In view of the revised coverage, the subjects for the Bar Examinations will be as follows:

 

DAY ONE (January 23, 2022)

Morning exam	The Law Pertaining to the State and Its Relationship with Its Citizens	30%
Afternoon exam	Criminal Law	15%

DAY TWO (January 25, 2022)

Morning exam	The Law Pertaining to Private Personal and Commercial Relations	30%
Afternoon exam	Procedure and Professional Ethics	25%

 

Details on the revised and reduced coverage will be covered by a bar bulletin to be released immediately by the Bar Chairperson.

The Bar Chairperson and his authorized representatives are authorized to revise and renegotiate all relevant contracts if necessary. However, the financial commitments to all those involved shall remain the same.

Nothing in this Resolution shall affect the other modalities of the 2020/21 Bar Examinations as contained in earlier resolutions and bar bulletins.

In the meantime, the Court will not hold en banc sessions on January 18 and 25, 2022." (19)

By authority of the Court:

(SGD.) MARIFE M. LOMIBAO-CUEVASClerk of Court