SC chief Gesmundo bucks idea to abolish Bar exams

WATCH: Associate Justice Marvic Leonen says the Supreme Court (SC) is in "full throttle" for the 2020/2021 Bar Exams. | 🎥: SC/Youtube via @T2TupasINQ pic.twitter.com/ITWuMfCMIS

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) July 8, 2021

MANILA, Philippines—Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo has turned down the idea of abolishing the Bar examination, which law graduates must pass to practice law.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said earlier that students have already taken heaps of college examinations, which is why they should scrap license exams altogether.

READ: Bello doubts need for bar exam, board exams: ‘Tanggalin na exam-exam na ‘yan’

“I respect Secretary Bello’s opinion, but as far as I am concerned, we should maintain the Bar exams so that we can test qualifications of those who aspire to join the legal profession,” Gesmundo told reporters Thursday in an ambush interview.

“The legal profession is vested with the public interest, and we should see to it that only those who are fit and qualified to join the ranks of legal profession meet the standards required of them,” he added.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court has signed a contract with Saint Louis University in Baguio City, making it one of the testing centers for the upcoming 2020/21 Bar Examination in November.

The high court, led by Bar Examination Committee Chair Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, has taken steps to ensure the safety of the examination despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the reforms introduced is making the examination digital, meaning students will use their own laptops to take the test. The examination will also be localized. Unlike in the past, when the venue was only in Manila, this year, there will be several testing locations nationwide.

To apply for the Bar Examination, aspiring lawyers do not need to physically visit the Supreme Court in Manila because they can submit their petitions digitally.

READ: SC adopts ‘digitalized, localized, proctored modality’ for 2021 Bar Exams

“I would like to clarify, and every law student and applicant should know this: the Bar exam is conducted by the Supreme Court of the Republic of the Philippines. A Cabinet secretary is Honorable, very well respected, he is even my friend. And had it been his Bar, I know that he would have taken advantage of this program. I know where he came from. But SC has not suspended the bar exam. We are full throttle in terms of preparing this,” Leonen said in his speech during the contract signing between the Supreme Court and SLU in Baguio.

abc