The Supreme Court building in Ermita,
Manila. INQUIRER file photo / EDWIN BACASMAS
MANILA, Philippines—Bar examinees are advised to begin their self-quarantine beginning Monday, January 10 in preparation for the January 23 and 25 tests.
In its recent Bar bulletin, the Supreme Court said that Bar examinees who will test positive for COVID-19 will be denied entry to their local testing centers.
“This prohibition will apply to all cases, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic,” read the Bar bulletin signed by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, the 2020/21 Bar Examination Chairperson.
Fully vaccinated examinees will undergo one antigen test within 48 hours before January 23. If positive, they must comply with the guidelines of their local testing center’s local government unit.
On the other hand, unvaccinated examinees must present negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results taken within 72 hours before the first examination.
The examinees who have recovered from COVID-19 shall still be required to undergo testing before the first examination.
Previously infected examinees of up to a month are required to present a sworn statement stating that the local government unit has considered it a recovered case and the required isolation period was completed.
A total of 11,790 examinees will take the upcoming Bar examination.
The upcoming examination, for the first time, has been reduced to two Sundays with four sets of examinations, instead of the usual eight subjects — The Law Pertaining to the State and Its Relationship with Its Citizens (formerly Political Law, Labor Law, and Taxation Law); Criminal Law; The Law Pertaining to Private Personal and Commercial Relations (formerly Civil Law and Commercial Law); and Procedure and Professional Ethics (formerly Remedial Law, Legal Ethics, and Practical Exercises).
This year’s examination will also be conducted in multiple sites as the high court has taken into consideration the existing pandemic.
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