Move to decentralize bar exams gains ground

MANILA, Philippines—An online petition initiated by a Cebu law school dean  to decentralize the country’s  bar examinations, currently held only in Manila, is gaining support in Congress.

Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez and Abante Mindanao party-list Rep. Maximo Rodriguez Jr. have filed a resolution urging the Supreme Court to “seriously consider” holding the annual qualifying examination for lawyers simultaneously in Manila, Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro City.

The brothers cited the need to amend Section 11, Rule 138 of the of the Rules of Court which provide that, “Examinations for admission to the bar of the Philippines shall take place annually in the City of Manila.”

Last week, Senate President Franklin Drilon also threw his support behind an on-line lobby for the regionalization of the bar exams triggered by University of Cebu College of Law Dean Baldomero Estenzo, who reckoned that this would lead to a higher passing rate.

Four years ago, Estenza and several Visayas law deans  petitioned the Supreme Court to decentralize the lawyer licensure examinations.

The Rodriguez brothers said that the high court has resisted calls to conduct the exams,  which include tests in eight law subjects (civil, labor, mercantile, criminal, political and international, taxation, remedial, and legal ethics)  over a period of four days,  outside Manila because of monetary constraints and difficulty in protecting the integrity of test questions due to the risk  of leaks.

The Rodiguezes said that law graduates from the provinces were at a disadvantage compared to their Manila-based peers both financially and psychologically.

The passing percentage in the bar exams dropped to its lowest in 13 years in 2012  when only 17.76 percent hurdled the tests.  In 1999, only 16.59 percent passed the exams.

The latest bar exams in 2013 had a passing rate of 22.18 percent.