THE 2019 Bar exam passers on Thursday became the first batch of lawyers who took their oath via online videoconference as the country continues to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic which has infected more than 30,000 people in the country and killed more than 1,000 others.
Of the 7,685 Bar takers, only 2,103 passed the exams and were allowed to participate in the virtual oath taking.
The Court earlier said the current health crisis and pandemic prevented it from holding the oath-taking ceremony the traditional way, as it had to take into consideration the existing government policies on public health, particularly on mass gatherings.
However, the Supreme Court made it clear in its resolution that the unorthodox oath taking was to be “pro hac vice.”
This means that due to the current pandemic, the resolution was to be exclusive and limited only on the occasion of the oath taking of the 2019 Bar passers.
Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe, the 2019 Bar chairman, acknowledged that the 2019 Bar passers will be known in the history not only as the first batch of lawyers to have been sworn in online, but also “the first batch to have commenced your legal practice during a debilitating global pandemic.”
Justice Bernabe challenged the 2019 lawyers to lead the new generation of lawyers in carrying the responsibility of utilizing the law “to help society cope and move forward.”
She added: “Being the first lawyers ushered in the era of a new normal, you are in a unique position of innovating ways to ensure that justice becomes accessible to all and that our law remains a staunch bulwark of our people’s rights and freedoms.”
Justice Bernabe continued: “Now more than ever the legal profession needs you youthful exuberance, your proficiency in new technologies and most of all your interconnected sense of community.”
On the other hand, 2020 Bar Chairman Justice Marvic Leonen gave assurances that the next Bar exams would meet the standards of the Court en banc.
He disclosed that the Court has also given him the go-ahead to check various digital platforms for the pilot testing of computerized Bar exams.
“This will be a relief to those who come after you with handwriting as bad as many of the justices of the Supreme Court,” Leonen said in his speech.
Leonen also expressed belief that the Bar should be regarded as merely a qualifying exams, “not a determinant of how good you will be as a lawyer.”
Thus he said, as 2020 Bar chairman, he would look into various rituals that add unnecessary pressure on aspiring lawyers applicants, which include midnight and last-minute tips from well-meaning supporters.
He added that he would also review the way answers to Bar exams are evaluated and how results are being presented.
“Soon enough we will make the proper proposals fro the consideration of the Court en banc,” Leonen said.
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