A total of 3,992 law graduates passed the 2022 online Bar exams, representing 43.47 percent of all those who took what is considered the country’s most grueling national test, the Supreme Court said Friday.
The Court said the first five of the 31 examinees who got the highest ratings all came from the University of the Philippines. Two examinees shared the 30th slot.
The top five Bar passers (from first to fifth) were Czar Matthew Gerard Torres Dayday (88.81 percent); Erickson Cayabyab Marinas (88. 77); Christine Claire Cregencia (87. 97 percent); Andrea Jasmine Ong Yu (87.77); and Kim Gia Grande Gatapia (87.42) (see related story –Editors).
Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, who was the chairperson of the 2022 Bar examinations committee, said the Court had set the oath taking and signing of the Roll of Attorneys for the successful Bar examinees starting at 10 a.m. on May 2 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday congratulated the passers of the 2022 Bar examinations and urged them to serve the country with integrity and compassion.
Speaker Martin G. Romualdez on Friday urged the 3,992 Bar passers to be “good lawyers” in service to the country.
He said they should also handle and prosecute cases without fear or favor.
“You should be good lawyers by serving the poor and the underprivileged. Ensure that justice is served without fear or favor,” Romualdez said. “Be a catalyst for change and uphold the standards of public service excellence in the practice of our noble profession.”
Romualdez is himself a lawyer, an alumnus of the UP College of Law and president of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa).
He said the new entrants to the law profession should help improve thejudicial system by representing those who cannot afford legal services.
The Court reminded the 2022 Bar passers that it has increased the Bar admission fee from P3,500 to P5,000 “to cover the imminent surge in the operation costs, particularly the cost of the venue for the oath taking and roll signing ceremonies, and other logistical expenses, as well as the allowance of concerned personnel.”
The 2023 Bar examinations, also online and regionalized, will be administered only for three days on Sept. 17, 20, and 24, also in various testing centers nationwide, with only six core subjects instead of eight.
Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, chairperson of the 2023 Bar examinations committee, said: “Commercial Law and Taxation Law have been conjoined to the close affinity between these two fields in legal practice, while Remedial Law and Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises were fused together as these subjects complement each other in actual practice.”
Because of this, the subjects for examinations on Sept. 17, 2023 will be Political and Public International Law in the morning, and Commercial and Taxation Laws in the afternoon, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
On Sept. 20, 2023, the subjects covered are Civil Law in the morning and Labor Law and Social Legislation in the afternoon.
On Sept. 24, 2023, Criminal Law and Remedial Law will be in the morning and Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises in the afternoon.
Hernando said the early release of the Bar exams results would be complementary to an early conduct of the examinations.
“We will therefore have aspirants to the profession earning their J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree, taking the Bar exams, taking the oath and signing the roll of attorneys all in the same year,” he said.
Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda urged new lawyers to help fill the 10,000 vacant Bureau of Internal Revenue positions to “infuse young blood and perspective” in fiscal and economic management.
“I congratulate the 2022 Bar Passers for the job well done. The passing rate this year, when the exam difficulty is noted to have ‘returned to normal’ is still quite high at 44 percent. That speaks to the competence of this batch of test-takers – who have had to study partly under lockdown conditions,” Salceda said.
“I call on the 3,992 new lawyers to consider working for the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Fiscal Incentives Review Board, the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, and other agencies of fiscal and economic affairs where legal expertise is needed,” he added.
