The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday announced the deferment of the prohibition of government lawyers from serving as Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) chapter officers for the 2025-2027 term.
Section 4 of the Revised By-Laws of the IBP was designed to reinforce its nonpolitical nature and prohibit involvement in political activities.
In a resolution, the SC en banc approved the request of the IBP Board of Governors (BOG) to modify the Guidelines for the 2025 Elections of Chapter Officers, allowing government lawyers to hold chapter officer positions for a two-year term, except for chapter president.
However, the High Court noted there are government lawyers who remain ineligible including presidential appointees, national government or government-owned and/or controlled corporation officers with Salary Grade (SG) 26 or higher and local government unit officers with SG 25 or higher, elected officials, prosecutors, and employees of the Judiciary and quasi-judicial bodies.
In December, the IBP BOG claimed the strict application of the prohibition in Section 4 would disenfranchise many IBP members, with over 19,000 working in government.
Many government lawyers are active in chapter affairs and willing to serve as officers, according to the IBP.