THE Supreme Court has sworn in new Shari’ah lawyers who passed the two-day licensure exams held on Jan. 21 and 28 this year.
In a media briefing, the SC Public Information Office revealed that 191 of 360 takers of the special Bar examinations for the Shari’ah courts passed the two-day licensure tests.
They took their oath before the Court En Banc in a ceremony held at the SC session hall on Friday.
Rohanifah Abdul-Rahman topped the Bar exams with a highest overall rating of 90.40 percent.
Abdul-Rahman was followed by Abdulkarim Hadji Ibrahim Jr., with a rating of 89.35 percent, and by Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba with a score of 88.85 percent.
Taking the fourth place was Adly Umpa, with a rating of 88.80 percent, followed by Benyamen H. Salic, with 88.45 percent; Mozifa Ibbin, 88.00 percent; Nurhainie Abolais, 87.90 percent; Arvin Sirad, 87.90 percent; Nassem Sarangani, 87.25 percent; Hisham Panganting, 87.20 percent and Rayhana Faisal, 86.85 percent.
Shari’ah is Muslim law, which refers to all the ordinances and regulations governing Muslims as found principally in the Qur’an and the Hadith, according to Presidential Decree No. 1083, or the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines.
Republic Act No. 6734, or the law establishing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao recognizes Shari’ah district and circuit courts and provided for the creation of Shari’ah appellate courts and tribal courts for indigenous communities in the ARMM.
These courts have jurisdiction over cases involving persons, family and property relations.
Meanwhile, lawmakers on Friday congratulated the 1,724 new lawyers, saying the country needed them to speed up the delivery of justice, particularly the poor and oppressed.
The lawmakers led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez urged the new lawyers to provide the pro bono services to the poor.
Reps. Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro, Rodolfo Albano III of Isabela and Winston Castelo of Quezon City echoed the view of Alvarez whose daughter, Anna Alvarez, passed the 2017 bar examinations.
“I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the passers of the 2017 Bar Examinations, most especially to the beloved daughter of Speaker Bebot Alvarez,” Umali, a lawyer and chairperson of the House committee of justice, said.
“As a lawyer myself and the chairman of the House committee on justice, I look forward to the day that we can work together to bring reforms in the criminal justice system of our country. God speed, my new compañeros/compañeras,” said Umali.
Alvarez’s daughter, Paola is also a lawyer and assistant secretary of the Department of Finance.
Albano, majority leader of the House contingent’s Commission on Appointments, recalled the statement of then President Ramon Magsaysay that, “those who have less in life should have more in law.”
For his part, Castelo, chairman of the House committee on Metro Manila development, also urged the new lawyers to work in the government.
“We congratulate all the bar passers and hope they contribute their talent in the service of the country including the daughter of Speaker Alvarez,” said Castelo.
The passing rate in the 2017 bar examinations was 25.5 percent—a significant drop compared to the 2016 passing rate of 59.06 percent.
It was Mark John Simondo, alumnus of University of St. La Salle in Bacolod, who garnered the highest score with 91.05 percent.