PANGARAP MO BANG MAGING ABOGADO?
Sa Pilipinas, ang Philippine Bar exams lang ang natatanging licensure examination sa bansa na hindi hawak ng Professional Regulation Commssion (PRC). Ayon kasi sa Constitution, tanging ang Supreme Court lamang ang may karapatan na mag-administer ng bar examination sa bansa.
Kumusta ba ang legal profession sa bansa? Here's what you #NeedToKnow.
Sa Pilipinas, ang Philippine Bar exams lang ang natatanging licensure examination sa bansa na hindi hawak ng Professional Regulation Commssion (PRC). Ayon kasi sa Constitution, tanging ang Supreme Court lamang ang may karapatan na mag-administer ng bar examination sa bansa.
Kumusta ba ang legal profession sa bansa? Here's what you #NeedToKnow.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Screaming]
00:02 [Music]
00:04 This is the usual encounter outside the Supreme Court,
00:08 at home, and even in offices,
00:11 whenever the Supreme Court releases the result of the Bar Exam.
00:15 [Screaming]
00:17 After almost four to five years of studying law,
00:22 they finally achieved the expected success,
00:26 to become a lawyer.
00:29 Before you become an attorney,
00:31 you need to be prepared,
00:33 sacrifice,
00:34 hard work,
00:35 and tired.
00:38 How hard is it to study law in the Philippines?
00:42 Here's what you need to know.
00:44 According to an article published by an educational blogger and law student
00:50 from the University of Nigeria,
00:52 the Philippine Bar Exam is ranked fourth in the world's most difficult licensure examination.
01:00 Its basis is the structure and technicality of the examination,
01:05 and success and failure rate.
01:07 According to the article,
01:09 the South Korea Bar Exam is in the top three most difficult bar examinations,
01:13 California Bar Exam,
01:15 and Nigeria Bar Exam, respectively.
01:18 Is the Philippine Bar Exam really one of the hardest?
01:22 According to Attorney Egon Cayosa,
01:26 the former national president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines,
01:30 it is true in many aspects.
01:32 It is understandable that the Bar Exam is difficult because its coverage is very broad.
01:39 And over the years, the laws would change,
01:42 jurisprudence would change,
01:44 the Supreme Court can change its mind every now and then,
01:47 and there are new laws, so very broad coverage.
01:51 They're now guiding the bar examiners not to ask questions that are for experts
01:57 and even law professors find it difficult to answer.
02:00 Attorney Cayosa added,
02:03 it is also financially difficult for bar examiners.
02:07 True in many ways.
02:09 Number one, it is hardest economically,
02:12 especially in the past.
02:13 It is significantly improved now.
02:15 But in the past, it was very expensive because it was one whole month.
02:19 After you graduate, you still have to invest in very expensive bar reviews
02:24 because it was physical.
02:26 Secondly, everything was centralized in Manila.
02:30 Imagine the expense of relocating to Manila.
02:33 In the Philippines, the Philippine Bar Exam is the only licensure examination in the country
02:40 that is not held by the Professional Regulatory Commission or PRC.
02:44 According to the Constitution,
02:46 only the Supreme Court has the right to administer bar exams in the country.
02:51 To be officially called an attorney,
02:54 you need to pass the bar exam.
02:57 There must be a general average of 75% in bar exams
03:02 and the grade in any bar subjects should not be below 50%.
03:07 In the past, there were 8 subjects that a bar candidate needed to pass.
03:13 But since 2020, it has been reduced
03:17 and the 8 subjects have become 4 to 6 subjects and if they pass,
03:22 the digital bar exams were held that year.
03:27 Since the digital bar examinations were held,
03:31 it was noticed that the passing rate has increased.
03:34 It is higher compared to the previous bar examinations that were done in handwritten mode.
03:41 Did the digital bar examination help to increase the chances of passing the bar?
03:47 Well, in one way, that is correct because at least in the past,
03:51 even if you're brilliant, even if your answers are okay,
03:56 but the examiner cannot read your penmanship,
04:01 he cannot understand.
04:03 So if he cannot understand that,
04:05 it is wrong or low grade that he will be given.
04:09 Now, at least that has been taken away
04:12 because every examiner now uses a computer,
04:15 same font, there is no difference among them.
04:18 So it's just pure knowledge.
04:20 Currently, the 1954 bar exam has the highest passing rate in history,
04:27 which reached 75.17%.
04:30 And the 1999 bar exam has the lowest, which has a 16.59% passing rate.
04:38 With these numbers, can we say that the number of lawyers in the Philippines is sufficient?
04:43 I think what we hear from the Supreme Court and what we know as national officers of IDP,
04:50 even if there are a lot of Filipino lawyers,
04:53 there are still more Filipinos who need lawyers.
04:58 So if you look at the demand and supply, it would help if there are more lawyers.
05:03 According to Rule 138 of the Rules of Court,
05:07 a bar candidate has only three chances to enter the bar.
05:12 If he falls below the third chance,
05:14 a bar candidate is disqualified.
05:17 If this happens, is your dream to become a lawyer already over?
05:22 According to the same rule,
05:24 a bar candidate can still take an exam
05:27 if he enrolls in review subjects again in the legitimate university
05:32 to be allowed by the court again.
05:35 But let's go back to the beginning.
05:37 Before a bar candidate takes a bar exam,
05:40 he must first complete four to five years of law, procedure, and ordinances,
05:47 local, man, or international.
05:49 In the new curriculum released by the Legal Education Board,
05:54 a law student must complete a minimum of 135 units.
05:59 This is a lower number compared to the previous curriculum that has 169 units.
06:06 Will this help to avoid the difficulty of studying law in the Philippines?
06:12 According to the chairperson of the Legal Education Board or LEB,
06:17 Attorney Ana Marie Melanie Trinidad,
06:20 this is a big help to students.
06:23 Greatly so, because under the old curriculum,
06:26 the law student would have had to complete 169 units.
06:29 But under the revised model law curriculum, this was reduced to 135.
06:33 10 of that number would be electives and the rest would be mandated courses.
06:38 Aside from the bar exam,
06:40 the tuition in the Philippines is also open.
06:45 The tuition is up to Php 50,000 to Php 130,000 per semester.
06:52 Books, housing, and other expenses are not included.
06:57 With the high cost of studying law,
07:02 is being a lawyer just a dream?
07:06 It's not just a dream.
07:08 But then again, just like all courses,
07:11 the pursuit of a law degree entails expenses.
07:14 We have the state policy of promoting access to education.
07:17 That's why there are state universities and colleges
07:21 which offer a law program.
07:23 Many rich people want to pursue a law degree,
07:25 but they cannot finish a law because maybe their heart was not in it.
07:29 So it doesn't really follow that it's only for the rich.
07:32 Some state universities provide tuition to the maximum.
07:37 Some provide scholarship grants for deserving students.
07:42 In Camara, there are several legislative bodies
07:45 that are trying to give free legal education.
07:49 They say that "Walk in the Park" is the journey to become a lawyer.
07:54 But that park is "Jurassic Park."
07:57 Because being a lawyer also has a risk.
08:02 A lawyer in Cebu City was killed in a gunfight.
08:07 A lawyer in Nueva Ecija was charged with a motorcycle robbery.
08:10 A lawyer in Negros Oriental was also killed in a car accident.
08:14 According to the Supreme Court and Free Legal Assistance Group of LAG,
08:18 the number of lawyers and judges killed in 2016-2022
08:21 will not be lower than 60.
08:25 This is a higher number than the total number of deaths
08:29 from 1972 to 2016, which was only 49.
08:33 Some of these murders are said to have something to do with their work.
08:39 The Supreme Court has already condemned this.
08:42 To threaten our judges and our lawyers is no less than an assault.
08:47 To assault the judiciary is to shake the very bedrock on which the rule of law stands.
08:55 This cannot be allowed in a civilized society like ours.
08:59 This cannot go undenounced on the court's watch.
09:03 Time, effort, fatigue, and sacrifice are always the reason for our dreams.
09:10 No matter what level you are at in fulfilling them, just keep going.
09:14 Remember, you're still far away, but you're already far away.
09:19 I'm Bea Iglesia for GMA Integrated News.
09:23 For GMA Integrated News, I'm Bea Iglesia.
09:26 [Music]