THE Supreme Court of the Philippines has reset the 2020/2021 Bar Examinations to January 16, 23, 30 and February 6, 2022.
On Twitter, it cited the Covid-19 situation nationally and in all testing sites as the reason for the postponement.
The exams had initially been scheduled to take place in November 2021.
“The application period will not be reopened,” it said.
All preparatory activities for the exams, including selection of the bar applicants of their venue, would continue, it said.
In a statement, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu City said it “joins a big majority of the legal profession in receiving the news of the postponement with surprise,” adding it would use this as an opportunity to continue helping barristers, especially those taking the Bar Exams in Cebu City.
“Our Chapter has launched the IBP Big Brother/Sister Program, which aims to assist the bar examinees with their needs. We endeavor to alleviate the pressure that they are experiencing and more so now with the deferment of the Bar Exams.
“We also understand the predicament of the Supreme Court as these are not ordinary times and the number of takers has increased significantly,” it said.
Decentralizing the exams makes the logistical arrangement more difficult, it acknowledged as it offered to help the Supreme Court with whatever it may need.
“We take this setback as another chance to do better and to do more to prepare for this Bar Exams. We can only see the success of this first regionalized Bar Examinations with all hands on deck and with everyone working together,” it added.
Sought for comment, University of Cebu School of Law Dean Al Swaid Ismael said the resetting of the November 2021 Bar Exams is “news” to them and could be “disheartening” and “frustrating” for the Bar candidates.
“We, at UC Law, will continue to provide support and guidance to our candidates as we have done in the past,” he added.
He said UC Banilad, as a testing center that can accommodate 1,000 examinees, has gone full blast in its preparations.
He said the Office of the Bar Chairperson and the Cebu City Government have concluded their ocular inspection at UC Banilad Campus and their candidates are also getting ready for the Bar Operations, which will officially commence next month.
“But the Supreme Court must have judiciously considered the pros and cons and weighed all the factors before deciding to postpone the Bar exams for the second time,” he said.
The exams were originally scheduled to be held in November 2020. (CTL, WBS)