THE University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), the lone university in Cebu to serve as a local testing center (LTC) for the September 2024 Bar exams, is all set to accommodate bar takers next month.
Meanwhile, the University of San Carlos (USC) School of Law said it respects the prerogative of the Supreme Court (SC) not to include the university in the list of LTCs for the Visayas in the upcoming Bar examination.
On July 31, 2024, the Supreme Court released Bar Bulletin 3-B, detailing the local testing centers, venue assignments, Examplify User Guide, and refund mechanics.
In the Visayas, aside from the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Basak Campus, the designated local testing centers include Central Philippine University in Jaro, Iloilo City, and Dr. Vicente Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation in Tacloban City.
The 2024 Bar examination is scheduled on Sept. 8, 11 and 15. It will be chaired by Associate Justice Mario Lopez.
The SC said it considered examiners’ preference of LTCs “subject to availability of slots.”
USJ-R preparation
USJ-R School of Law Dean Jonathan Capanas said they are “99 percent” ready for the Bar exams this September. He said the university being designated as LTC for the third time has prepared them well for the upcoming exams.
The dean said the remaining one percent would be the external factors such as security deployment from the police.
He said they have been visited by the SC numerous times already.
“Internally, sa school, wala na ta’y problema kaayo except lang masuspend man gud ang classes during that week. Kana siya ang dako kaayo nga adjustment kay ma disrupted man ang classes sa other year levels,” said Capanas.
(Internally, in the school, we have no problems except the suspension of classes during that week. That is what needs adjustment since it will disrupt the classes of the other year levels).
Capanas said that in USJ-R, the control of whoever enters the premises is easy since it only has two gates at the entrance.
He added that since the classrooms are far from the highway, the venue would be suitable for the examinations.
Concern
However, Capanas shared that the specific concern they had was the examinees who were from Cebu but were assigned to Iloilo.
He said that they had already communicated with the Supreme Court regarding the matter.
“As far as the venue is concerned, wala na g’yud kaayo tay concern (there is no concern),” assured Capanas.
USC excluded
During the 2023 Bar exams, the USC partnered with the USJ-R as the LTC in Cebu. However, for the 2024 BAR exams, the Supreme Court did not include USC as a designated LTC.
USC School of Law Dean and lawyer Jose Glenn Capanas, in a phone interview on Saturday, Aug. 10, said the university was informed of the decision prior to the SC’s official announcement.
He said they were relieved to learn that the SC’s decision was not based on concerns about the quality of USC’s amenities, but because of the “limited number of examinees who signified their preference to take the examinations in Cebu City.”
“Of course, we respect (that); that’s the prerogative of the Supreme Court,” he said.
He added that despite not being chosen, they are fully prepared. / JPS