Bohol Law schools join clamor for regional bar exams - CNN Philippines

See - Bohol Law schools join clamor for regional bar exams - CNN Philippines


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The clamor is for the Supreme Court to conduct the Bar exams in four areas: Visayas, Mindanao, Luzon and the National Capital Region — instead of centralizing it in Manila.

This will cut the cost in transportation, and board and lodging of Bar examinees from the provinces.

Diputado said they were told that the Supreme Court, in principle, is amenable to the suggestion.

However, the only concern of the Supreme Court is the integrity of the questionnaires.

Diputado explained that since the exams will be held on Sundays, the questionnaires need to be at the areas by Friday and there is no mechanism yet how to make sure that there would be no leakage.

He said law schools in provinces might have to wait longer until the Supreme Court could decide on the implementing rules.

The matter also cropped up again during the recent gathering of the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS) in Dumaguete City.

In Bohol, three institutions offer colleges of law — the Holy Name University (HNU), University of Bohol and the Bohol Institute of Technology-International College.

For his part, HNU College of Law Dean Tomas Abapo Jr. expressed that they concur with other institutions calling for Supreme Court to consider holding the Bar examinations in the regions.

“This has been discussed by PALS and is now under study by the Supreme Court who conducts the exams. This is advantageous to provincial schools. One hindrance, though, is the security of bar questions and results,” according to Abapo.

Some schools suggested that if it is difficult to conduct it in every region, at least there could be one in Cebu and one in Mindanao.

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