The Philippines, if I am not mistaken, is the only country in the world with a bar examinations system that requires two examiners per bar subject, for what reason, only the Supreme Court knows.
This was a major cause of suffering of the 2009 bar examinees who complained of the unnecessarily long and verbose lists of questions, as if verbosity and talkativeness were virtues among future lawyers.
Read a related news item below, which states that the Court might change the policy.
The Court must stop its irrational experiment.
SC yet to decide on new bar exam policy
By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 16:33:00 04/01/2010
MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court has yet to decide if the two examiner per subject system in the bar examinations will still be implemented.
High court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said the issue was discussed during the special en banc session Friday but no decision was reached.
Marquez however said no problems were encountered in implementing the new policy during the last exams.
The 2009 bar exams marked the first time that not one but two were designated as examiners in each of the eight examination subjects.
The Supreme Court, on the recommendation of the Committee on Legal Education and Bar Matters, approved in February last year the proposal of the Bar Confidant to designate two examiners per bar subject as part of reforms being implemented in the bar exams.
There are apprehensions that the two examiner rule would cause delay in the release of the exam results. But Marquez said the release of the result last week was as scheduled.
Examiners this year include: Atty. Sixto S. Brillantes, Jr. and Atty. Jeremy I. Gatdula (Political Law); Court of Appeals (CA) Justice Vicente S.E. Veloso and Atty. Pablo R. Cruz (Labor and Social Legislation); Justice Alicia V. Sempio-Diy (ret.) and Court Administrator Zenaida N. Elepaño (ret.) (Civil Law); Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) Presiding Justice Ernesto D. Acosta and Atty. Edwin R. Abella (Taxation); CA Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando and Atty. Hector Danny D. Uy (Mercantile Law); Sandiganbayan Justice Edilberto G. Sandoval and CA Justice Mario V. Lopez (Criminal Law); Sandiganbayan Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and CA Justice Magdangal M. De Leon (Remedial Law); and Sandiganbayan Justice Samuel R. Martires and CA Justice Noel G. Tijam (Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises).
Justice Conchita Carpio Morales is the chairperson of the 2010 Committee on Bar Examinations.
In the 2009 bar exams, a total of 1,451 out of the 5,903 examinees from 108 law schools nationwide passed the tests held on September 6, 13, and 20, and October 4, 2009 at the De La Salle University in Taft Avenue, Manila.
Oath-taking of the successful bar candidates is set at 2:00 p.m. on 28 April 2010, at the Philippine International Convention Center.
See:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100401-261966/SC-yet-to-decide-on-new-bar-exam-policy
