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]
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