LOCAL TESTING CENTERS AND THE CURRENT COVID-19 SITUATION:
STILL ON THE BEST BAR EXAMS EVER
Last week, this column discussed about the long-awaited reforms to be implemented in this year’s Bar Examinations for 2020 and 2021 law graduates. Dubbed as the Best Bar Exams Ever, this year’s Bar Exams brought about changes especially on decentralization from one testing venue in Metro Manila to several testing centers all over the country and the use of computer/digital platform instead of the usual pen and booklet examinations. Notably, Bar Matter No. 3860 issued by the Supreme Court in its Resolution dated 03 August 2021 as elaborated and expounded in Bar Bulletin No. 25, Series of 2021 issued by this year’s Bar Examinations Chairman, Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, brought about adjustments in scoring considering the upheavals the two batches had to endure because of the pandemic.
Someone asked if what will be the COVID-19 protocols during the examinations. Will vaccination be required among examinees? Will RT-PCR Testing be required every Sunday? Will it even push through considering the current surge of COVID-19 cases and threat of Delta and other variants of concern? I do not know the answers to these questions. In Bar Bulletin No. 22, vaccination was strongly encouraged among the examinees. I doubt if it will be compulsory. Anti-vaccination examinees, especially those on the basis of religion, may see it as a violation of their Constitutional right. It may even end up as a question in Political Law. Bar Bulletin No. 22 states that the COVID-19 protocols will be announced early in October so that the Bar Examinations Chairman will have an informed view of the COVID-19 situation at that time.
In the meantime, it is a good step to have as many local testing centers as possible with capacity limit per testing center. In Bar Bulletin No. 23, Series of 2021, the following are the testing centers nationwide: 1) Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in Makati City (450 slots); 2) Manila Adventist College in Pasay City (450 slots); 3) University of Makati in Makati City (1,000 slots); 4) Far Eastern University in City of Manila (600 slots); 5) University of Santo Tomas in City of Manila (500 slots), for National Capital Region; 6) St. Louis University in Baguio City (1,035 slots) for Cordillera Administrative Region; 7) St. Louis College in San Fernando, La Union (1,280 slots) for Ilocos Region; 8) Cagayan State University College of Law in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Province (421 slots); 9) St. Mary’s University College of Law in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya (259 slots), for Cagayan Valley Region; 10) De La Salle University in Lipa City, Batangas (1,125) for CALABARZON Region; 11) City College of Calapan in Calapan City, Mindoro Oriental (200 slots) for MIMAROPA Region; 12) University of Nueva Caceres in Naga City, Camarines Sur (1,000 slots) for Bicol Region; 13) Central Philippine University in Iloilo City, Iloilo (475 slots); 14) University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental (1,340 slots), for Western Visayas Region; 15) University of San Jose Recoletos – Basak Campus in Cebu City (600 slots); 16) University of Cebu School of Law – Banilad Campus in Cebu City (1,000 slots); 17) University of San Carlos School of Law and Governance in Cebu City (200 slots); 18) Silliman University College of Law in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental (1,000 slots), for Central Visayas Region; 19) Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation in Tacloban City, Leyte (400 slots) for Eastern Visayas Region; 20) Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur (365 slots) for Zamboanga Peninsula; 21) Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental (240 slots); 22) Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte (250 slots); 23) Ateneo de Davao University Senior High School Campus in Davao City (800 slots) for Region XI; and 24) Mindanao State University in General Santos City (204 slots) for SOCCSKSARGEN Region.
Under Bar Bulletin No. 23, Series of 2021, there are four (4) more testing centers in the approval process, three (3) more in Metro Manila and one (1) in Central Luzon. The decentralization of the testing venue will surely help mitigate local transmission among Barristers. It will also help save expenses since Barristers do not have to travel and stay in Metro Manila to take the exams. Hopefully soon, the Chairman will issue the specific COVID-19 protocols immediately before, during and immediately after the examinations.