The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday announced that the 2020/21 bar exams would be held at a later date, on Feb. 4 and 6, as several examinees had caught Covid-19.
Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said in a bar bulletin that 16.8 percent of the 8,546 individuals expected to take the bar exams had either tested positive for Covid-19 or had contact with someone with the disease.
“Considering these numbers…the Supreme Court en banc has unanimously decided that the bar examinations be rescheduled to Feb. 4, 2022, Friday, and Feb. 6, 2022, Sunday,” Leonen said.
The 2020/21 bar exams were supposed to be held on Jan. 23 and 25.
“They are at risk of not being able to take the bar examinations if the original schedule of Jan. 23 to 25, 2022 were to push through,” Leonen said.
The SC has reduced the coverage and shortened the duration of the 2020/21 bar examinations.
It earlier said it was taking note of the situation of the 2020/21 bar examinees, who have been reviewing “for longer than all the other batches.”
The 2020/21 examinations will be composed of four sets: (1) The Law Pertaining to the State and Its Relationship with Its Citizens (formerly Political Law, Labor Law, and Taxation Law); (2) Criminal Law; (3) The Law Pertaining to Private Personal and Commercial Relations (formerly Civil Law and Commercial Law); and (4) Procedure and Professional Ethics (formerly Remedial Law, Legal Ethics, and Practical Exercises). John Ezekiel J. Hirro