University of Makati Opens its Doors to the 2020/21 Bar Examinations

In a historic undertaking by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the University of Makati participated as one of the local testing centers last February 4 and 6, 2022 for what the Office of the Bar Chairperson, Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, described as the “first ever localized, digital and proctored Bar Examinations”. After being postponed since 2020 due to the COVID19 pandemic, the 2020/2021 Bar Examinations was the largest batch of bar examinees and was conducted with major reforms in its implementation and modality. This was the first Bar Examination that was held in 29 local testing centers nationwide and the first bar examination to be administered by a computer-based setting which was a huge leap from the previous bar examinations that were conducted through pen and paper.

The University of Makati was one of the 24 local testing centers that was approved in the first batch of applications as local testing centers. The UMak Committee for Bar Exams was led by the Hon. Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay with Vice-Chairs Dr. Elyxzur C. Ramos, Atty. Jewel D. Bulos, and Ms. Aurora F. Serrano and Committee Secretariats Atty. Jose M. Layug Jr. and Atty. Angel Chona Grace Valero-Nuñez with committee members composed of different City of Makati and University of Makati offices. To prepare for this huge endeavor, the UMak Bar Exam Committee started attending coordination meetings since September 2021. In anticipation of the huge volume of individuals partaking in the bar examinations whether as examinees themselves or as supporters, the City Government of Makati and the University of Makati closed the traffic along the JP Rizal St. Ext from Buting to Lawton Ave during the examination dates. UMak utilized its two main buildings, the Administrative Building and the Health and Physical Sciences Building (HPSB), to accommodate 1210 bar examinees with designated areas specifically for 70 PWD bar examinees. Although there were some delays on the first day of the exam, some bar examinees were satisfied with the protocols, facilities, and services that were extended by UMak to them.

 

It is no surprise that UMak heeded the call of the Supreme Court to support the 2020/21 bar examinations by lending its resources through applying as one of the local testing centers since the University actively pursues to make quality legal education accessible to Filipino youth through UMak SOL. When the University of Makati School of Law was established in 2017, according to Dean Emeritus and former VP Jejomar C. Binay, together with the late president Prof. Tomas B. Lopez, they envisioned UMak SOL to become an institution that “develop lawyers who will be exemplary in the theory and practice of the law, grounded on the principles of social justice and nation-building, and empowered to become agents of social good in the country…. Para sa amin sa UMak SOL, hindi dapat maging hadlang ang kahirapan para maabot ninyo ang inyong pangarap na maging manananggol.” He expressed this as a virtual greeting message to the well-known Pioneer 9 who graduated the Juris Doctor Program of UMak SOL last July 7, 2021. The Pioneer 9 was also the first batch of UMak SOL graduates to take the Bar Examinations. With the current leadership of UMak SOL Dean Atty. Jose M. Layug Jr, UMak SOL have been consistently offering full scholarship benefits to its students which includes free tuition fee and miscellaneous fees, monthly stipend, and semestral book allowance.

For more information on UMak SOL, visit their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/UMakLaw/

You may also forward your inquiries to UMak SOL through their email address: schooloflaw@umak..edu.ph