The oath-taking of 8,241 new lawyers will be held starting at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 2, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) of the Supreme Court (SC) said the ceremony will be limited to the new lawyers, SC justices, bar examiners, law school deans, and organizers.
Only one guest is allowed per new lawyer. All guests will have to stay at the SMX Convention Center Manila where a live feed will be shown via LED walls.
The oath-taking ceremony will be broadcast live on YouTube using the official account of the SC’s Public Information Office -- https://youtube.com/c/supremecourtph.
The OBC said in its announcement:
“Both the new lawyers and their guests have to present the original or digital copy of their vaccination card or vaccination certificate upon entry. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated attendees must present their negative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test result taken in a Department of Health (DOH)-accredited
“All attendees will go through a temperature check and are required to wear face masks inside the venues at all times. The attendees must observe proper hygiene. Hand sanitizing stations are placed at entry points and other strategic areas in the venues. Also, comfort rooms are available per floor.
“The inductees must claim their SM ticket at any Customer Service of the SM Department Store. They must present their printed copy of the clearance e-mail sent by the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC), identification cards, and Bar Examinee Number. Printing of SM tickets at the SM Mall of Asia Arena will not be available on the day of the event.
“Only one guest is allowed per inductee. The guests must bring a printed copy of the clearance e-mail sent by the OBC. The printed e-mail will serve as their ticket. The pass for the guests is non-transferable and not for sale. The attendees who will be caught violating this regulation will be dealt with accordingly.
“The inductees must bring only the printed copy of the clearance e-mail sent by the OBC, SM ticket, vaccination card or vaccination certificate, or negative RT-PCR test results, and identification cards. Strictly no bag policy.
“The gates along the Coral Way will be open at 10:00 A.M. for registration and the portal door going to the Event Bowl of the SM Mall of Asia Arena and Halls of the SMX Convention Center Manila will be open at 12:00 p.m.
“The inductees must present their identification cards and give their SM tickets to the SM Mall of Asia Arena Marshals before entry. No ticket, no entry policy.
“The inductees must then proceed to the registration area and present a copy of the clearance e-mail sent by the OBC for validation and stamping. The SM ticket is valid for a single entry only.
“On the other hand, the guests must present a copy of the e-mail sent by the OBC and inform the person in charge at the registration area that they are the guests of the inductees.
“The Event Bowl and Halls will be open at 12:00 P.M. Once the session starts, the attendees will no longer be allowed to go outside and vice versa.
“Excellent and exemplary inductees must proceed to Ground Floor Registration Area. Other inductees with surnames starting letter “A” to “J’ must proceed to Ground Floor Registration Area. Other inductees with surnames starting letter “J” to “Z” must proceed to Second Floor Registration Area.
“For the guests, there will be thirteen (13) registration areas which are arranged in alphabetical order. Please proceed to the letter corresponding to the first letter of the successful Bar examinees' surname.
“For successful Bar examinees who are pregnant, persons with disability, and senior citizens, kindly notify us through [email protected] so we can properly accommodate you.
“Food and drinks inside the Event Bowl and Halls are strictly prohibited throughout the oath-taking ceremony.
“The attendees may eat food and drink beverages before they enter the Event Bowl and Halls. There are food and snacks available inside the SM Mall of Asia Arena and SMX Convention Center Manila..
“The attendees are advised to wear Barong, Filipiniana, or Court attire. Those who are not in proper attire will be denied entry.
“The inductees are required to wear black graduation robes or togas, sans the cap, during the ceremony.
“The inductees may bring their cellular phones inside the SM Mall of Asia Arena but are not allowed to use them during the entirety of the ceremony, which shall be from the entrance of Supreme Court Justices up to the adjournment of the session.
“All cellular phones must be in silent or airplane mode. Security marshals will be present during the ceremony to check whether this regulation is being respected. Those who will be caught using their cellular phones or failed to put their cellular phones in silent mode will be escorted out and will not be allowed to take their oath.
“Other gadgets, such as tablets or laptops, will not be allowed inside the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“The medical services will be available on the Ground Floor of the SM Mall of Asia Arena and Hallway of the SMX Convention Center Manila for the duration of the oath-taking ceremony.
“The drop-off point for the inductees is Coral Way near the SM Mall of Asia Arena. However, the queue going to the Coral Way entrance of the SM Mall of Asia Arena will start at the Pacific Drive. Conversely, the drop-off point and entrance for the guests is Seashell Lane.
“The attendees may park their vehicles at the Mall of Asia Parking Facility (South Wing), Mall of Asia Arena Annex (MAAX), NU Mall of Asia (NUMA), and IKEA.
“The guests will not be allowed to enter the SM Mall of Asia Arena even after the oath-taking ceremony. There will be photo walls available inside the halls of the SMX Convention Center Manila. The attendees may pose and take their pictures using the photo walls.
“The details of the signing of the Roll of Attorneys will be announced separately. Those who are yet to complete the clearance process, kindly await the clearance e-mail from the OBC, and follow the guidelines stated herein.
“Queries concerning the oath-taking ceremony should be addressed to the OBC Helpdesk at [email protected] or call (02) 85529690.”
A total of 8,241 out of 11,402 examinees passed the 2020-2021 online and regionalized examinations.
Only 3.9 percent of the 11,790 law graduates who were admitted to take the examinations were unable to take or finish the exams.
“Of the 8,241 that passed, 761 earned recognitions for exemplary performance, having obtained grades ranging from 85 per cent to 90 per cent,” Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, chairperson of the 2020-2021 bar examinations committee, said.
The passing grade was 75 percent. The passing rate translated to 72.28 per cent of those who finished the two-day examinations, he said.
The 2020-2021 bar examination was the first that did not recognize the 10 topnotchers as had been done in previous years.
Leonen said the removal of topnotchers was one of the reforms in the bar examinations.