The country’s lawyers, “regardless of the roles they play, are first and foremost the guardians of law and officers of the court who are called to serve the people,” the Supreme Court (SC) declared. Through Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, the SC also reminded lawyers that “public service takes precedence over any monetary consideration.” Gaerlan was guest speaker during the recent induction of the board of officers of the La Union chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and welcome rites for new members of the bench and the bar. In his message, Justice Gaerlan said that lawyering “is a lifelong calling that constitutes our very core as human beings.” In a press statement, the SC’s public information office (PIO) said that Gaerlan reminded IBP members “the importance of the Code of Responsibility for Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), which replaced the 34-year-old Code of Professional Responsibility.” It said that Gaerlan described that the CPRA -- which is “a more comprehensive and responsive guide on the conduct of lawyers in their interactions with clients, colleagues, courts, agencies, and society in general -- is in line with the SC’s initiative to promote ethical responsibility as a component in accomplishing one of its targeted outcomes of efficiency under the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022 to 2027.” Those present during the affair in Bauang, La Union reaffirmed their commitment as they recited the revised Lawyer’s Oath, the PIO also said. Gaerlan, who is the vice-chairperson of the SC’s sub-committee for the revision of the old CPR, reiterated that the SC remains steadfast in its commitment to promote ethical responsibility as he called on the IBP’s cooperation in upholding the integrity of the legal profession. He also reminded those appointed to the courts that “they are held to higher standards of conduct in the performance of their duties and even in their daily personal lives.”