REPUBLIC ACT NO.

7662

2)to enhance their legal research abilities to enable them to analyze, articulate and apply the law effectively, as well as to allow them to have a holistic approach to legal problems and issues; 3)to prepare law students for advocacy, counselling, problem-solving and decision-making, and develop their ability to deal with recognized legal problems of the present and the future; cd i 4)to develop competence in any field of law as is necessary for gainful employment or sufficient as a foundation for future training beyond the basic professional degree, and to develop in them the desire and capacity for continuing study and self-improvement; 5)to inculcate in them the ethics and responsibilities of the legal profession; and 6)to produce lawyers who conscientiously pursue the lofty goals of their profession and to fully adhere to its ethical norms. SECTION 4.Legal Education Board; Creation and Composition . To carry out the purposes of this Act, there is hereby created the Legal Education Board, hereinafter referred to as the Board, attached solely for budgetary purposes and administrative support to the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. The Board shall be composed of a Chairman, who shall preferably be a former justice of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals, and the following as regular members: a representative of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP); a representative of the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS); a representative from the ranks of active law practitioners; and, a representative from the law students' sector. The Secretary of Department of Education, Culture and Sports, or his representative, shall be an ex officio member of the Board. With the exception of the representative of the law students' sector, the Chairman and regular members of the Board must be natural born citizens of the Philippines and members of the Philippine Bar, who have been engaged for at least ten (10) years in the practice of law, as well as in the teaching of law in a duly authorized or recognized law school. cdt SECTION 5.Term of Office; Compensation. The Chairman and regular members of the Board shall be appointed by the President for a term of five (5) years without reappointment from a list of at least three (3) nominees prepared, with prior authorization from the Supreme Court, by the Judicial and Bar Council, for every position or vacancy, and no such appointment shall need confirmation by the

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR REFORMS IN LEGAL EDUCATION, CREATING FOR THE PURPOSE A LEGAL EDUCATION BOARD, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1.Title. This Act shall be known as the "Legal Education Reform Act of 1993."

SECTION 2.Declaration of Policies. It is hereby declared the policy of the State to uplift the standards of legal education in order to prepare law students for advocacy, counselling, problem-solving, and decision-making; to infuse in them the ethics of the legal profession; to impress on them the importance, nobility and dignity of the legal profession as an equal and indispensable partner of the Bench in the administration of justice; and, to develop socially-committed lawyers with integrity and competence. Towards this end, the State shall undertake appropriate reforms in the legal education system, require proper selection of law students, maintain quality among law schools, and require legal apprenticeship and continuing legal education. cdt SECTION 3.General and Specific Objectives of Legal Education. a) Legal Education in the Philippines is geared to attain the following general objectives: 1)to prepare students for the practice of law; 2)to increase awareness among members of the legal profession of the needs of the poor, deprived and oppressed sectors of society; 3)to train persons for leadership; 4)to contribute towards the promotion and advancement of justice and the improvement of its administration, the legal system and legal institutions in the light of the historical and contemporary development of law in the Philippines and in other countries. b)Legal education shall aim to accomplish the following specific objectives: 1)to impart among law students a broad knowledge of law and its various fields, and of legal institutions;

Commission on Appointments. Of those first appointed, the Chairman and the representative of the IBP shall hold office for five (5) years; the representatives of the PALS and the PALP for three (3) years; and the representative from the ranks of active law practitioners and the representative of the law students' sector for one (1) year, without reappointment. Appointments to any vacancy shall be only for the unexpired portion of the term of the predecessor. The Chairman and regular members of the Board shall have the same salary and rank as the Chairman and members, respectively, of the Constitutional Commissions:Provided, That their salaries shall not be diminished during their term of office. SECTION 6.Office and Staff Support. The Department of Education, Culture and Sports shall provide the necessary office and staff support to the Board, with a principal office to be located in Metropolitan Manila. The Board may appoint such other officers and employees it may deem necessary in the performance of its powers and functions. SECTION 7.Powers and Functions. For the purpose of achieving the objectives of this Act, the Board shall have the following powers and functions: a)to administer the legal education system in the country in a manner consistent with the provisions of this Act; b)to supervise the law schools in the country, consistent with its powers and functions as herein enumerated; aisa dc c)to set the standards of accreditation for law schools taking into account, among others, the size of enrollment, the qualifications of the members of the faculty, the library and other facilities, without encroaching upon the academic freedom of institutions of higher learning; d)to accredit law schools that meet the standards of accreditation; e)to prescribe minimum standards for law admission and minimum qualifications and compensation of faculty members; f)to prescribe the basic curricula for the course of study aligned to the requirements for admission to the Bar, law practice and social consciousness, and such other courses of study as may be prescribed

by the law schools and colleges under the different levels of accreditation status; g)to establish a law practice internship as a requirement for taking the Bar which a law student shall undergo with any duly accredited private or public law office or firm or legal assistance group anytime during the law course for a specific period that the Board may decide, but not to exceed a total of twelve (12) months. For this purpose, the Board shall prescribe the necessary guidelines for such accreditation and the specifications of such internship which shall include the actual work of a new member of the Bar. h)to adopt a system of continuing legal education. For this purpose, the Board may provide for the mandatory attendance of practising lawyers in such courses and for such duration as the Board may deem necessary; and i)to perform such other functions and prescribe such rules and regulations necessary for the attainment of the policies and objectives of this Act. cda SECTION 8.Accreditation of Law Schools. Educational institutions may not operate a law school unless accredited by the Board. Accreditation of law schools may be granted only to educational institutions recognized by the Government. SECTION 9.Withdrawal or Downgrading of Accreditation. The Board may withdraw or downgrade the accreditation status of a law school if it fails to maintain the standards set for its accreditation status. SECTION 10.Effectivity of Withdrawal or Downgrading of Accreditation . The withdrawal or downgrading of accreditation status shall be effective after the lapse of the semester or trimester following the receipt by the school of the notice of withdrawal or downgrading unless, in the meantime, the school meets and/or upgrades the standards or corrects the deficiencies upon which the withdrawal or downgrading of the accreditation status is based. SECTION 11.Legal Education Fund. There is hereby created a special endowment fund, to be known as the Legal Education Fund, which shall be under the control of the Board, and administered as a separate fund by the Social Security System (SSS) which shall invest the same with due and prudent regard to its solvency, safety and liquidity.

The Legal Education Fund shall be established out of, and maintained from, the amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph 2, Section 13 hereof, and from sixty percent (60%) of the privilege tax paid by every lawyer effective Fiscal Year 1994, and from such donations, legacies, grant-in-aid and other forms of contributions received by the Board for the purposes of this Act. Being a special endowment fund, only the interests earned on the Legal Education Fund shall be used exclusively for the purposes of this Act, including support for faculty development grants, professorial chairs, library improvements and similar programs for the advancement of law teaching and education in accredited law schools. The Fund shall also be used for the operations of the Board. For this purpose, an amount not exceeding ten percent (10%) of the interest on the Fund shall be utilized. The Board, in consultation with the SSS, shall issue the necessary rules and regulations for the collection, administration and utilization of the Fund. SECTION 12.Coverage. The provisions of this Act shall apply to all schools and colleges of law which are presently under the supervision of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. Hereafter, said supervision shall be transferred to the Board. Law schools and colleges which shall be established following the approval of this Act shall likewise be covered. aisa dc

SECTION 15.Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations, issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly. SECTION 16.Effectivity. This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following the completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation. Approved: December 23, 1993 Published in Malaya and the Philippine Times Journal on December 29, 1993. Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 90 No. 3 page 340 on January 17, 1994.

SECTION 13.Appropriation. The amount of One million pesos (P1,000,000.00) is hereby authorized to be charged against the current year's appropriation of the Contingent Fund for the initial expenses of the Board. To form part of the Legal Education Fund, there shall be appropriated annually, under the budget of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, the amount of Ten million pesos (P10,000,000.00) for a period of ten (10) years effective Fiscal Year 1994. SECTION 14.Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or the application thereof to any person, circumstance or transaction is held invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions of this Act and the applicability of such provisions to other persons, circumstances and transactions shall not be affected thereby.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9225

9189, otherwise known as "The Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003" and other existing laws; (2)Those seeking elective public office in the Philippines shall meet the qualifications for holding such public office as required by the Constitution and existing laws and, at the time of the filing of the certificate of candidacy, make a personal and sworn renunciation of any and all foreign citizenship before any public officer authorized to administer an oath; (3)Those appointed to any public office shall subscribe and swear to an oath of allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines and its duly constituted authorities prior to their assumption of office: Provided, That they renounce their oath of allegiance to the country where they took that oath; (4)Those intending to practice their profession in the Philippines shall apply with the proper authority for a license or permit to engage in such practice; and (5)That right to vote or be elected or appointed to any public office in the Philippines cannot be exercised by, or extended to, those who: (a)are candidates for or are occupying any public office in the country of which they are naturalized citizens; and/or (b)are in active service as commissioned or non-commissioned officers in the armed forces of the country which they are naturalized citizens. SECTION 6.Separability Clause. If any section or provision of this Act is held unconstitutional or invalid, any other section or provision not affected thereby shall remain valid and effective. SECTION 7.Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. SECTION 8.Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official Gazette or two (2) newspapers of general circulation. EDISTc Approved: August 29, 2003 Published in the Manila Times on September 2, 2003. Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 99 No. 45 Page 6997 on November 10, 2003.

AN ACT MAKING THE CITIZENSHIP OF PHILIPPINE CITIZENS WHO ACQUIRE FOREIGN CITIZENSHIP PERMANENT, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 63, AS AMENDED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1.Short Title. This Act shall be known as the "Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003." STHDAc SECTION 2.Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared the policy of the State that all Philippine citizens who become citizens of another country shall be deemed not to have lost their Philippine citizenship under the conditions of this Act. SECTION 3.Retention of Philippine Citizenship. Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, natural-born citizens of the Philippines who have lost their Philippine citizenship by reason of their naturalization as citizens of a foreign country are hereby deemed to have re-acquired Philippine citizenship upon taking the following oath of allegiance to the Republic: "I _________________, solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines and obey the laws and legal orders promulgated by the duly constituted authorities of the Philippines, and I hereby declare that I recognize and accept the supreme authority of the Philippines and will maintain true faith and allegiance thereto; and that I impose this obligation upon myself voluntarily without mental reservation or purpose of evasion." Natural-born citizens of the Philippines who, after the effectivity of this Act, become citizens of a foreign country shall retain their Philippine citizenship upon taking the aforesaid oath. SECTION 4.Derivative Citizenship. The unmarried child, whether legitimate, illegitimate or adopted, below eighteen (18) years of age, of those who re-acquire Philippine citizenship upon effectivity of this Act shall be deemed citizens of the Philippines. SECTION 5.Civil and Political Rights and Liabilities. Those who retain or re-acquire Philippine citizenship under this Act shall enjoy full civil and political rights and be subject to all attendant liabilities and responsibilities under existing laws of the Philippines and the following conditions: (1)Those intending to exercise their right of suffrage must meet the requirements under Section 1, Article V of the Constitution, Republic Act No.

[B.M. NO. 1678. December 17, 2007.] PETITION FOR LEAVE TO RESUME PRACTICE OF LAW, BENJAMIN M. DACANAY, petitioner.

Applying the provision, the Office of the Bar Confidant opines that, by virtue of his reacquisition of Philippine citizenship, in 2006, petitioner has again met all the qualifications and has none of the disqualifications for membership in the bar. It recommends that he be allowed to resume the practice of law in the Philippines, conditioned on his retaking the lawyer's oath to remind him of his duties and responsibilities as a member of the Philippine bar. We approve the recommendation of the Office of the Bar Confidant with certain modifications. The practice of law is a privilege burdened with conditions. 2 It is so delicately affected with public interest that it is both a power and a duty of the State (through this Court) to control and regulate it in order to protect and promote the public welfare. 3 Adherence to rigid standards of mental fitness, maintenance of the highest degree of morality, faithful observance of the rules of the legal profession, compliance with the mandatory continuing legal education requirement and payment of membership fees to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) are the conditions required for membership in good standing in the bar and for enjoying the privilege to practice law. Any breach by a lawyer of any of these conditions makes him unworthy of the trust and confidence which the courts and clients repose in him for the continued exercise of his professional privilege. 4 Section 1, Rule 138 of the Rules of Court provides: SECTION 1. Who may practice law. Any person heretofore duly admitted as a member of the bar, or thereafter admitted as such in accordance with the provisions of this Rule, and who is in good and regular standing, is entitled to practice law. Pursuant thereto, any person admitted as a member of the Philippine bar in accordance with the statutory requirements and who is in good and regular standing is entitled to practice law. Admission to the bar requires certain qualifications. The Rules of Court mandates that an applicant for admission to the bar be a citizen of the Philippines, at least twenty-one years of age, of good moral character and a resident of the Philippines. 5 He must also produce before this Court satisfactory evidence of good moral character and that no charges against him, involving moral turpitude, have been filed or are pending in any court in the Philippines. 6

RESOLUTION

CORONA, J p: This bar matter concerns the petition of petitioner Benjamin M. Dacanay for leave to resume the practice of law. Petitioner was admitted to the Philippine bar in March 1960. He practiced law until he migrated to Canada in December 1998 to seek medical attention for his ailments. He subsequently applied for Canadian citizenship to avail of Canada's free medical aid program. His application was approved and he became a Canadian citizen in May 2004. On July 14, 2006, pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 9225 (Citizenship Retention and ReAcquisition Act of 2003), petitioner reacquired his Philippine citizenship. 1 On that day, he took his oath of allegiance as a Filipino citizen before the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, Canada. Thereafter, he returned to the Philippines and now intends to resume his law practice. There is a question, however, whether petitioner Benjamin M. Dacanay lost his membership in the Philippine bar when he gave up his Philippine citizenship in May 2004. Thus, this petition. In a report dated October 16, 2007, the Office of the Bar Confidant cites Section 2, Rule 138 (Attorneys and Admission to Bar) of the Rules of Court: SECTION 2. Requirements for all applicants for admission to the bar. Every applicant for admission as a member of the bar must be a citizen of the Philippines, at least twenty-one years of age, of good moral character, and a resident of the Philippines; and must produce before the Supreme Court satisfactory evidence of good moral character, and that no charges against him, involving moral turpitude, have been filed or are pending in any court in the Philippines.

Moreover, admission to the bar involves various phases such as furnishing satisfactory proof of educational, moral and other qualifications; 7 passing the bar examinations; 8 taking the lawyer's oath 9 and signing the roll of attorneys and receiving from the clerk of court of this Court a certificate of the license to practice. 10 The second requisite for the practice of law membership in good standing is a continuing requirement. This means continued membership and, concomitantly, payment of annual membership dues in the IBP; 11 payment of the annual professional tax; 12 compliance with the mandatory continuing legal education requirement; 13 faithful observance of the rules and ethics of the legal profession and being continually subject to judicial disciplinary control. 14 Given the foregoing, may a lawyer who has lost his Filipino citizenship still practice law in the Philippines? No. The Constitution provides that the practice of all professions in the Philippines shall be limited to Filipino citizens save in cases prescribed by law. 15 Since Filipino citizenship is a requirement for admission to the bar, loss thereof terminates membership in the Philippine bar and, consequently, the privilege to engage in the practice of law. In other words, the loss of Filipino citizenship ipso jure terminates the privilege to practice law in the Philippines. The practice of law is a privilege denied to foreigners. 16 The exception is when Filipino citizenship is lost by reason of naturalization as a citizen of another country but subsequently reacquired pursuant to RA 9225. This is because "all Philippine citizens who become citizens of another country shall be deemed not to have lost their Philippine citizenship under the conditions of [RA 9225]." 17 Therefore, a Filipino lawyer who becomes a citizen of another country is deemed never to have lost his Philippine citizenship if he reacquires it in accordance with RA 9225. Although he is also deemed never to have terminated his membership in the Philippine bar, no automatic right to resume law practice accrues. Under RA 9225, if a person intends to practice the legal profession in the Philippines and he reacquires his Filipino citizenship pursuant to its provisions "(he) shall apply with the proper authority for a license or permit to engage in such practice." 18 Stated otherwise, before a lawyer who reacquires Filipino citizenship pursuant to RA 9225 can resume his law practice, he must first secure from this Court the authority to do so, conditioned on: (a)the updating and payment in full of the annual membership dues in the IBP;

(b)the payment of professional tax; (c)the completion of at least 36 credit hours of mandatory continuing legal education; this is specially significant to refresh the applicant/petitioner's knowledge of Philippine laws and update him of legal developments and (d)the retaking of the lawyer's oath which will not only remind him of his duties and responsibilities as a lawyer and as an officer of the Court, but also renew his pledge to maintain allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines. Compliance with these conditions will restore his good standing as a member of the Philippine bar. WHEREFORE, the petition of Attorney Benjamin M. Dacanay is hereby GRANTED, subject to compliance with the conditions stated above and submission of proof of such compliance to the Bar Confidant, after which he may retake his oath as a member of the Philippine bar. SO ORDERED. Puno, C.J., Ynares-Santiago, Sandoval-Gutierrez, Carpio, Austria-Martinez, CarpioMorales, Azcuna, Tinga, Chico-Nazario, Velasco, Jr., Nachura and Reyes, JJ.,concur. Quisumbing, J., is on leave. Leonardo-de Castro, J., took no part.

Republic of the Philippines SUPREME COURT Manila BAR MATTER No. 1161 RE: PROPOSED REFORMS IN THE BAR EXAMINATIONS RESOLUTION ON REFORM IN THE BAR EXAMINANTIONS WHEREAS, pursuant to its Constitutional authority to promulgate rules concerning the admission to the practice of law, the Supreme Court en banc item in its Resolution of 21 March 2000, created a "Special Study Group on Bar Examination Reforms" to conduct studies on steps to further safeguard the integrity of the Bar Examinations and to make them effective tools in measuring the adequacy of the law curriculum and the quality of the instruction given by law schools"; WHEREAS, the Special Study Group, with Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) Chancellor Justice Ameurfina A. Melencio-Herrera as a chairperson and retired Justice Jose Y. Feria and retired Justice Camilo D. Quiason as members, submitted to the Supreme Court its Final Report, dated 18 September 2000, containing its findings and recommendations; WHEREAS, on 21 August 2001, the Supreme Court en banc referred, for further study, report and recommendation, the Final Report of the Special Study Group to the Committee on Legal Education and Bar Matters (CLEBM) headed by Justice Jose C. Vitug; WHEREAS, in connection with the discussion on the proposed reforms in the bar examinations, Justice Vicente V. Mendoza, then a Member of the CLEBM, submitted a Paper, entitled"Toward Meaningful Reforms in the Bar Examination" with a Primer, proposing structural and administrative reforms, changes in the design and construction of questions, and the methodological reforms concerning the marking anf grading of the essay questions in the bar examination; WHEREAS, proposals and comments were likewise received from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Philippine Association of Law Schools, the Philippine Association of Law Professors, the Commission on Higher

Education, the University of the Philippines College of Law, Arellano Law Foundation, the Philippine Lawyers Association, the Philippine Bar Association and other prominent personalities from the Bench and the Bar; WHEREAS, considering her Memorandum to the Chief Justice on "Proposed Technical Assistance Project on Legal Education," dated 27 February 2003, Program Director Evelyn Toledo-Dumdum of the Program Management Office (PMO) was invited to a meeting of the CLEBM; WHEREAS, under the auspices of the PMO, the CLEBM conducted fur (4) regional round-table discussions with the law deans, professors, the students and members of the Integrated Bar of he Philippines for (a) the National Capital Region, at Manila Diamond Hotel on 19 November 2003; (b) Mindanao, at the Grand Regal Hotel Davao City on 23 January 2004; (c) the Visayas, at the Montebello Hotel in Cebu City on January 2004; and (d) Luzon, at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Manila on 6 February 2004. WHEREAS, in a Special Meeting of the CLEBM at the Pan Pacific Hotel on 23 April 2004, the Committee heard the views of Ms. Erica Moeser, the Chief Executive Officer and President of the National Conference of Board Examiners in the United States of America on a number of proposed bar reforms; WHEREAS, the CLEBM, after extensive deliberation and consultation, has arived at certain recommendations for consideration by the Supreme Court and submitted its report , dated 21 May 2004, to the Court en banc; NOW, THEREFORE, the Court, sitting en banc, hereby RESOLVES to approve and adopt the following Bar Examination Reforms: A. For implementation within one (1) up to two (2) years: 1. Initial determination by the Chairman of admission to the bar examinations of candidates (on the merits of the each case) to be passed upon by the Court en banc. 2. Submission by law deans of a certification that a candidate has no derogatory record in school and, if any, the details and status thereof. 3. Disqualification of a candidate after failing in three(3) examinations, provided, that he may take a fourth and fifth examination if he successful completes a one (1) year refresher course for each examination; provided, further, that upon the effectivity of this Resolution, those who have already failed in

five(5) or more bar examinations shall be allowed to take only one (1) more bar examination after copleting (1) year refresher course. 4. Promulgation of disciplinary measures for those involved in (a) attempts to violate or vitiate the integrity and confidentiality of the bar examination process; (b) improper conduct during the bar examination; and (c) improper conduct of "bar examinations." 5. Disqualification of a Bar Examination Chairperson: a. kinship with an examinee who if his or her spouse or relative within the third civil degree of consanguinity; b. having a member of his or her office staff as an examinee, or when the spouse or child of such staff member is an examinee; and c. being a member of the governing board, faculty or administration of a law school. 6. Desirable qualifications of Examiners: a. membership in good standing in the Philippine Bar; b. competence in the assigned subject; c. a teacher of the subject or familiarity with the principles of test construction; and d. commitment to check test papers personally and promptly pending the creation and organization of the readership panels provided for in item B(6) below 7. Disqualifications of Examiners: a. kinship with an examinee who is his or her spouse or relative within the third civil degree of consanguinity or affinity; b. having a member of his or her office staff as an examinee; or when the spouse or child of such staff member is an examinee; c. being a member of the governing board, faculty or administration of a law school d. teaching or lecturing in any law school, institution or review center during the particular semester following the bar examinations; e. having any interest or involvement in any law school, bar review center or group; and f. suspension or disbarment from the practice of law or the imposition of any other serious

B.

C.

disciplinary sanction. Personal preparation, by handwriting or using a typewriter, of fifty (50) main questions, excluding subdivisions, and their submission to the Chairperson in sealed envelope at least forty-five (45) days before the schedule examination on any particular subject; examiners should not use computers in preparing questions; 9. Apportionment of examination questions among the various topics covered by the subject; 10. Burning and shredding of rough drafts and carbon papers used in the preparation of questions or in any other act connected with such preparation; 11. Publication of names candidates admitted to take the bar examinations; 12. Disqualification of a candidate who obtains a grade below 50% in any subject; 13. Fixing at June 30 of the immediately preceding year as the cut-off date for laws and Supreme Court decisions and resolutions to be included in the bar examinations; and 14. Consideration of suggested answers to bar examinations questions prepared by the U.P. Law Center and submitted to the Chairperson. For implementation within two (2) years up to five (5) years: 1. Adoption of objective multiple-choice questions for 30% to 40% of the total number of questions; 2. Formulation of essay test questions and "model answers" as part of the calibration of test papers; 3. Introduction of performance testing by way of revising and improving the essay examination;1awphil.net 4. Designation of two(2) examiners per subject depending on the number of examinees ; 5. Appointment of a tenured Board of Examiners with an incumbent Supreme Court Justice as Chairperson; 6. Creation and organization of readership panels for each subject area to address the issue of bias or subjectivity and facilitate the formulation of test questions and the correction of examination booklets; and 7. Adoption of the calibration method in the corrections of essay questions to correct variations in the level of test standards.1awph!l.t For implementation within five(5) years and beyond is the 8.

further computerization or automation of the bar examinations to facilitate application, testing, and reporting procedures. D. Items not covered by this resolution, such as those that pertain to a possible review of the coverage and relative weights of the subjects of the bar examinations, are maintained. E. For referral to the Legal education Boards: 1. Accreditation and supervision of law schools. 2. Inclusion of a subject on clinical legal education in the law curriculum, including an apprenticeship program in the Judiciary, prosecution service, and law offices. 3. Imposition of sanctions on law schools that fail to meet the standards as may be prescribed by the Legal Education Board. 4. Mandatory Law School Admission Test. This resolution shall take effect on the fifteenth day of July 2004, and shall be published in two newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines. Promulgated this 8th day of June 2004