Oct. 5, 2014, 10:06 p.m. – A TOTAL of 6,344 aspiring
lawyers trooped to UST earlier today for the 2014 Bar Examinations.
The bar exams, to be conducted during all Sundays of October,
cover Political Law, Labor Law, Civil Law, Taxation, Mercantile Law, Criminal
Law, Remedial Law, and Legal and Judicial Ethics topics. Essay questions make
up 80 percent of the exams while the rest are multiple-choice questions.
The number of examinees went up from last year’s 5,593.
The Manila Police District (MPD) deployed a total of 140
police officers: 40 to direct traffic flow and 100 from the Public Safety
Battalion to secure the UST area.
“This year, [we focused] more on traffic and crowd control
saka in deterrence sa mga [bomb incidents] as precautionary measures,” said
Conrado Lazaro, MPD Traffic sector commander.
Officers and personnel from the Supreme Court (SC),
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau,
National Bureau of Investigation Anti-Terrorism Division, the Air Force and the
Coast Guard, which provided K-9 dogs, were also present.
This year, the SC will use machine-readable marks on test
booklets, replacing name cards with bar codes that bear the names of examinees,
to ensure the integrity of the examination.
The committee chairman for the 2014 bar exams, Associate
Justice Diosdado Peralta, signed a memorandum requiring all examinees to use
transparent or see-through bags and containers “to speed up the inspection of
bags and personal belongings” and “to further ensure the safety and security of
the examinees and bar personnel.”
Just like in previous years, the SC prohibited “bar
operations” such as cheering and putting up streamers. Manila Mayor Joseph
Estrada also issued Executive Order No. 65, imposing a liquor ban on all
establishments surrounding the University.
España Boulevard, Lacson Avenue and P. Noval Street were
open to vehicles while Dapitan Street was closed from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Tan Yan Kee Student Center will remain closed to
students during all Saturdays and Sundays of the month. D. T. Cudal and A. F. Merez
Just like in previous years, the SC prohibited “bar operations” such as cheering and putting up streamers. Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada also issued Executive Order No. 65, imposing a liquor ban on all establishments surrounding the University.