BAR EXAMS UPDATE: Supreme Court approves “digitalized, localized, and proctored” Bar Exams to be held all 4 Sundays of November 2021. SC to identify local testing sites. Guidelines for taking Bar Exams to be announced by May. SC to start accepting applications by then.
SC will require Bar examinees to bring own Wi-Fi-enabled laptops with the reqts below. Desktops, tablets, smartphones not allowed. Laptops must not have any files related to the Bar Exams. Exam will be proctored in a testing room with surveillance cameras.
During Bar Exams, SC personnel will check hardware and ask examinees to sign honor code. Examiners will grade Bar Exams digitally. Handwritten exams allowed if examinee has physical disability. Hygiene protocols to be observed.
FULL STORY
SC to hold 'digitalized, localized, proctored ' Bar exams for 1st time
BREAKING: Supreme Court sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal has unanimously dismissed defeated Vice President Bongbong Marcos’ election protest vs VP Leni Robredo -source
CORRECTED: Two independent sources now confirming Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has unanimously junked defeated vice presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos’ election protest vs VP Leni Robredo
Why was Bongbong Marcos protest dismissed? Source cited 3 reasons: 1. failure to allege specific acts showing electoral fraud 2. allegations were bare, laden with generic & repetitious allegations, no critical info as to time, place and manner of irregularities
Judicial and Bar Council extends deadline for submission of documentary reqts for applicants/nominees for chief justice to Feb 25, JBC member Justice Sec Menardo Guevarra confirms. SC source says all 5 most senior magistrates accepted their automatic nominations.
Among the 5 most senior SC magistrates, Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe and Justices Marvic Leonen and Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa were appointed by PNoy while Justices Alexander Gesmundo and Ramon Paul Hernando are Duterte appointees.
Guevarra also confirms SC resolution expressing its sentiment to exempt 5 most senior SC magistrates from undergoing public interviews and submitting documentary reqts already with the Court. Says JBC to include it in its agenda on Thursday.
JUST IN: Ofc of Prosecutor General dismisses complaint vs Sen. Koko Pimentel for violating RA 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases over his visit to MakatiMed despite having undergone COVID19 testing.
Prosecutor General says Senator Pimentel is not a public health authority nor required to report medical condition for him to fall under RA 11332.
DOJ previously cited RA 11332 to justify arrests of those who violate quarantine protocols.
Prosecutor General also says complaint filed by Atty Rico Quicho was fatally defective as he was not proper party to file case and relied on hearsay (news reports.)
Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, releases copy of its November 2020 resolution junking defeated VP Bongbong Marcos’ bid to inhibit SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonen from hearing his election protest vs VP Leni Robredo.
PET says neither Bongbong Marcos nor SolGen cited clear grounds to warrant Leonen’s inhibition. It rejects a supposed 20-month limit for PET to decide an election protest and Marcos/OSG’s suggestion it required Comelec/OSG to comment in response to opinion pieces.
SC, sitting as PET, emphasizes it is a collegial body. Says accusing Leonen of gross ignorance extends to other justices—disrespectful, discourteous to PET. Defends Leonen against allegation he lobbied for dismissal of election protest, saying he didn’t vote to dismiss.
JUST IN: Warrant of arrest out for Peter Joemel “Bikoy” Advincula over a perjury charge in accusing Free Legal Assistance Group members Chel Diokno, Lorenzo Tañada III and Ted Te of being part of Project Sodoma in a sworn statement in July 2019.
DOJ prosecutors found probable cause to charge Advincula with perjury because his claim that Diokno and Tañada met at the Ateneo Leong Hall to plan Pres Duterte’s ouster is an “outright lie.” Advincula’s meeting with Te was only about possible legal assistance.
Diokno, Tañada and Te were among the respondents in the sedition, other complaints filed by the PNP against opposition figures in July 2019. The complaint against them were dismissed but charges for conspiracy to commit sedition were filed vs ex-Sen Trillanes, 10 more.