New Normal: BAR Passers to take Oath online

For the first time in history, new Philippine lawyers will take their oath online on June 25, 2020, after the Supreme Court (SC) approved a resolution today, June 9, 2020, allowing the conduct of an online video conference for the oath-taking ceremony for the 2019 BAR examination passers.

In line with this, the Supreme Court also announced on its website that the oath-taking ceremony will be linked to a government television network for broadcast.

“The current health crisis and COVID-19 pandemic made it not possible to hold the oath-taking ceremony the traditional way, as it had to take into consideration the existing government policies on public health, particularly on mass gatherings.”

-Statement of Supreme Court

SC reiterated in the resolution that the unorthodox oath-taking will be “pro hac vice” or exclusively and limited only on the occasion of the oath-taking of the 2019 BAR examination passers due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the Bar Confidant, under the guidance of 2019 BAR Chairperson Senior Associate Justice Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe, was authorized by the Supreme Court to perform and carry out the oath taking as contemplated in the resolution.

Thus, announcements on the details, guidelines and instructions to the new lawyers for the online oath-taking will be made by the Office of the Bar Confidant.

SOURCE: Supreme Court