Examinees who will be unable to take the scheduled 2022 Bar examinations this November may ask for a refund of the fees they paid, the Supreme Court’s (SC) Office of the 2022 Bar Chair announced on Thursday (Nov. 3).
“Far from impervious to the needs and struggles of the examinees who are struggling in the aftermath of STS Paeng, and as the Court fully understands that this may not restore to the affected examinees the true cost of their preparations for the Bar Examinations, it deems it right that examinees who may be unable to take the 2022 Bar Examinations as scheduled for the foregoing reason may apply for a refund of their bar fees with the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) through their BAR Plus registered email addresses,” it said in a statement.
“At the option of the examinee, the bar fees paid may also be applied to the forthcoming Bar Examinations scheduled in September 2023,” it added.
SC Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa is the chairman of the 2022 bar examinations.
The office of Caguioa issued the statement in response for calls to postpone the 2022 bar examinations scheduled this month due to devastation caused by super tropical storm (STS) Paeng.
Caguioa’s office said it is “aware that the entire country continues to reel with countless calls for help and donations ringing out across the nation.”
“For purposes of ensuring the fairness of each decision that may be made with respect to the Bar Examinations, the Court, in balancing the needs of all the examinees, has considered both those who may have been adversely affected by STS Paeng and are informally requesting its postponement, as well as those who are keen on taking it as scheduled, lest their lives be put on hold for longer,” the Office of the Bar Chair said.
“The Court also recognizes that it must consider the hundreds of personnel and volunteers who have rearranged their professional and personal lives in order to serve and contribute to the success of the Bar Examinations this November,” it added.
The office of Caguioa also pointed out that the postponement will have “ripple effects on, among others, the annual Bar Examinations, the next succeeding schedule of which is in September 2023.”
It also disclosed that it has surveyed all local government units (LGUs) and all 14 local testing centers (LTCs) participating in the 2022 bar examinations.
The office of Caguioa said “all the LGUs and all the LTCs categorically indicated that they remain prepared and ready to participate in the 2022 Bar Examinations as scheduled.”
The 2022 bar examinations is scheduled to take place this Nov. 9, 13, 16, and 20.
