Several lawyers reminded Bar applicants that the publication of their names by the Supreme Court is a requirement under the Rules of Court and is done for a legitimate reason, which is to allow the public to oppose an application on valid grounds.
This was after some aspirants raised a concern about the Supreme Court’s posting online of the 13,441 applicants who will be taking the exams next month.
In posts on X, some of the Bar takers invoked privacy, saying they did not want others to know they would be taking the test.
But lawyers said there is a reason for the requirement.
Paolo Tamase, associate dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law, said publishing the names of the Bar takers is not one of the SC rules that deserve criticism.
“It allows the public to raise concerns re: character/fitness. There is just no objective expectation of privacy,” Tamase said in a post on X.
Law professor Galahad Pe Benito said the public has the right to know who is taking the Bar exams because the legal profession is imbued with public interest.
Pe Benito advised Bar takers to “chill out,” saying not everybody would go over the names of the more than 13,000 applicants.
He also said all lawyers had their names published before the exam because it is a requirement.
“Third, are you really going to question a duly promulgated rule by the Supreme Court?” he added.
Another netizen said it does not bode well for the Bar takers that they were unaware of the amendment in the rule that requires the publication of their names.
He said that in the Professional Regulation Commission exams, it’s not just the exam takers’ names that are published, but also their room assignments.
Under Rule 138, Section 5 of the Rules of Court, which was amended in 2025, the list of qualified applicants who may take the bar examinations shall be published by the Office of the Bar Confidant of the Supreme Court in the official Supreme Court website not later than 15 calendar days before the scheduled first day of the examinations.
Prior to the amendment, Section 8 of Rule 138 stated that notice of applications for admission shall be published by the clerk of the Supreme Court in newspapers for at least 10 days before the beginning of the examination.