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'TikTok wisely': Close to 4,000 new lawyers urged to uphold legal profession, seek justice

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Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Nearly 4,000 new lawyers took their oath at the PICC on May 2, 2023. Screenshot from SC PIO" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/05/02/bar-exams-grad.jpg"/><figcaption>Nearly 4,000 new lawyers took their oath at the PICC on May 2, 2023. <em>Screenshot from SC PIO</em></figcaption></figure></div><h3>First batch of lawyers to use new oath</h3><p>MANILA — Close to 4,000 new lawyers on Tuesday took their oath before Supreme Court magistrates, sitting in a special en banc session, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.<br/> <br/>Upon motion by 2022 Bar Exams chair Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo approved their admission into the legal profession, eliciting cheers and claps from a crowd that has spent the past 4 years or so seeking entry into a small group allowed to practice law in the Philippines.</p><p>Of the 9,183 applicants who took the 2022 Bar Exams, only 3,992 or 43.47 percent made the cut — a relatively higher passing rate compared to the usual rate of just about 20 percent in the past decade.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/14/23/43-pct-pass-2022-bar-exams-top-5-examinees-from-up">43 percent pass 2022 Bar exams; top 5 examinees from UP</a></li></ul><p>“Mahirap ba yung exam? (Was the exam hard?),” Caguioa asked, addressing the new lawyers prior to their oath-taking and just before introducing the 24 Bar examiners.</p><p>He followed up with another question which drew a rousing applause: “Masaya ba kayo na nandito kayo ngayon?” (Are you happy you’re here today?)</p><p>The oath-taking is among the last few steps required to become a full-fledged lawyer in the Philippines, along with the signing of the Roll of Attorneys, set to take place at the same venue on Tuesday afternoon.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/14/23/2022-bar-exam-topnotcher-shocked-finishing-first-was-bonus">2022 Bar exam topnotcher &#x27;shocked&#x27;: &#x27;Finishing first was bonus&#x27;</a></li></ul><div><strong>NEW LAWYER’S OATH</strong></div><p>The new lawyers were the first to recite the new oath, recently amended with the passage of the new Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), the code governing the conduct of lawyers, which was launched last month.</p><p>The new oath explicitly mentions what Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen called a lawyer’s most important duty — to do justice or ensure access to justice.</p><p>“I declare fealty to the constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. In so doing, I shall work towards promoting the rule of law in a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace,” reads a portion of the new oath.</p><p>“I shall conscientiously and courageously work for justice as well as safeguard the rights and meaningful freedoms of all persons, identities and communities. I shall ensure greater and equitable access to justice.”</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/04/15/23/visually-impaired-student-passes-bar-exams">Visually-impaired student passes bar exams</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rNv3FndPL2Q?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><strong>NEW CODE FOR LAWYERS</strong></div><p>Under the new CPRA, a new section is particularly devoted on lawyers’ social media posts, prohibiting the sharing of false information or the use of anonymous accounts if meant to circumvent the law or the code.</p><p>Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, the 2023 Bar Exams chair, reminded lawyers of their new role in society, with the addition of what he called their “first new name” — Attorney.</p><p>“Being a lawyer does not make you any more important than non-lawyers. Know that you are already an influencer in your own professional capacity. Pls wield your words with caution. Be careful what you click online. TikTok wisely,” he said.</p><p>He advised young lawyers to keep a clean profile and call out improprieties in Facebook pages and lawyers’ groups. </p><p>His 3 reminders? Aim to be a lawyer of good repute throughout all your lives, keep your feet on the ground, and excel responsibly.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/16/23/disturbing-online-posts-prompt-sc-to-revise-lawyers-code-singh">&#x27;Disturbing&#x27; online posts prompt SC to revise lawyers&#x27; code - Singh</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/01/12/23/proposed-code-bars-lawyers-from-dating-clients-sharing-fake-news">Proposed code prohibits lawyers from dating clients, sharing fake news</a></li></ul><p>Caguioa, for his part, shared that the 8 quotes he used as passwords in the past Bar Exams have a common thread — they embody the imprint of a good lawyer.</p><p>Good lawyers, he said, must strive to, if not already possess, a delicate medley of virtue and skills. </p><p>&quot;They are critical thinkers as well as articulate advocates, who are all too aware that they must test everything in the crucible of logic and reason,&quot; he said.</p><p>Lawyers, he added, should also be conscious that laws are weapons as much as they are tools, and they must have a sober recognition that the party on the opposite side of the court are people with stories, too.</p><p>“It is not so much to win at any cost, not to get your client’s pound of flesh but rather, to see the adversary as one who has his side of the story to tell, his own right to be heard. The practice of law is not so much winning, as if that is the only way to go; rather, it is achieving justice in a way that is beneficial to all,” he explained.</p><p>But beyond being critical thinkers and compassionate advocates, he advised lawyers to be true to themselves, referring to the inclusion of the song “This Is Me” from the musical “The Greatest Showman.”</p><p>“The message of the password to you therefore, is to be yourself — whoever or whatever it is that you want to be. In whatever field of law you go into, whether you go into government or the private sector, be who you are. And whatever it is you determine yourself to be, use your imagination,” he said.</p><p>The quotes were taken from his favorite detective characters or songs from his favorite musicals or Biblical passages, like “Thy will be done” to mark the end of the exams.</p><p>But passing the Bar Exams and becoming a lawyer isn’t the end of the journey, Caguioa reminded the new lawyers.</p><p>“It’s only the beginning,” he said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/04/14/23/tippy-dos-santos-among-2022-bar-exam-passers">Tippy Dos Santos among 2022 Bar exam passers</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/04/14/23/former-beauty-queen-eva-patalinjug-passes-bar-exams">Former beauty queen Eva Patalinjug passes 2022 Bar exams</a></li></ul>

Close to 4,000 new lawyers on Tuesday took their oath at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

'TikTok wisely': Close to 4,000 new lawyers urged to uphold legal profession, seek justice

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'TikTok wisely': Close to 4,000 new lawyers urged to uphold legal profession, seek justice

Mike Navallo,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 02, 2023 02:56 PM PHT

Read More:

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Supreme Court

PICC

Philippine International Convention Center

Pasay

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Philippine Bar Exams

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