CHIEF Justice Alexander Gesmundo rejected the proposal to scrap the bar examinations, saying “the legal profession is vested with public interest.”

He stressed that only graduates who are “fit and qualified” can become lawyers.

“There is a specific rule under Rules of Court that provides the mandatory taking of bar exams as well as its coverage. As long as it is in the Rules of Court, we have to comply with it,” he added.

His remark was made after Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that eight years of schooling is enough for a law graduate to be a lawyer.

“I respect Secretary Bello’s opinion. But as far as I am concerned, we should maintain the bar exams so that we can test qualifications of those who aspire to join the legal profession,” Gesmundo said, pointing out that the bar exam is one of the qualifying exams that has been traditionally looked up to and looked forward to.

“Aside from the tradition, it is important that we make sure that those who join the legal profession are competent, that they can perform their duties as lawyers, not only to the court but also to their clients and to society as a whole. So, the qualifying exam for legal professionals should be continued,” he said.