ASPIRING lawyers can complete their legal education for free in state universities and colleges (SUCs) in exchange for working in the government for two years after they pass the bar exams under a bill at the House of Representatives.
House Bill (HB) No. 7433 filed by Reps. Paolo Duterte of Davao City, Eric Yap of Benguet and Edvic Yap (PL, ACT-CIS) is meant to address the shortfall of practicing lawyers in the country which, according to them, “undermines the legal representation of every Filipino, and overall, the national justice system.
“Our proposal, which is consistent with programs that advocate public service to graduates, includes a mandatory two-year return service program for scholars after passing their bar exams, in a bid to encourage more lawyers to serve in Government,” Duterte said.
Under the bill, all SUCs with a law program accredited by the Legal Education Board (LEB) are qualified to offer free legal education, but should create mechanisms to ensure this does not apply to students with the financial capacity to pay for their studies.
Within four years of passing the bar exams and conferment of a license to practice law, the scholar should render a mandatory two-year return service to the government in the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) or any government agency lacking lawyers, according to the bill.
The scholar shall receive the appropriate salaries and other benefits for rendering the mandatory return service.
Beneficiaries who fail to fulfill the scholarship requirements or refuse to comply with the mandatory return service obligation shall be required to reimburse the government the full cost of the scholarship, including other benefits and expenses, the bill states.
The bill’s authors pointed out that graduate studies, such as medical and legal education, are excluded from the coverage of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (Republic Act No. 10931) which institutionalizes free tuition and exemption from other school fees in SUCs and local universities and colleges (LUCs).
They pointed out that while the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act (RA 11509) was already enacted to offer the Medical Scholarship and Return Service (MSRS) Program to deserving students, there is still no law that mandates scholarships for legal education and the corresponding return service program.
The authors noted that the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) estimates that there are about 40,000 lawyers in the country, while the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) reported that there is roughly only one lawyer for every 2,500 Filipinos.
They said the figure is a relatively low figure compared to the United States, which has one lawyer for every 240 citizens.
Moreover, the bill pointed out that not all lawyers in the country are engaged in law firm work since many lawyers work in corporations or are in the private business, the academe, or politics.
