[legres] in re ibp

7/25/2019 [Legres] in Re IBP

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January 9, 1973 IN THE MATTER OF THE INTEGRATION OF THE BAR OF THE

PHILIPPINES.

PER CURIAM:

On December 1, 1972, the Commission on Bar Integration1submitted its Report dated

November 3, 1972, !ith the "earnest recommendation" # on the basis o$ the

said Reportand the proceedings had in %dministrative Case No& '2(o$ the Court, and

"consistent)* !ith the vie!s and counse) received $rom its +the Commissions- Board o$

Consu)tants, as !e)) as the over!he)ming nation!ide sentiment o$ the .hi)ippine Bench

and Bar" # that

"this Honorable Court ordain the integration of the Philippine Bar as soonas possible through the adoption and promulgation of an appropriate Court Rule."

/he petition in %dm& Case No& '2( $orma))* pra*s the Court to order the integration o$ the

.hi)ippine Bar, a$ter due hearing, giving recognition as $ar as possib)e and practicab)e to

e0isting provincia) and other )oca) Bar associations& On %ugust 1(, 19(2, arguments in

$avor o$ as !e)) as in opposition to the petition !ere ora))* e0pounded be$ore the Court&

ritten oppositions !ere admitted,3and a)) parties !ere therea$ter granted )eave to )e

!ritten memoranda&!

ince then, the Court has c)ose)* observed and $o))o!ed signicant deve)opments re)ative

to the matter o$ the integration o$ the Bar in this 4urisdiction&

In 197, convinced $rom pre)iminar* surve*s that there had gro!n a strong nation!idesentiment in $avor o$ Bar integration, the Court created the Commission on Bar Integration

$or the purpose o$ ascertaining the advisabi)it* o$ uni$*ing the .hi)ippine Bar&

In eptember, 1971, Congress passed 5ouse Bi)) No& 3277 entit)ed "%n %ct .roviding $or the

Integration o$ the .hi)ippine Bar, and %ppropriating 6unds /here$or&" /he measure !as

signed b* .resident 6erdinand & 8arcos on eptember 17, 1971 and too e:ect on the

same da* as Rep& %ct (397& /his )a! provides as $o))o!s;

C/ION 1& ithin t!o *ears $rom the approva) o$ this %ct, the upreme

Court ma* adopt ru)es o$ court to e:ect the integration o$ the .hi)ippine

Bar under such conditions as it sha)) see t in order to raise the standards

o$ the )ega) pro$ession, improve the administration o$ 4ustice, and enab)e

the Bar to discharge its pub)ic responsibi)it* more e:ective)*&

C& 2& /he sum o$ ve hundred thousand pesos is hereb* appropriated,

out o$ an* $unds in the Nationa) /reasur* not other!ise appropriated, to

carr* out the purposes o$ this %ct& /herea$ter, such sums as ma* be

necessar* $or the same purpose sha)) be inc)uded in the annua)

appropriations $or the upreme Court&

C& 3& /his %ct sha)) tae e:ect upon its approva)&

/he Reporto$ the Commission abounds !ith argument on the constitutiona)it* o$ Bar

integration and contains a)) necessar* $actua) data bearing on the advisabi)it*

cient basis as !e)) as amp)e materia) upon !hich the Co

ma* decide !hether or not to integrate the .hi)ippine Bar at this time&

/he $o))o!ing are the pertinent issues;


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princip)e o$ ma0imum Bar autonom* !ith minimum supervision and

regu)ation b* the upreme Court&

/he purposes o$ an integrated Bar, in genera), are;

cersE


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Reso)ution o$ the second issue# !hether the unication o$ the Bar !ou)d be constitutiona)

# hinges on the e:ects o$ Bar integration on the )a!*ers constitutiona) rights o$ $reedom

o$ association and $reedom o$ speech, and on the nature o$ the dues e0acted $rom him&

/he Court approving)* @uotes the $o))o!ing pertinent discussion made b* the Commission

on Bar Integration pages FF to F9 o$ its Report;

Constitutionality of Bar Integration

Judicial Pronouncements.

In a)) cases !here the va)idit* o$ Bar integration measures has been put in

issue, the Courts have uphe)d their constitutiona)it*&

/he 4udicia) pronouncements support this reasoning;

# Courts have inherent po!er to supervise and regu)ate the practice o$

)a!&

# /he practice o$ )a! is not a vested right but a privi)egeE a privi)ege,

moreover, c)othed !ith pub)ic interest, because a )a!*er o!es duties not

on)* to his c)ient, but a)so to his brethren in the pro$ession, to the courts,

and to the nationE and taes part in one o$ the most important $unctions o$

the tate, the administration o$ 4ustice, as an o>cer o$ the court&

# Because the practice o$ )a! is privi)ege c)othed !ith pub)ic interest, it is

$ar and 4ust that the e0ercise o$ that privi)ege be regu)ated to assure

comp)iance !ith the )a!*ers pub)ic responsibi)ities&

# /hese pub)ic responsibi)ities can best be discharged through co))ective

actionE but there can be no co))ective action !ithout an organied bod*E no

organied bod* can operate e:ective)* !ithout incurring e0pensesE

there$ore, it is $air and 4ust that a)) attorne*s be re@uired to contribute to

the support o$ such organied bod*E and, given e0isting Bar conditions, the

most e>cient means o$ doing so is b* integrating the Bar through a ru)e o$

court that re@uires a)) )a!*ers to pa* annua) dues to the Integrated Bar&

1& reedom of !ssociation&

/o compe) a )a!*er to be a member o$ an integrated Bar is not vio)ative o$

his constitutiona) $reedom to associate cia) nationa) organiation $or the !e))dened but unorganied and

incohesive group o$ !hich ever* )a!*er is a)read* a member&

Bar integration does not compe) the )a!*er to associate !ith an*one

$ree to attend or not attend the meetings o$ his Integrated Bar Chapt

vote or re$use to vote in its e)ections as he chooses& /he bod* compu

to !hich he is sub4ected is the pa*ment o$ annua) dues&

Other!ise stated, membership in the Anied Bar imposes on)* the du

pa* dues in reasonab)e amount& /he issue there$ore, is a @uestion o$

compe))ed nancia) support o$ group activities, not invo)untar*

membership in an* other aspect&

/he greater part o$ Anied Bar activities serves the $unction o$ e)eva

the educationa) and ethica) standards o$ the Bar to the end o$ improv

the @ua)it* o$ the )ega) service avai)ab)e to the peop)e& /he upreme

in order to $urther the tates )egitimate interest in e)evating the @ua

pro$essiona) services, ma* re@uire that the cost o$ improving the pro$

in this $ashion be shared b* the sub4ects and beneciaries o$ the reg

program # the )a!*ers&

%ssuming that Bar integration does compe) a )a!*er to be a member

Integrated Bar, such compu)sion is 4ustied as an e0ercise o$ the po)i

po!er o$ the tate& /he )ega) pro$ession has )ong been regarded as a

proper sub4ect o$ )egis)ative regu)ation and contro)& 8oreover, the inh

po!er o$ the upreme Court to regu)ate the Bar inc)udes the authorit

integrate the Bar&

2& Regulatory ee&

6or the Court to prescribe dues to be paid b* the members does not

that the Court )evies a ta0&

% membership $ee in the Integrated Bar is an e0action $or regu)ation,

the purpose o$ a ta0 is revenue& I$ the Court has inherent po!er to re

the Bar, it $o))o!s that as an incident to regu)ation, it ma* impose a

membership $ee $or that purpose& It !ou)d not be possib)e to push th

an Integrated Bar program !ithout means to de$ra* the concomitant

e0penses& /he doctrine o$ imp)ied po!ers necessari)* inc)udes the po

impose such an e0action&


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/he on)* )imitation upon the tates po!er to regu)ate the Bar is that the

regu)ation does not impose an unconstitutiona) burden& /he pub)ic interest

promoted b* the integration o$ the Bar $ar out!eighs the inconse@uentia)

inconvenience to a member that might resu)t $rom his re@uired pa*ment o$

annua) dues&

3& reedom of peech&

% )a!*er is $ree, as he has a)!a*s been, to voice his vie!s on an* sub4ect

in an* manner he !ishes, even though such vie!s be opposed to positions

taen b* the Anied Bar&

6or the Integrated Bar to use a members due to promote measures to

!hich said member is opposed, !ou)d not nu))i$* or adverse)* a:ect his

$reedom o$ speech&

ince a tate ma* constitutiona))* condition the right to practice )a! upon

membership in the Integrated Bar, it is di>cu)t to understand !h* it shou)d

become unconstitutiona) $or the Bar to use the members dues to $u))) the

ver* purposes $or !hich it !as estab)ished&

/he ob4ection !ou)d mae ever* overnmenta) e0action the materia) o$ a

"$ree speech" issue& ven the income ta0 !ou)d be suspect& /he ob4ection

!ou)d carr* us to )engths that have never been dreamed o$& /heconscientious ob4ector, i$ his )iberties !ere to be thus e0tended, might

re$use to contribute ta0es in $urtherance o$ !ar or o$ an* other end

condemned b* his conscience as irre)igious or immora)& /he right o$ private

4udgment has never *et been e0a)ted above the po!ers and the

compu)sion o$ the agencies o$ overnment&

F& air to !ll #a$yers&

Bar integration is not un$air to )a!*ers a)read* practising because a)though

the re@uirement to pa* annua) dues is a ne! regu)ation, it !i)) give the

members o$ the Bar a ne! s*stem !hich the* hitherto have not had and

through !hich, b* proper !or, the* !i)) receive benets the* have not

hereto$ore en4o*ed, and discharge their pub)ic responsibi)ities in a more

e:ective manner than the* have been ab)e to do in the past& Because the

re@uirement to pa* dues is a va)id e0ercise o$ regu)ator* po!er b* the

Court, because it !i)) app)* e@ua))* to a)) )a!*ers, *oung and o)d, at the

time Bar integration taes e:ect, and because it is a ne! regu)ation in

e0change $or ne! benets, it is not retroactive, it is not une@ua), it is not

un$air&

/o reso)ve the third and nal issue# !hether the Court shou)d ordain the integration

the Bar at this time # re@uires a care$u) overvie! o$ the practicabi)it* and necessit*

as the advantages and disadvantages o$ Bar integration&

In man* other 4urisdictions, notab)* in ng)and, Canada and the Anited tates, Bar

integration has *ie)ded the $o))o!ing benets;


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$actua) data contained in the e0haustive Reporto$ the Commission on Bar Integration, that

the integration o$ the .hi)ippine Bar is "per$ect)* constitutiona) and )ega))*

unob4ectionab)e," !ithin the conte0t o$ contemporar* conditions in the .hi)ippines, has

become an imperative means to raise the standards o$ the )ega) pro$ession, improve the

administration o$ 4ustice, and enab)e the Bar to discharge its pub)ic responsibi)it* $u))* and

e:ective)*&

%CCORDINM, the Court, b* virtue o$ the po!er vested in it b* ection 13 o$ %rtic)e L

the Constitution, hereb* ordains the integration o$ the Bar o$ the .hi)ippines in accord

!ith the attached COAR/ RA, e:ective on anuar* 1(, 1973&

[legres] in re ibp

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