Some roads around two universities in Manila will be closed to traffic for the convenience of would-be lawyers taking the 2022 Bar examinations on November 9, 13, 16, and 20, the city government) announced Friday.
The two schools are De La Salle University and San Beda University which have been designated as Bar test sites by the Supreme Court (SC).
As a result, traffic will be rerouted in the two areas.
In the vicinity of San Beda, Mendiola St. will closed from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Concepcion Aguila St. will be a one-lane road to accommodate local residents, while 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th streets will be closed from 2 a.m. to 7 p.m. An alternative route from the Ramon Magsaysay Blvd. would be along Legarda St.
At the De La Salle University area, Taft Ave. northbound – will be closed from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. while Taft Ave. southbound will be closed from 2 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Southbound motorists are advised to turn right to Quirino Ave., left to Adriatico St. , then left to P. Ocampo St. toward their destination.
Northbound motorists should turn right to Ocampo St., left to Arellano St., left to Estrada St., then turn right to Taft Ave..
The SC announced earlier that this year’s Bar examinations will proceed as scheduled this month despite calls for postponement from some citing severe tropical storm Paeng ravaged parts of the country.
In a Bar bulletin, the SC said it was aware of the appeals aired mostly on social media to postpone the examinations.
The High Court said the office of Associate Justice and 2022 Bar Exams Committee chair Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa has assessed and surveyed the 14 local testing centers (LTCs) to check if these are capable and ready to still hold the exam as scheduled.
The SC said all the local testing centers as well as the local government units where these are located categorically indicated that they remain prepared and ready to participate in the Bar exams as scheduled.
The LTCs are at San Beda University, De La Salle University, Manila Adventist College, Ateneo Junior High School Complex, Ateneo de Manila University, and the state-run University of the Philippines-Diliman campus for Metro Manila.
Three schools in Luzon will also host the exam for areas outside Metro Manila, namely the University of St. Louis in Baguio City, De La Salle Lipa City, and University of Nueva Caceres in Naga City.
In the Visayas, these are University of Cebu, University of San Jose Recoletos in Cebu City, and Dr. Vicente Orestes Romualdez Education Foundation in Tacloban City while the Mindanao schools serving as LTCs are Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro, Ateneo de Davao, and Ateneo de Zamboanga in Zamboanga City.
“Far from impervious to the needs and struggles of the examinees who are struggling in the aftermath of severe tropical storm Paeng, and as the Court fully understands that this may not restore to the affected examinees the true cost of their preparations for the Bar examinations, it deems it right that examinees who may be unable to take the 2022 Bar examinations as scheduled for the foregoing reason may apply for a refund of their Bar fees with the Office of the Bar Confidant,” the SC said.
The tribunal also explained that postponing this year’s exam will have “ripple effects” on the next Bar examinations.
The “regionalized and digitalized” set-up of the examinations was held first in the 2020 and 2021 Bar exams in February this year.