Integrated Bar of the Philippines
Encyclopedia
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) is the national organization of lawyers in the Philippines
. It is the mandatory bar association
for Filipino
lawyers.
On January 9, 1973, the Supreme Court ordained the integration of the Philippine Bar. The IBP Constitution and By-Laws shortly followed.
Then recently-retired Supreme Court Associate Justice
J.B.L. Reyes was named as the first Chairman of the IBP in 1973. He served in that capacity until 1975, and was the Chairman emeritus for the remainder of his life. Reyes had been a longtime proponent of bar integration in the Philippines.
The IBP House of Delegates decide on important matters. The chamber is composed of not more than one-hundred-twenty (120) members apportioned among all IBP Chapters in major cities throughout the country. Every two years, the IBP Governing Board makes a reappointment of delegates among all IBP chapters.
There are currently about forty-thousand (40,000) living attorneys who comprise the IBP.
These are the attorneys whose names appear in the Rolls of Attorneys of the Supreme Court. They have qualified for and have passed the Philippine Bar Examination
conducted annually, and have taken the attorney’s oath, unless otherwise disbarred.
Membership in the IBP is compulsory for all lawyers in the country. The Philippine Supreme Court has required all lawyers to indicate their Roll of Attorneys Number in all papers and pleadings filed in judicial and quasi-judicial bodies in additional to the previously required current Professional Tax Receipt (PTR) and IBP Official Receipt or Life Member Number.
The IBP National Committee on Bar Discipline is the special group monitoring and upholding ethical practices in the profession.
The IBP National Committee on Legal Aid is the ad hoc committee for establishing and maintaining suitable legal aid offices in all IBP Chapters nationwide.
's administration; we are ready. If we have to go to the streets we'll do it. We can't remain silent and neutral."
Integrated Bar of the Philippines (48,000 members in 83 chapters nationwide) president Feliciano Bautista informed Newsbreak newspaper that the bribery
expose of Governor Eddie Panlilio
triggered hitting the “culture of corruption” in the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
administration. The statement of concern advertisement was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer
on December 17 and in Philippine Star on December 20. IBP called for 3 courses of action: a) "prosecution of cases against corrupt government officials, b) continued Senate investigation on alleged corruption in government contracts, and c) filing of an impeachment case against President Arroyo." IBP also held the government responsible for widespread smuggling activities, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and ghost projects. It called on the House of Representatives to endorse the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo and admonished the Senate to continue probes on government anomalies. In March 2006, the IBP, for the first time, organized its lawyers in a street protest against President Arroyo’s Proclamation 1017.
The Philippines is also a member of international law associations such:
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It is the mandatory bar association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
for Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
lawyers.
History
The IBP was established as an official organization for the legal profession by Republic Act No. 6397. The law confirmed the constitutional power of the Philippine Supreme Court to adopt rules for the integration of the Philippine Bar. Consequently, Presidential Decree 181 constituted the IBP into a corporate body in 1973.On January 9, 1973, the Supreme Court ordained the integration of the Philippine Bar. The IBP Constitution and By-Laws shortly followed.
Then recently-retired Supreme Court Associate Justice
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
An Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines is one of 15 members of the Philippine Supreme Court, the highest court in the Philippines. The Chief Justice presides over the High Court, but carries only 1 of the 15 votes in the court...
J.B.L. Reyes was named as the first Chairman of the IBP in 1973. He served in that capacity until 1975, and was the Chairman emeritus for the remainder of his life. Reyes had been a longtime proponent of bar integration in the Philippines.
Organizational structure
The IBP is administered by a Governing Board consisting of nine Governors representing the nine regions of the IBP. The Governing Board elects the IBP National President and IBP Executive Vice President from among themselves or from outside the Board.The IBP House of Delegates decide on important matters. The chamber is composed of not more than one-hundred-twenty (120) members apportioned among all IBP Chapters in major cities throughout the country. Every two years, the IBP Governing Board makes a reappointment of delegates among all IBP chapters.
Membership
The IBP Constitution and By-Laws considers the following, "automatically and without exception," as members of the IBP:- All lawyers whose names were in the Roll of Attorneys of the Supreme Court on January 16, 1973.
- All lawyers whose names were included or are entered therein after the said date.
There are currently about forty-thousand (40,000) living attorneys who comprise the IBP.
These are the attorneys whose names appear in the Rolls of Attorneys of the Supreme Court. They have qualified for and have passed the Philippine Bar Examination
Philippine Bar Examination
The Philippine Bar Examination is the professional licensure examination for lawyers in the Philippines.It is the only professional licensure exam in the country that is not supervised by the Professional Regulation Commission...
conducted annually, and have taken the attorney’s oath, unless otherwise disbarred.
Membership in the IBP is compulsory for all lawyers in the country. The Philippine Supreme Court has required all lawyers to indicate their Roll of Attorneys Number in all papers and pleadings filed in judicial and quasi-judicial bodies in additional to the previously required current Professional Tax Receipt (PTR) and IBP Official Receipt or Life Member Number.
Notable projects
The IBP has been active in safeguarding the integrity of the bar exams; promoting ethical practices of lawyers, judges, lawyer-politicians, and lawyer-government officials; refraining from any partisan political activity especially during local and national elections; developing legal education and research in law schools and continuing legal education centers; and expanding legal aid offices throughout the country to provide free legal services to indigent Filipinos.The IBP National Committee on Bar Discipline is the special group monitoring and upholding ethical practices in the profession.
The IBP National Committee on Legal Aid is the ad hoc committee for establishing and maintaining suitable legal aid offices in all IBP Chapters nationwide.
Protests and marches against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
On December 20, 2007, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (thru IBP president Feliciano Bautista and all the 9 members of the IBP Board of Governors - IBP governors Abelardo Estrada, Ernesto Gonzales Jr, Marcial Magsino, Bonifacio Barandon Jr, Evergisto Escalon, Raymond Jorge Mercado, Ramon Edison Batacan and Carlos Valdez Jr.) affirmed their published statement that it "is prepared to stage street protests to express the "growing anger" of lawyers over controversies pestering the Gloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
's administration; we are ready. If we have to go to the streets we'll do it. We can't remain silent and neutral."
Integrated Bar of the Philippines (48,000 members in 83 chapters nationwide) president Feliciano Bautista informed Newsbreak newspaper that the bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
expose of Governor Eddie Panlilio
Eddie Panlilio
Eduardo "Among Ed" Tongol Panlilio was a Kapampangan Filipino Roman Catholic priest and governor of the province of Pampanga. He was suspended from his priestly ministry upon announcing his intention to run as governor...
triggered hitting the “culture of corruption” in the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
administration. The statement of concern advertisement was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
on December 17 and in Philippine Star on December 20. IBP called for 3 courses of action: a) "prosecution of cases against corrupt government officials, b) continued Senate investigation on alleged corruption in government contracts, and c) filing of an impeachment case against President Arroyo." IBP also held the government responsible for widespread smuggling activities, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and ghost projects. It called on the House of Representatives to endorse the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo and admonished the Senate to continue probes on government anomalies. In March 2006, the IBP, for the first time, organized its lawyers in a street protest against President Arroyo’s Proclamation 1017.
Similar organizations
While the IBP is the mandatory organization for Filipino lawyers, other organizations exist to serve the various interests of the legal profession in the Philippines, such as:- All Asia Association
- Alliance of Legal Management Associations of the Philippines, Inc. (ALMAP, Inc.)
- Association of Law Students of the Philippines (ALSP)
- Aviation Lawyers Association of the Philippines
- Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Philippines
- Council for the Non-Court Resolution of Disputes Foundation, Inc. (CONCORD)
- Federacion Internacional de Abogadas (FIDA)
- Counsels for the Defense of Liberties (CODAL)
- Economic & Social Rights Legal Advocacy Center (ESRLAC)
- Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG)
- Immigration Lawyers Association of the Philippines
- Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines
- Legal Management Council of the Philippines
- Legal Writing Association of the Philippines
- Licensing Executives of the Philippines
- Maritime Law Association of the Philippines
- Philippine Alliance of Legal Management Societies (PALMS)
- Philippine American Bar Association
- Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS)
- Philippine Association of Law Professors (PALP)
- Philippine Association of Voluntary Arbitrators (PAVA)
- Philippine Bar Association
- Philippine Constitution Association (PHILCONSA)
- Philippine Judicature Society
- Philippine Judges Association
- Philippine Lawyers Association
- Philippine Society of International Law, WILOCI
- Public Interest Law Center (PILC)
- Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap na Panlegal (SALIGAN)
- Telecommunications & Broadcast Attorneys of the Philippines, Inc.
- Trial Lawyers Association of the Philippines
- UP Women Lawyers Circle
- Vanguards of the Philippine Constitution
- Women Lawyers Association of the Philippines (WLAP)
- Women's Legal Bureau, Inc.
- Young Lawyers Association of Cebu (YLAC), Inc.
The Philippines is also a member of international law associations such:
- ASEAN Law Association
- International Bar Association
- LAWASIA.
See also
- Philippine Bar ExaminationPhilippine Bar ExaminationThe Philippine Bar Examination is the professional licensure examination for lawyers in the Philippines.It is the only professional licensure exam in the country that is not supervised by the Professional Regulation Commission...
s - Legal education in the PhilippinesLegal education in the PhilippinesLegal education in the Philippines is developed and offered by Philippine law schools, supervised by the Legal Education Board, that has replaced the Commission on Higher Education in respect to legal education. The Supreme Court regulates admission to the Bar and administers the Bar Examinations...
- Supreme Court of the PhilippinesSupreme Court of the PhilippinesThe Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
- Judicial and Bar CouncilJudicial and Bar CouncilThe Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines is a constitutionally-created body that recommends appointees for vacancies that may arise in the composition of the Supreme Court and other lower courts.-Composition:...
External links
- Integrated Bar of the Philippines
- Integrated Bar of the Philippines - Batangas Chapter
- Integrated Bar of the Philippines - Negros Oriental Chapter
- Philippine American Bar Association
- Council for the Non-Court Resolution of Disputes Foundation, Inc.
- Public Interest Law Center
- Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (Alternative Legal Assistance Center)