The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday extended the deadline for examinees in the next bar examination to select their preferred local testing center.
“In view of some technical issues in the Bar Personal Login Unified System (Bar PLUS) the Venue Matching Module shall close on Oct. 24, 2021 subject to further extension if the technical issues persist,” the SC said in a bar bulletin.
The court had originally set an October 20 deadline for examinees to choose their preferred venue under innovations adapted by the court partly in response to the complications arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last September, the tribunal moved the bar examinations from November 2021 to Jan. 16, 23, 30, and Feb. 6 next year due to the health crisis.
It will be the first bar exams to be held in multiple sites after the SC approved the 24 testing venues in August.
The four-Sunday examination was canceled last year due to the pandemic.
Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, the bar examinations chair, said while bar applicants will select their preferred local testing center venue matching will not be on a first-come, first-served basis. The court has earlier said instead, applicants from remote areas will be prioritized.
“We reiterate that venue matching shall not be on a first-come, first-served basis. The system will process all choices simultaneously. Earlier submissions of venue choices shall not gain priority over the available slots in the local testing centers,” Leonen said. “All bar candidates will be given the opportunity to choose their local testing centers within the appropriate period,”.
The SC earlier advised applicants to choose the testing center that is closest to their residence.
Source: Philippines News Agency
