Name: Ainna Francene M.

Fathi
June 20, 2014

Legal Profession
Atty. Badando

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE INTEGRATED BAR OF THE PHLIPPINES

What is the IBP The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (the IBP) is the official organization of all
Philippine lawyers whose names appear in the Roll of Attorneys of the Supreme Court

October 5, 1970 Supreme Court created the Commission on Bar Integration

Commission on Bar Integrations Tasks:

to ascertain the advisability of integration of the Bar

to serve as a common vehicle of the Court and the Bar in fashioning a blueprint for integration
and putting the same into actual operation

Dates of Interest:

September 17, 1971 Republic Act No. 6397 was ratified and confirmed the power of the
Supreme Court to adopt rules of court to effect the integration of the Philippine Bar.
January 9, 1973 the Supreme Court, pursuant to its constitutional mandate (by a per curiam
resolution) ordained the integration of the Bar in accordance with its Rule 139-A
January 16, 1973 Integration of the Bar effectivity date; IBP was organized in the next
succeeding months
February 17, 1973 local chapters all over the country were finally formed and elections for
chapter officers were held
March 17, 1973 - the first batch of representatives to the IBP House of Delegates composed of
104 delegates representing the IBP Chapters nationwide convened in Manila and elected its first
set of IBP Governors

IBP as an Official Organization of Lawyers:

Official organization established by the State

Republic Act No. 6397 - confirmed the power of the Supreme Court to adopt rules of court to
effect the Integration of the Philippine Bar.
May 4, 1973 - Presidential Decree No. 181 was promulgated, constituting the IBP into a body
corporate and providing government assistance thereto for the accomplishing its purposes

Integrated Bar of the Philippines: [http://www.ibp.ph/history.html] [2009]

All Attorneys as Members of the IBP

About 50,000 Current number of Philippine Attorneys that are members of the IBP. These Attorneys
names appear in the Roll of Attorneys of the Supreme Court (having qualified for and passed the Bar
examinations and taken their attorneys oath, unless otherwise disbarred).
Annual Membership Fee - 1,000Php can be caused by the following:
The Removal of an Attorneys name in the Roll of Attorneys leads to the stoppage of one person to be
an attorney and he loses the privilege to practice law in the Philippines. This happens when:

If a lawyer does not agree to join the organization regulations (such as payments of the annual
membership dues)
If a lawyer does not become or ceases to be an IBP member, and at the same time, his name is
removed from the Roll of Attorneys

The Role of the Commission on Bar Integration

To ascertain the advisability of integration of the Bar

To serve as a common vehicle of the Court and the Bar in fashioning a blueprint for integration
and putting the same into actual operation

October 5, 1970 creation of Commission on Bar Integration by the Supreme Court

Initial head of the Commission - Supreme Court Associate Justice (later Chief Justice) Fred Ruiz Castro
The members were:

Jose J. Roy, Conrado V. Sanchez

Salvador V. Esguerra
Crisolito S. Pascual
Tecla San Andres Ziga
Feliciano Jover Ledesma

The Culmination of the Integration of the Bar:

The culmination efforts were exerted by visionary leaders of the profession dating back to the
year 1928
Accomplished by the vote of the overwhelming majority of the legal profession throughout the
Philippines
The majority urged the Supreme Court to ordain it.
Without the official unification, the lawyers were bound to remain disassociated and
fragmented and divided just through voluntary Bar associations which remained mostly social
aggrupations.

Integrated Bar of the Philippines: [http://www.ibp.ph/history.html] [2009]

The IBP as a Semi-governmental Entity:

The IBP is essentially a private (non-governmental) organization

Its lawyers, who are its members, are private individuals
Its funding is derived from membership dues
As partially a governmental entity, it exists to perform certain vital public functions to assist the
Government in the improvement of the administration of justice, the upgrading the standards of
the legal profession and its proper regulation
Financial assistance from the Government is extended to it
Its lawyer are officers of the court, it is their common aspect of their varied personalities that
provides IBP with its bond of unity
IBP is a semi-government entity; a private organization endowed with certain governmental
attributes

First Board of Governors:

March 17, 1973 the first IBP House of Delegates, composed of 104 delegates representing all the
original 78 IBP Chapters convened in Manila and elected nine IBP governors:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Melanio T. Singson (Northern Luzon)

Vicente D. Millora (Central Luzon)
Ponciano M. Mortera (Greater Manila)
Raul I. Goco (Southern Luzon)
Tecla San Andres Ziga (Bicolandia)
Pablo P. Garcia (Eastern Visayas)
Amado A. Parreo, Jr. (Western Visayas)
Manuel M. Garcia (Eastern Mindanao)
Liliano B. Neri (Western Mindanao)

First IBP President the governors-elect chose retired Supreme Court Justice Jose B.L Reyes
IBP Executive Vice President Liliano B. Neri
March 25, 1973 These top officials took their oath of office in ceremonies before the Supreme Court
en banc.

Integrated Bar of the Philippines: [http://www.ibp.ph/history.html] [2009]

Notable Projects:

Focuses on safeguarding the integrity of the bar exams

Promotes ethical practices of lawyers, judges, lawyer-politicians, and lawyer-government

officials refraining from any partisan political activity especially during local and national
elections

Develops legal education and research in law schools

Up-keeps legal education centers and expanding legal aid offices throughout the country to
provide free legal services to indigent Filipinos

Committees Formed:

National Committee on Bar Discipline is the special group in-charge of monitoring and upholding
ethical practices in the profession

National Committee on Legal Aid which is considered as an ad hoc committee for establishing
and maintaining suitable legal aid offices in all IBP Chapters nationwide.

Integrated Bar of the Philippines: [http://www.ibp.ph/history.html] [2009]