The Integrated

Bar of the
Philippines
 Integration of the Bar: Overview
• Official unification of the entire lawyer
population
• Condition sine qua non to the practice
of law and retention of name in the Roll
of Attorneys
• Organized by and under direction of the
State.
• Over 60,000
 Brief History
• Oct. 5, 1970 – SC created the Commission
on Bar Integration, tasked to “not only
ascertain the advisability of integration of
the Bar, but even more, 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.”
• Sept. 17, 1971 – RA No. 6397 “AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE INTEGRATION OF THE
PHILIPPINE BAR, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR.”
 Brief History
Jan. 9, 1973 – SC, in a per curiam decision,
ordained the integration of the bar in
accordance with Rule 139-A, effective January
16, 1973. Within the next succeeding months
the IBP was organized.
Feb. 17, 1973 – local chapter all over the
country were formed and elections of officers
were held.
March 17, 1973 – first batch of representatives
to the IBP House of Delegates composed of 104
delegates representing the IBP Chapters
nationwide convened in Manila and election its
first set of IBP Governors.
 Organizational Setup
• National and Local Officials
• National :
– President
– Executive Vice President
– 9 Governors-Board of Governors (each will be the
ex officio Vice President for their Regions)
– Secretary
– Treasurer
– House of Delegates – deliberative body
 Organizational Setup
• Local
– President
– Vice President
– Secretary
– Treasurer
– 5 Directors
• Section 3. Regions. — The Philippines is hereby divided into nine Regions of the Integrated
Bar, to wit:
• (a) Northern Luzon, consisting of the provinces of Abra, Batanes, Benguet, Cagayan, Ifugao,
Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga-Apayao, La Union, Mountain Province, Nueva
Vizcaya, and Quirino.
• (b) Central Luzon, consisting of the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga,
Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Zambales;
• (c) Greater Manila, consisting of the City of Manila and Quezon City;
• (d) Southern Luzon, consisting of the provinces of Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Marinduque,
Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Quezon, and Rizal;
• (e) Bicolandia, consisting of the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur,
Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon;
• (f) Eastern Visayas, consisting of the provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Leyte,
Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte;
• (g) Western Visayas, consisting of the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros
Occidental, Negros Oriental, Palawan, Romblon, and Siquijor.
• (h) Eastern Mindanao, consisting of the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan Del Sur,
Bukidnon, Camiguin, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Misamis Oriental,
Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur; and
• (i) Western Mindanao, consisting of the cities of Basilan and Zamboanga, and the provinces
of Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Misamis Occidental, South Cotabato, Sulu,
Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga del Sur.
• In the event of the creation of any new province, the Board of Governors shall, with the
approval of the Supreme Court, determine the Region to which the said province shall
belong.
 CONSTITUTIONALITY OF INTEGRATION:
In Re Integration of the Philippine Bar, 49 SCRA 25

• Does the Court have the power to integrate the

Philippine Bar?
• Would the Integration of the Bar be
constitutional?
– Freedom of Association
– Tax vs. Regulatory Fee
– Freedom of Speech
– Fairness to All Lawyers
• Should the court ordain the integration of the Bar
at that time?
 IBP and It’s Objectives
• Is the official organization of all Philippine
lawyers whose names appear in the Roll of
Attorneys in the Supreme Court.

• Fundamental Objectives:
– To elevate the standards of the legal profession;
– To improve the administration of justice;
– To enable the Bar to discharge its public
responsibility more effectively.
 General Objectives
1. Elevate the standards of the legal profession;
2. Improve the administration of justice;
3. Enable the bar to discharge its public responsibility more
effectively;
4. Assist in the administration of justice;
5. Foster and maintain members’ high ideals of integrity’ learning,
professional competence, public service and conduct;
6. Safeguard the professional interests of its members;
7. Cultivate the members’ spirit of cordiality and brotherhood;
8. Provide a forum for discussion
9. Encourage and foster legal education; and
10. Promote continuing program of legal research.
• Chapter membership: discretionary
– Payment of dues: mandatory
• Retirement
– Termination of bar membership by filing a
verified notice of termination with the
Secretary of the Integrated Bar.
– In re: Atty. Jose Principe, Bar Matter No.
543, September 20, 1990.
• Sec. 21. Voluntary termination of membership;
reinstatement. - A member may terminate his
membership by filing a verified notice to that effect with
the Secretary of the Integrated Bar, who shall
immediately bring the matter to the attention of the
Supreme Court. Forthwith, he shall cease to be a
member and his name shall be stricken from the Roll of
Attorneys.
• Reinstatement may be made in accordance with rules
and regulations prescribed by the Board of Governors
and approved by the Court, provided that any written
application for reinstatement must be filed with the
Board, which shall, within fifteen (15) days from receipt,
forward the same to the Court with its appropriate
recommendation. (By-Laws of the IBP)
• Sec. 22. Retirement; reinstatement. - Any member in
good standing who shall have attained the age of
seventy-five years, or who shall have been forty years as
lawyer shall, by reason of physical disability or judicially
adjudged mental incapacity, be unable to engage in the
practice of Law, may be retired from the Integrated Bar
upon verified petition to the Board of Governors.
Retired members shall not practice law or be required to
pay dues.
• A retired member may be reinstated to active
membership upon written application to and approval
by the Board.
• The Board shall make periodic reports of retirement and
reinstatement of members to the Supreme Court. (By-
Laws of the IBP)
• Non-Political Bar
– Prohibition to lawyers holding judicial, quasi-
judicial or prosecutory offices in the government
or any political subdivision or instrumentality
thereof.
– Officers who files a certificate of candidacy is
considered ipso facto resigned from position.
• Honorary Positions
– No compensation, allowance or emolument.
• Voluntary Bar Associations
– Not operate at cross purpose with the IBP.
• Investigating Arm of the Supreme Court
– Entertain cases of disbarment or investigate cases
referred by the Supreme Court and give report
and recommendation.
– But has no power to suspend or disbar.
• Payment of Dues
– Santos, Jr. vs. Llamas
– Letter of Atty. Cecilio Y. Arevalo, Jr., Requesting
Exemption from Payment of IBP Dues