By Joy Louise T. Evidente | The Red Chronicles
With the “Most Valuable Laban” around the corner and Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario Villamor Lopez chairing this year’s Bar Examinations, hopeful barristers are in good hands.
This year’s Bar Chairperson is a Cum Laude Bachelor of Laws graduate from San Beda College and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Santo Tomas. He had an illustrious career prior to his appointment as Associate Justice, beginning his legal journey as a Technical Assistant in the Supreme Court in 1981-1983, followed by his time as a Hearing Officer of the Central Bank of the Philippines in 1985.
He then worked as a Special Prosecutor Officer at the Tanodbayan, now known as the Office of the Ombudsman, until he was appointed as a Regional Trial Court Judge of Batangas City in 1994. In 2006, he was appointed to the Court of Appeals and was the Chairperson of the 12th Division.
In the interim period of his position in court, he was also a professor at several law schools, including his alma mater, San Beda College, and the Philippine Judicial Academy.
Nicknamed MVL, the Associate Justice was appointed to the Supreme Court in December 2019, this being what he himself calls the “last cadence” of his judicial career.
As the 185th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, he carries the heavy weight of heading this year’s Bar Examinations to produce a new batch of lawyers in the Philippines.
The La Union native has penned numerous cases so far as the Associate Justice. This includes the case of Commissioner of Internal Review v. Commission on Elections (G.R. Nos. 244155 and 247508), where he ruled that Presidential Decree No. 242 does not apply because it pertains to jurisdiction, as “the CTA has exclusive appellate jurisdiction to decide the dispute between the COMELEC and the BIR on the deficiency tax assessment.”
He also penned JCLV Realty & Development Corp. v. Mangali, G.R. No. 236618, where the Court decided that “a private complainant cannot question the order granting the demurrer to evidence in a criminal case absent grave abuse of discretion or denial of due process. The interest of the offended party is limited only to the civil aspect of the case.”
The 2024 Bar Examinations were scheduled for September 8, 11, and 15, 2024, with the following bar subjects: September 8 (Political and Public International Law, Commercial and Taxation Laws), September 11 (Civil Laws, Labor Law and Social Legislation), and September 15 (Criminal Law, Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics with Practical Exercises).
Note: This article was first published in the 2024 Bar Issue print issue of The Red Chronicles last September 26, 2024.