The Supreme Court (SC) announced that its online platform – Bar Personalized Login Unified System (BAR PLUS) – is now open for new applicants, and examinees are now allowed to decide their preferred gender pronouns (PGP).
BAR PLUS is accessible through https://lis.judiciary.gov.ph/scp#; and this will be the first digital and localized licensure test for future Philippine lawyers. The new system will be used by applicants for the Bar examinations this coming November.
#Bar2020_21 UPDATE: Read the latest Bar Bulletin No. 21, s. 2021 – Application Process for the Bar Examinations #BestBarEver2020_21
(The FAQs may be accessed at https://t.co/xjbXmJvyO0) pic.twitter.com/j1mnwoRyPB— Philippine Supreme Court Public Information Office (@SCPh_PIO) July 15, 2021
PGP is the pronoun any individual would like others to use when talking to or about them.
The inclusion of PGP could be seen on the registration form of BAR PLUS, wherein any applicant is free to provide any preferred gender pronoun/s to be used during the examination.
It is, nonetheless, worth noting that there is still no law in the Philippines allowing Filipinos to amend their gender markers in legal documents befitting their SOGIESC, so the SC’s move is more an act of courtesy than a legal precedent.
The application period for this year’s Bar runs until September 15, 2021.
