1.)JESUS MA. CUI vs. ANTONIO MA.

CUI, ROMULO CUI

FACTS:

Hospicio is a charitable institution established by the spouses Don Pedro Cui and Doa Benigna Cui, now
deceased, "for the care and support, free of charge, of indigent invalids, and incapacitated and helpless persons." It
acquired corporate existence by legislation and endowed with extensive properties by the said spouses through a
series of donations, principally the deed of donation.
Section 2 of Act No. 3239 gave the initial management to the founders jointly and, in case of their incapacity or
death, to "such persons as they may nominate or designate, in the order prescribed to them."

Don Pedro Cui died in 1926, and his widow continued to administer the Hospicio until her death in 1929.
Thereupon the administration passed to Mauricio Cui and Dionisio Jakosalem who both died. Dr. Teodoro Cui,
only son of Mauricio Cui, became the administrator.

Plaintiff Jesus Ma. Cui and defendant Antonio Ma. Cui are brothers, being the sons of Mariano Cui, one of the
nephews of the spouses Don Pedro Cui and Doa Benigna Cui. On 27 February 1960 the then incumbent
administrator, Dr. Teodoro Cui, resigned in favor of Antonio Ma. Cui pursuant to a "convenio" entered into
between them and embodied in a notarial document. The next day, 28 February, Antonio Ma. Cui took his oath of
office. Jesus Ma. Cui, however, had no prior notice of either the "convenio" or of his brother's assumption of the
position.

Dr. Teodoro Cui died on August 27, 1960; on Sept 5, 1960 the plaintiff wrote a letter to the defendant demanding
that the office be turned over to him; and the demand not having been complied with the plaintiff filed the
complaint in this case. Romulo Cui later on intervened, claiming a right to the same office, being a grandson of
Vicente Cui, another one of the nephews mentioned by the founders of the Hospicio in their deed of donation.

As between Jesus and Antonio the main issue turns upon their respective qualifications to the position of
administrator. Jesus is the older of the two and therefore under equal circumstances would be preferred pursuant to
section 2 of the deed of donation. However, before the test of age may be, applied the deed gives preference to the
one, among the legitimate descendants of the nephews therein named, "que posea titulo de abogado, o medico, o
ingeniero civil, o farmaceutico, o a falta de estos titulos el que pague al estado mayor impuesto o contribucion."

The specific point in dispute is the meaning of the term "titulo de abogado." Jesus Ma. Cui holds the degree of
Bachelor of Laws from the University of Santo Tomas (Class 1926) but is not a member of the Bar, not having
passed the examinations to qualify him as one. Antonio Ma. Cui, on the other hand, is a member of the Bar and
although disbarred by this Court, he was reinstated by resolution promulgated on 10 February 1960, about two
weeks before he assumed the position of administrator of the Hospicio de Barili.

Court a quo - decided in favor of the plaintiff, said that the phrase "titulo de abogado," taken alone, means that of a
full-fledged lawyer, but that has used in the deed of donation and considering the function or purpose of the
administrator, it should not be given a strict interpretation but a liberal one," and therefore means a law degree or
diploma of Bachelor of Laws. This ruling is assailed as erroneous both by the defendant and by the intervenor.

ISSUE: WON the plaintiff is not entitled, as against the defendant, to the office of administrator? YES
RATIO: Whether taken alone or in context the term "titulo de abogado" means not mere possession of the academic
degree of Bachelor of Laws but membership in the Bar after due admission thereto, qualifying one for the practice of
law. A Bachelor's degree alone, conferred by a law school upon completion of certain academic requirements, does not
entitle its holder to exercise the legal profession. The English equivalent of "abogado" is lawyer or attorney-at-law. This
term has a fixed and general signification, and has reference to that class of persons who are by license officers of the
courts, empowered to appear, prosecute and defend, and upon whom peculiar duties, responsibilities and liabilities are
devolved by law as a consequence.
In this jurisdiction admission to the Bar and to the practice of law is under the authority of the Supreme Court.
According to Rule 138 such admission requires passing the Bar examinations, taking the lawyer's oath and receiving a
certificate from the Clerk of Court, this certificate being his license to practice the profession. The academic degree of
Bachelor of Laws in itself has little to do with admission to the Bar, except as evidence of compliance with the
requirements that an applicant to the examinations has "successfully completed all the prescribed courses, in a law
school or university, officially approved by the Secretary of Education." For this purpose, however, possession of the

degree itself is not indispensable: completion of the prescribed courses may be shown in some other way. Indeed there
are instances, particularly under the former Code of Civil Procedure, where persons who had not gone through any
formal legal education in college were allowed to take the Bar examinations and to qualify as lawyers. (Section 14 of
that code required possession of "the necessary qualifications of learning ability.") Yet certainly it would be incorrect to
say that such persons do not possess the "titulo de abogado" because they lack the academic degree of Bachelor of
Laws from some law school or university.
The founders of the Hospicio de San Jose de Barili must have established the foregoing test advisely, and provided in
the deed of donation that if not a lawyer, the administrator should be a doctor or a civil engineer or a pharmacist, in that
order; or failing all these, should be the one who pays the highest taxes among those otherwise qualified. A lawyer, first
of all, because under Act No. 3239 the managers or trustees of the Hospicio shall "make regulations for the government
of said institution; shall "prescribe the conditions subject to which invalids and incapacitated and destitute persons may
be admitted to the institute"; shall see to it that the rules and conditions promulgated for admission are not in conflict
with the provisions of the Act; and shall administer properties of considerable value for all of which work, it is to be
presumed, a working knowledge of the law and a license to practice the profession would be a distinct asset.
Under this particular criterion we hold that the plaintiff is not entitled, as against the defendant, to the office of
administrator.
As far as moral character is concerned, the standard required of one seeking reinstatement to the office of attorney
cannot be less exacting than that implied in paragraph 3 of the deed of donation as a requisite for the office which is
disputed in this case. When the defendant was restored to the roll of lawyers the restrictions and disabilities resulting
from his previous disbarment were wiped out.
For the claim of intervenor and appellant Romulo Cui. This party is also a lawyer, grandson of Vicente Cui, one of the
nephews of the founders of the Hospicio mentioned by them in the deed of donation. He is further, in the line of
succession, than defendant Antonio Ma. Cui, who is a son of Mariano Cui, another one of the said nephews.
Besides being a nearer descendant than Romulo Cui, Antonio Ma. Cui is older than he and therefore is preferred when
the circumstances are otherwise equal. The intervenor contends that the intention of the founders was to confer the
administration by line and successively to the descendants of the nephews named in the deed, in the order they are
named. Thus, he argues, since the last administrator was Dr. Teodoro Cui, who belonged to the Mauricio Cui line, the
next administrator must come from the line of Vicente Cui, to whom the intervenor belongs. This interpretation,
however, is not justified by the terms of the deed of donation.

ALAWI V. ALAUYA
Facts:
Sophia Alawi was a sales representative of E.B. Villarosa & Partners Co.,
Ltd. of Davao City, a real estate and housing company. Ashari M. Alauya is the
incumbent executive clerk of court of the 4th Judicial Shari'a District in Marawi
City, They were classmates, and used to be friends.
Through Alawi's agency, a contract was executed for the purchase on
installments by Alauya of one of the housing units of Villarosa. In connection, a
housing loan was also granted to Alauya by the National Home Mortgage
Finance Corporation (NHMFC).
Not long afterwards, Alauya addressed a letter to the President of
Villarosa & Co. advising of the termination of his contract with the company. He
claimed that his consent was vitiated because Alawi had resorted to gross
misrepresentation, deceit, fraud, dishonesty and abuse of confidence. He laso
wrote similar letters to the Vice President of Villarosa and the Vice President of
NHMFC.
On learning of Alauya's letters, Alawi filed an administrative complaint
against him. One of her grounds was Alauyas usurpation of the title of
"attorney," which only regular members of the Philippine Bar may properly use.
Alauya justified his use of the title, "attorney," by the assertion that it is
"lexically synonymous" with "Counsellors-at-law." a title to which Shari'a lawyers
have a rightful claim, adding that he prefers the title of "attorney" because
"counsellor" is often mistaken for "councilor," "konsehal" or the Maranao term

"consial," connoting a local legislator beholden to the mayor. Withal, he does not
consider himself a lawyer.
Issue:
Whether or not Alauya, a member of the Sharia bar, can use the title of
Attorney
Held:
He cant. The title is only reserved to those who pass the regular
Philippine bar.
As regards Alauya's use of the title of "Attorney," this Court has already
had occasion to declare that persons who pass the Shari'a Bar are not fullfledged members of the Philippine Bar, hence may only practice law before
Shari'a courts. While one who has been admitted to the Shari'a Bar, and one who
has been admitted to the Philippine Bar, may both be considered "counsellors,"
in the sense that they give counsel or advice in a professional capacity, only the
latter is an "attorney." The title of "attorney" is reserved to those who, having
obtained the necessary degree in the study of law and successfully taken the Bar
Examinations, have been admitted to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and
remain members thereof in good standing; and it is they only who are authorized
to practice law in this jurisdiction.

In Re Cunanan
IN RE CUNANAN [94 Phil 534; Resolution; 18 Mar 1954]
In the Matter of the Petitions for Admission to the Bar of Unsuccessful
Candidates of 1946 to 1953; ALBINO CUNANAN, ET AL., petitioners.
Resolution March 18, 1954
Facts:
Congress passed Republic Act Number 972, commonly known as the Bar
Flunkers Act of 1953. In accordance with the said law, the Supreme Court then
passed and admitted to the bar those candidates who had obtained an average
of 72 per cent by raising it to 75 percent.
After its approval, many of the unsuccessful postwar candidates filed petitions for
admission to the bar invoking its provisions, while other motions for the revision
of their examination papers were still pending also invoked the aforesaid law as
an additional ground for admission. There are also others who have sought
simply the reconsideration of their grades without, however, invoking the law in
question. To avoid injustice to individual petitioners, the court first reviewed the
motions for reconsideration, irrespective of whether or not they had invoked
Republic Act No. 972.
Issue: Whether or Not RA No. 972 is constitutional and valid.

Held:
RA No. 972 has for its object, according to its author, to admit to the Bar, those
candidates who suffered from insufficiency of reading materials and inadequate
preparation.
In the judicial system from which ours has been evolved, the admission,
suspension, disbarment and reinstatement of attorneys at law in the practice of
the profession and their supervision have been indisputably a judicial function
and responsibility. We have said that in the judicial system from which ours has
been derived, the admission, suspension, disbarment or reinstatement of
attorneys at law in the practice of the profession is concededly judicial.
On this matter, there is certainly a clear distinction between the functions of the
judicial and legislative departments of the government.
It is obvious, therefore, that the ultimate power to grant license for the practice of
law belongs exclusively to this Court, and the law passed by Congress on the
matter is of permissive character, or as other authorities may say, merely to fix
the minimum conditions for the license.
Republic Act Number 972 is held to be unconstitutional.

IN THE MATTER OF THE INTEGRATION OF THE BAR OF THE PHILIPPINES.

RESOLUTION

PER CURIAM:
On December 1, 1972, the Commission on Bar Integration 1 submitted its Report dated
November 30, 1972, with the "earnest recommendation" on the basis of the said Report and
the proceedings had in Administrative Case No. 526 2 of the Court, and "consistently with the
views and counsel received from its [the Commission's] Board of Consultants, as well as the
overwhelming nationwide sentiment of the Philippine Bench and Bar" that "this Honorable
Court ordain the integration of the Philippine Bar as soon as possible through the adoption and
promulgation of an appropriate Court Rule."
The petition in Adm. Case No. 526 formally prays the Court to order the integration of the
Philippine Bar, after due hearing, giving recognition as far as possible and practicable to
existing provincial and other local Bar associations. On August 16, 1962, arguments in favor
of as well as in opposition to the petition were orally expounded before the Court. Written
oppositions were admitted, 3 and all parties were thereafter granted leave to file written
memoranda. 4
Since then, the Court has closely observed and followed significant developments relative to
the matter of the integration of the Bar in this jurisdiction.

In 1970, convinced from preliminary surveys that there had grown a strong nationwide
sentiment in favor of Bar integration, the Court created the Commission on Bar Integration
for the purpose of ascertaining the advisability of unifying the Philippine Bar.
In September, 1971, Congress passed House Bill No. 3277 entitled "An Act Providing for the
Integration of the Philippine Bar, and Appropriating Funds Therefor." The measure was
signed by President Ferdinand E. Marcos on September 17, 1971 and took effect on the
same day as Rep. Act 6397. This law provides as follows:
SECTION 1. Within two years from the approval of this Act, the Supreme
Court may adopt rules of court to effect the integration of the Philippine Bar
under such conditions as it shall see fit in order to raise the standards of the
legal profession, improve the administration of justice, and enable the Bar to
discharge its public responsibility more effectively.
SEC. 2. The sum of five hundred thousand pesos is hereby appropriated, out
of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to carry out
the purposes of this Act. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the
same purpose shall be included in the annual appropriations for the Supreme
Court.
SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
The Report of the Commission abounds with argument on the constitutionality of Bar
integration and contains all necessary factual data bearing on the advisability (practicability
and necessity) of Bar integration. Also embodied therein are the views, opinions, sentiments,
comments and observations of the rank and file of the Philippine lawyer population relative to
Bar integration, as well as a proposed integration Court Rule drafted by the Commission and
presented to them by that body in a national Bar plebiscite. There is thus sufficient basis as
well as ample material upon which the Court may decide whether or not to integrate the
Philippine Bar at this time.
The following are the pertinent issues:
(1) Does the Court have the power to integrate the Philippine Bar?
(2) Would the integration of the Bar be constitutional?
(3) Should the Court ordain the integration of the Bar at this time?
A resolution of these issues requires, at the outset, a statement of the meaning of Bar
integration. It will suffice, for this purpose, to adopt the concept given by the Commission on
Bar Integration on pages 3 to 5 of its Report, thus:
Integration of the Philippine Bar means the official unification of the entire
lawyer population of the Philippines. This requires membership and financial
support (in reasonable amount) of every attorney as conditions sine qua
non to the practice of law and the retention of his name in the Roll of
Attorneys of the Supreme Court.

The term "Bar" refers to the collectivity of all persons whose names appear in
the Roll of Attorneys. An Integrated Bar (or Unified Bar) perforce must include
all lawyers.
Complete unification is not possible unless it is decreed by an entity with
power to do so: the State. Bar integration, therefore, signifies the setting up
by Government authority of a national organization of the legal profession
based on the recognition of the lawyer as an officer of the court.
Designed to improve the position of the Bar as an instrumentality of justice
and the Rule of Law, integration fosters cohesion among lawyers, and
ensures, through their own organized action and participation, the promotion
of the objectives of the legal profession, pursuant to the principle of maximum
Bar autonomy with minimum supervision and regulation by the Supreme
Court.
The purposes of an integrated Bar, in general, are:
(1) Assist in the administration of justice;
(2) Foster and maintain on the part of its members high ideals of integrity,
learning, professional competence, public service and conduct;
(3) Safeguard the professional interests of its members;
(4) Cultivate among its members a spirit of cordiality and brotherhood;
(5) Provide a forum for the discussion of law, jurisprudence, law reform,
pleading, practice and procedure, and the relations of the Bar to the Bench
and to the public, and publish information relating thereto;
(6) Encourage and foster legal education;
(7) Promote a continuing program of legal research in substantive and
adjective law, and make reports and recommendations thereon; and
(8) Enable the Bar to discharge its public responsibility effectively.
Integration of the Bar will, among other things, make it possible for the legal
profession to:
(1) Render more effective assistance in maintaining the Rule of Law;
(2) Protect lawyers and litigants against the abuse of tyrannical judges and
prosecuting officers;
(3) Discharge, fully and properly, its responsibility in the disciplining and/or
removal of incompetent and unworthy judges and prosecuting officers;

(4) Shield the judiciary, which traditionally cannot defend itself except within
its own forum, from the assaults that politics and self-interest may level at it,
and assist it to maintain its integrity, impartiality and independence;
(5) Have an effective voice in the selection of judges and prosecuting officers;
(6) Prevent the unauthorized practice of law, and break up any monopoly of
local practice maintained through influence or position;
(7) Establish welfare funds for families of disabled and deceased lawyers;
(8) Provide placement services, and establish legal aid offices and set up
lawyer reference services throughout the country so that the poor may not
lack competent legal service;
(9) Distribute educational and informational materials that are difficult to
obtain in many of our provinces;
(10) Devise and maintain a program of continuing legal education for
practising attorneys in order to elevate the standards of the profession
throughout the country;
(11) Enforce rigid ethical standards, and promulgate minimum fees
schedules;
(12) Create law centers and establish law libraries for legal research;
(13) Conduct campaigns to educate the people on their legal rights and
obligations, on the importance of preventive legal advice, and on the
functions and duties of the Filipino lawyer; and
(14) Generate and maintain pervasive and meaningful country-wide
involvement of the lawyer population in the solution of the multifarious
problems that afflict the nation.
Anent the first issue, the Court is of the view that it may integrate the Philippine Bar in the
exercise of its power, under Article VIII, Sec. 13 of the Constitution, "to promulgate rules
concerning pleading, practice, and procedure in all courts, and the admission to the practice
of law." Indeed, the power to integrate is an inherent part of the Court's constitutional
authority over the Bar. In providing that "the Supreme Court may adopt rules of court to effect
the integration of the Philippine Bar," Republic Act 6397 neither confers a new power nor
restricts the Court's inherent power, but is a mere legislative declaration that the integration
of the Bar will promote public interest or, more specifically, will "raise the standards of the
legal profession, improve the administration of justice, and enable the Bar to discharge its
public responsibility more effectively."
Resolution of the second issue whether the unification of the Bar would be constitutional
hinges on the effects of Bar integration on the lawyer's constitutional rights of freedom of
association and freedom of speech, and on the nature of the dues exacted from him.

The Court approvingly quotes the following pertinent discussion made by the Commission on
Bar Integration pages 44 to 49 of its Report:
Constitutionality of Bar Integration
Judicial Pronouncements.
In all cases where the validity of Bar integration measures has been put in
issue, the Courts have upheld their constitutionality.
The judicial pronouncements support this reasoning:
Courts have inherent power to supervise and regulate the practice of law.
The practice of law is not a vested right but a privilege; a privilege,
moreover, clothed with public interest, because a lawyer owes duties not only
to his client, but also to his brethren in the profession, to the courts, and to
the nation; and takes part in one of the most important functions of the State,
the administration of justice, as an officer of the court.
Because the practice of law is privilege clothed with public interest, it is far
and just that the exercise of that privilege be regulated to assure compliance
with the lawyer's public responsibilities.
These public responsibilities can best be discharged through collective
action; but there can be no collective action without an organized body; no
organized body can operate effectively without incurring expenses; therefore,
it is fair and just that all attorneys be required to contribute to the support of
such organized body; and, given existing Bar conditions, the most efficient
means of doing so is by integrating the Bar through a rule of court that
requires all lawyers to pay annual dues to the Integrated Bar.
1. Freedom of Association.
To compel a lawyer to be a member of an integrated Bar is not violative of his
constitutional freedom to associate (or the corollary right not to associate).
Integration does not make a lawyer a member of any group of which he is not
already a member. He became a member of the Bar when he passed the Bar
examinations. All that integration actually does is to provide an official
national organization for the well-defined but unorganized and incohesive
group of which every lawyer is already a member.
Bar integration does not compel the lawyer to associate with anyone. He is
free to attend or not attend the meetings of his Integrated Bar Chapter or vote
or refuse to vote in its elections as he chooses. The body compulsion to
which he is subjected is the payment of annual dues.
Otherwise stated, membership in the Unified Bar imposes only the duty to
pay dues in reasonable amount. The issue therefore, is a question of

compelled financial support of group activities, not involuntary membership in

any other aspect.
The greater part of Unified Bar activities serves the function of elevating the
educational and ethical standards of the Bar to the end of improving the
quality of the legal service available to the people. The Supreme Court, in
order to further the State's legitimate interest in elevating the quality of
professional services, may require that the cost of improving the profession in
this fashion be shared by the subjects and beneficiaries of the regulatory
program the lawyers.
Assuming that Bar integration does compel a lawyer to be a member of the
Integrated Bar, such compulsion is justified as an exercise of the police
power of the State. The legal profession has long been regarded as a proper
subject of legislative regulation and control. Moreover, the inherent power of
the Supreme Court to regulate the Bar includes the authority to integrate the
Bar.
2. Regulatory Fee.
For the Court to prescribe dues to be paid by the members does not mean
that the Court levies a tax.
A membership fee in the Integrated Bar is an exaction for regulation, while
the purpose of a tax is revenue. If the Court has inherent power to regulate
the Bar, it follows that as an incident to regulation, it may impose a
membership fee for that purpose. It would not be possible to push through an
Integrated Bar program without means to defray the concomitant expenses.
The doctrine of implied powers necessarily includes the power to impose
such an exaction.
The only limitation upon the State's power to regulate the Bar is that the
regulation does not impose an unconstitutional burden. The public interest
promoted by the integration of the Bar far outweighs the inconsequential
inconvenience to a member that might result from his required payment of
annual dues.
3. Freedom of Speech.
A lawyer is free, as he has always been, to voice his views on any subject in
any manner he wishes, even though such views be opposed to positions
taken by the Unified Bar.
For the Integrated Bar to use a member's due to promote measures to which
said member is opposed, would not nullify or adversely affect his freedom of
speech.
Since a State may constitutionally condition the right to practice law upon
membership in the Integrated Bar, it is difficult to understand why it should
become unconstitutional for the Bar to use the member's dues to fulfill the
very purposes for which it was established.

The objection would make every Governmental exaction the material of a

"free speech" issue. Even the income tax would be suspect. The objection
would carry us to lengths that have never been dreamed of. The
conscientious objector, if his liberties were to be thus extended, might refuse
to contribute taxes in furtherance of war or of any other end condemned by
his conscience as irreligious or immoral. The right of private judgment has
never yet been exalted above the powers and the compulsion of the
agencies of Government.
4. Fair to All Lawyers.
Bar integration is not unfair to lawyers already practising because although
the requirement to pay annual dues is a new regulation, it will give the
members of the Bar a new system which they hitherto have not had and
through which, by proper work, they will receive benefits they have not
heretofore enjoyed, and discharge their public responsibilities in a more
effective manner than they have been able to do in the past. Because the
requirement to pay dues is a valid exercise of regulatory power by the Court,
because it will apply equally to all lawyers, young and old, at the time Bar
integration takes effect, and because it is a new regulation in exchange for
new benefits, it is not retroactive, it is not unequal, it is not unfair.
To resolve the third and final issue whether the Court should ordain the integration of the
Bar at this time requires a careful overview of the practicability and necessity as well as
the advantages and disadvantages of Bar integration.
In many other jurisdictions, notably in England, Canada and the United States, Bar
integration has yielded the following benefits: (1) improved discipline among the members of
the Bar; (2) greater influence and ascendancy of the Bar; (3) better and more meaningful
participation of the individual lawyer in the activities of the Integrated Bar; (4) greater Bar
facilities and services; (5) elimination of unauthorized practice; (6) avoidance of costly
membership campaigns; (7) establishment of an official status for the Bar; (8) more cohesive
profession; and (9) better and more effective discharge by the Bar of its obligations and
responsibilities to its members, to the courts, and to the public. No less than these salutary
consequences are envisioned and in fact expected from the unification of the Philippine Bar.
Upon the other hand, it has been variously argued that in the event of integration,
Government authority will dominate the Bar; local Bar associations will be weakened;
cliquism will be the inevitable result; effective lobbying will not be possible; the Bar will
become an impersonal Bar; and politics will intrude into its affairs.
It is noteworthy, however, that these and other evils prophesied by opponents of Bar
integration have failed to materialize in over fifty years of Bar integration experience in
England, Canada and the United States. In all the jurisdictions where the Integrated Bar has
been tried, none of the abuses or evils feared has arisen; on the other hand, it has restored
public confidence in the Bar, enlarged professional consciousness, energized the Bar's
responsibilities to the public, and vastly improved the administration of justice.
How do the Filipino lawyers themselves regard Bar integration? The official statistics
compiled by the Commission on Bar integration show that in the national poll recently
conducted by the Commission in the matter of the integration of the Philippine Bar, of a total
of 15,090 lawyers from all over the archipelago who have turned in their individual

responses, 14,555 (or 96.45 per cent) voted in favor of Bar integration, while only 378 (or
2.51 per cent) voted against it, and 157 (or 1.04 per cent) are non-commital. In addition, a
total of eighty (80) local Bar association and lawyers' groups all over the Philippines have
submitted resolutions and other expressions of unqualified endorsement and/or support for
Bar integration, while not a single local Bar association or lawyers' group has expressed
opposed position thereto. Finally, of the 13,802 individual lawyers who cast their plebiscite
ballots on the proposed integration Court Rule drafted by the Commission, 12,855 (or 93.14
per cent) voted in favor thereof, 662 (or 4.80 per cent) vote against it, and 285 (or 2.06 per
cent) are non-committal. 5 All these clearly indicate an overwhelming nationwide demand for Bar
integration at this time.
The Court is fully convinced, after a thoroughgoing conscientious study of all the arguments
adduced in Adm. Case No. 526 and the authoritative materials and the mass of factual data
contained in the exhaustive Report of the Commission on Bar Integration, that the integration
of the Philippine Bar is "perfectly constitutional and legally unobjectionable," within the
context of contemporary conditions in the Philippines, has become an imperative means to
raise the standards of the legal profession, improve the administration of justice, and enable
the Bar to discharge its public responsibility fully and effectively.
ACCORDINGLY, the Court, by virtue of the power vested in it by Section 13 of Article VIII of
the Constitution, hereby ordains the integration of the Bar of the Philippines in accordance
with the attached COURT RULE, effective on January 16, 1973.
.

IN RE ALMACEN
FACTS:
Atty Almacen is the counsel of Calero in the case of Yaptinchay vs.
Calero
The trial court, after the hearing rendered judgment against his client
he moved for reconsideration (MR) and served copy of the motion to
the adverse party but failed to notify the latter of the date and place of
the hearing
In the CA, the court moved to also dismiss the case for the reason that
the MR does not contain a notice of time and place of hearing and is
nothing but a useless piece of paper
The SC refused to take the case and in a minute resolution denied the
appeal
It was at this point that Atty Almacen filed his "PETITION TO
SURRENDER LAWYER'S CERTIFICATE OF TITLE"
The pleading filed by Atty Almacen is interspersed from beginning to
end with insolent, contemptuous, grossly disrespectful and
deregoratory remarks against the court, as well as its individual
members.
Atty Almacen described the court as "a tribunal peopled by men who
are calloused to our pleas of justice, who ignore without reason their
own applicable decisions and commit culpable violations of the

Constitution with impunity. he also referred to his client as "on who

was deeply aggrieved by the court's unjust judgment" and has become
" one of the sacrificial victims before the altar of hypocrisy." He also
referred to the member of the court as "justice as administered by the
present members of the Supreme Court is not only blind, but also deaf
and dumb."
The court asked Atty Almacen to show cause why no disciplinary
actions must be taken against him
Atty Almacen asked that he be given permission permission to give his
answer in an open and public hearing. He reasoned that since the
court is the complainant, prosecutor and judge, he preferred that he
answer and be heard in an open and public hearing sa that the court
could observe its sincerity and candor.
The court allowed Atty Almacen to file a written answer and thereafter
be heard in an oral argument
But his written answer offers no apology but is full of sarcasm and
innuendo
iSSUE:Whether or not Atty. Almacen should be given disciplinary actions for his acts

HELD:
YES! and he is indefinitely suspended until further order form the SC
Well-recognized is the right of a lawyer, both as an officer of the court
and as citizen, to criticize in properly respectful terms and through
legitimate channels the acts of courts and judges. The decisions of the
courta public property and the press and the people have the
undoubted right to comment on them, criticize and censure them as
they see fit.
BUT it is the cardinal condition of all such criticism that it shall be bona
fide and shall not spill over the walls of decency and rpopriety. A wide
chasm exist between fair criticism, on the one hand, and abuse and
slander of courts and justices thereof, on the other. Intemperate and
unfair criticism is a gross violation of the duty of respect to courts. it
isn such misconduct that subjects a lawyer to disciplinary action
In his relations with the court, a lawyer may not divide his personality
so as to be an attorney at one time and a mere citizen at another.
Statements made by an attorney in a private conversation or in the
course of political campaign, if couched in insulting language as to
bring scorn and disrepute to the administration of justice may subject
the attorney to disciplinary action.
post-litigation utterances or publication made by lawyers, critical of the
courts and their juducial actions, whether amounting to a crime or not,
which transcends the permissible bounds of fair commetns and
legitimate criticism constitute grave professional misconduct.
there is no comfort in the argument of Atty. Almacen that his
utterances were made after the judgments against his client attained

finality. he could still be liable for contempt as if it had been

perpetrated during the pendency of the said appeal. THe pendency or
non-pendency of a case in court is of no consequence. the sole
objective of the proceeding is to preserve the purity of the legal
profession