New Shari’ah lawyers urged to embrace sacrifices, follow rule of law

Outgoing Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta on Tuesday led the judiciary in welcoming the new batch of Shari’ah lawyers who passed the special Bar examinations last year.

Seventy-one successful examinees took their oath virtually before Supreme Court (SC) Clerk of Court Edgar Aricheta, with Peralta presiding over the session at the high tribunal’s main office in Manila.

The other justices participated online.

“As Shari'ah counselors at law, you must be a stickler for Islamic norms and principles [and] endeavor to disseminate [the] teachings of Shari'ah anchored on the Holy Qur’an,” Court of Appeals Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao, chairperson of the 2020 exams, said in his speech.

“As you reflect on your oath, take to heart the fundamental, moral, and ethical principles and tenets that Shari’ah candidates are expected to observe. These are unwavering allegiance and loyalty to the Constitution, obedience or fealty to the rule of law, [and] preservation of the integrity of your profession.”

SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonen congratulated the new Shari’ah lawyers and reminded them to “embrace the sacrifices."

“Be patient with those who you serve and in all your endeavors, have the courage to do what is right at the right time and in the right way,” he said.

He also said that faith should be a uniting force.

“Faith should unite, not divide. Faith should not cause us to fear those who have other faiths. Rather, it should help us understand differences and put more value in patience and tolerance. Faith empowers us to be more human, rather than destroy humanity,” said Leonen, who once led the government’s peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) under then President Benigno Aquino III.

“All faiths are truly founded on kindness and compassion.”

Shari'ah is Muslim law, which refers to all the ordinances and regulations governing Muslims as found principally in the Qur'an and the Hadith, according to Presidential Decree 1083 or the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines.

Shari’ah courts are under the supervision of the SC.

Held in January last year, the Shari’ah Bar exams had 654 examinees but only 71 passed.

Dimaampao said the passing percentage was 10.86%, the lowest since 1983 when only 14 passed (7.69%). — RSJ, GMA News