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    Petition of Atty. Epifanio Muneses

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    Thea Ginn Velez Carwana
    Epifanio Muneses, a former member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), petitioned to resume practicing law in the Philippines after reacquiring his Philippine citizenship under the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003. The Court ruled that reacquiring Philippine citizenship allowed Muneses to remain a member of the Philippine Bar, but he was still required to apply for a license to practice law. The Office of the Bar Confidant required Muneses to submit documents proving his reacquisition of citizenship and that he met qualifications like continuing legal education. After verifying his qualifications and compliance, they recommended allowing Muneses to resume practicing law.

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    Petition of Atty. Epifanio Muneses

    Uploaded by

    Thea Ginn Velez Carwana
    82 views1 page
    Epifanio Muneses, a former member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), petitioned to resume practicing law in the Philippines after reacquiring his Philippine citizenship under the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003. The Court ruled that reacquiring Philippine citizenship allowed Muneses to remain a member of the Philippine Bar, but he was still required to apply for a license to practice law. The Office of the Bar Confidant required Muneses to submit documents proving his reacquisition of citizenship and that he met qualifications like continuing legal education. After verifying his qualifications and compliance, they recommended allowing Muneses to resume practicing law.

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    18. Petition of Atty. Epifanio Muneses.docx

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    Epifanio Muneses, a former member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), petitioned to resume practicing law in the Philippines after reacquiring his Philippine citizenship under the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003. The Court ruled that reacquiring Philippine citizenship allowed Muneses to remain a member of the Philippine Bar, but he was still required to apply for a license to practice law. The Office of the Bar Confidant required Muneses to submit documents proving his reacquisition of citizenship and that he met qualifications like continuing legal education. After verifying his qualifications and compliance, they recommended allowing Muneses to resume practicing law.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    82 views1 page

    Petition of Atty. Epifanio Muneses

    Uploaded by

    Thea Ginn Velez Carwana
    Epifanio Muneses, a former member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), petitioned to resume practicing law in the Philippines after reacquiring his Philippine citizenship under the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003. The Court ruled that reacquiring Philippine citizenship allowed Muneses to remain a member of the Philippine Bar, but he was still required to apply for a license to practice law. The Office of the Bar Confidant required Muneses to submit documents proving his reacquisition of citizenship and that he met qualifications like continuing legal education. After verifying his qualifications and compliance, they recommended allowing Muneses to resume practicing law.

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    18. Petition of Atty.

    Epifanio Muneses

    FACTS:
    On June 8, 2009, a petition was filed by Epifanio B. Muneses with the Office of the Bar Confidant
    praying that he be granted the privilege to practice law in the Philippines.

    The petitioner alleged that he became a member of the IBP on March 21, 1966; that he lost his
    privilege to practice law when he became a citizen of the USA on August 28, 1981; that on
    September 15, 2006, he re-acquired his Philippine citizenship pursuant to R.A. No. 9225 or the
    "Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003" by taking his oath of allegiance as a
    Filipino citizen before the Philippine Consulate General in Washington, D.C., USA; that he intends
    to retire in the Philippines and if granted, to resume the practice of law.

    ISSUE:
    Whether or not to grant the petition to resume the privilege to practice law in the Philippines

    RULING:
    The Court reiterates that Filipino citizenship is a requirement for admission to the bar and is, in
    fact, a continuing requirement for the practice of law. The loss thereof means termination of the
    petitioner’s membership in the bar; ipso jure the privilege to engage in the practice of law. Under
    R.A. No. 9225, natural-born citizens who have lost their Philippine citizenship by reason of their
    naturalization as citizens of a foreign country are deemed to have re-acquired their Philippine
    citizenship upon taking the oath of allegiance to the Republic. Thus, a Filipino lawyer who
    becomes a citizen of another country and later re-acquires his Philippine citizenship under R.A.
    No. 9225, remains to be a member of the Philippine Bar. However, as stated in Dacanay, the right
    to resume the practice of law is not automatic. R.A. No. 9225 provides that a person who intends
    to practice his profession in the Philippines must apply with the proper authority for a license or
    permit to engage in such practice.

    Thus, in pursuance to the qualifications laid down by the Court for the practice of law, the OBC
    required the herein petitioner to submit the original or certified true copies of the following
    documents in relation to his petition:
    1. Petition for Re-Acquisition of Philippine Citizenship;
    2. Order (for Re-Acquisition of Philippine citizenship);
    3. Oath of Allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines;
    4. Identification Certificate (IC) issued by the Bureau of Immigration;
    5. Certificate of Good Standing issued by the IBP;
    6. Certification from the IBP indicating updated payments of annual membership dues;
    7. Proof of payment of professional tax; and
    8. Certificate of compliance issued by the MCLE Office.

    The OBC further required the petitioner to update his compliance, particularly with the MCLE.
    After all the requirements were satisfactorily complied with and finding that the petitioner has met
    all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications for membership in the bar, the OBC
    recommended that the petitioner be allowed to resume his practice of law.

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