The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) is the official organization of all Philippine lawyers whose names appear in the Roll of Attorneys of the Supreme Court. These are the attorneys whose names appear in the Rolls of Attorneys of the Supreme Court. They have qualified for and have passed the Philippine Bar Examination conducted annually, and have taken the attorney’s oath, unless otherwise disbarred.
Membership in the IBP is compulsory for all lawyers in the country. The Philippine Supreme Court has required all lawyers to indicate their Roll of Attorneys Number in all papers and pleadings filed in judicial and quasi-judicial bodies in addition to the previously required current Professional Tax Receipt (PTR) and IBP Official Receipt or Life Member Number.
It is an official organization - and by “official” we mean that it is established by the State. Republic Act No. 6397 confirmed the power of the Supreme Court to adopt rules of court to effect the integration of the Philippine Bar. Presidential Decree. No. 181 was promulgated on May 4, 1973 constituting the IBP into a body corporate and providing government assistance thereto for the accomplishment of its purposes.
Created through Article VIII Section 8 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the
JBC screens individuals aiming to lead the Chief Justice, SC Associate Justice, office of the Ombudsman, Deputy Ombudsman, Special Prosecutor, and the offices of the Chairperson and Regular Members of the Legal Education Board. The JBC, which was created under the supervision of the SC, includes the SC chief justice as ex officio chairperson, and the Department of Justice secretary and representative from Congress as ex officio members. With the Senate and House of Representatives as part of the Congress, the SC affirmed in 2013 that legislators will have only one representative in the JBC. Regular members, meanwhile, include a representative of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), a retired SC justice, a member of the academe, and a representative of the private sector. President of the Philippines chose one from the 3 JBC recommended candidates as SC chief justice.