Lawyer’s duty to the legal profession

a. Integrated Bar of the Philippines

1) Organization

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines is the official national body composed of all persons whose names now appear or may hereafter be included in the Roll of Attorneys of the Supreme Court. (Section 1, Rule 139-A, Rules of Court)

2) Purposes

The fundamental purposes of the Integrated Bar shall be to elevate the standards of the legal profession, improve the administration of justice, and enable the Bar to discharge its public responsibility more effectively. (Section 2, Rule 139-A, Ibid.)

3) Non-political Bar

The Integrated Bar shall be strictly non-political, and every activity tending to impair this basic feature is strictly prohibited and shall be penalized accordingly. No lawyer holding an elective, judicial, quasi-judicial, or prosecutory office in the Government or any political subdivision or instrumentality thereof shall be eligible for election of appointment to any position in the Integrated Bar or any Chapter thereof shall be considered ipso facto resigned from his position as of the moment he files his certificate of candidacy for any elective public office or accepts appointment to any judicial, q...