By: Atty. Jez Charlemagne Arago
This is the second subject of the Philippine Bar Exams and this is one of the three 10% subjects of your total score. But never underestimate the power of 10%, it might just save you and help you become a lawyer. Whatever effort you are giving to your 15% and 20% subjects, it must also be given to your 10% and 5% subjects. No subject must be taken for granted as all of them make up your Bar grade.
Labor Laws and Social Legislation is a very broad subject. It is one of those subjects which constantly changes. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regularly issues department orders which form part of the Labor Laws. These department orders always become part of the topics discussed in the class hence, they also become topics in the Bar exam.
With the right choice of reading materials, you need not worry about the constant changes and additions in Labor Laws as all topics will be covered to prepare you for your Labor Law battle.
The following are the suggested books for Labor Laws that a barrister can read:
This book follows the Bar exam syllabus and is presented the way each topic is arranged in the said syllabus.
Each chapter of this book has an outline of the topics to be discussed, so you can double-check this outline with the topics in the syllabus.
This book has the recent as well as landmark Supreme Court cases and doctrines which help both Law students and barristers to better understand the subject. Different cases are used for each topic to show how the laws are applied in different sets of facts.
The book is quite thick not only because of its content but also because the paper used is thicker compared to other books. It also has a small font. But do not feel intimidated. There are lots of white spaces in the pages, you even have enough space to write your notes in the margins.
Bar Reviewer on Labor Law by Joselito G. Chan is available in all Rex Bookstore and Central Bookstore branches. This book is quite more expensive compared to other law books but it is worth it!
If you used the Labor Standard and Labor Relations book of Azucena in your undergrad, you sure know this book.
Everyone's Labor Code is the reviewer version of the two Labor Law books of Azucena. If you are already a barrister, this is the book choice for you because you do not want to read again the long and thick versions of his books. They cover the same topic, anyway.
It is concise and presents the essential topics each barrister must know before taking the bar. It is also thin so you are sure that you can easily finish the book in a short period.
Notes
For the notes, the most popular is the Pre-Week Notes of J.G. Chan. It is the compact version of his book. It is essentially the same with the book, sans the narration of facts of the cases.
Here, only the case doctrines and the important concepts are discussed. Most barristers use this for their second reading while some use this as their sole material for Labor Laws because it is just the same as the book. This usually comes out and becomes available in early October.
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