For bringing a digital camera to the 2011 Bar examinations and taking pictures of the questionnaires, a Court of Appeals employee has been permanently disqualified from supervising the exams. In a six-page decision, the Supreme Court upheld an Office of the Bar Confidante (OBC) report finding Melchor Tiongson guilty of simple misconduct, as well as of violating the “Instructions to Head Watchers” when he brought his camera inside the Bar exam room at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila in November 2011. Tiongson brought his digital camera inside Room 314 of St. Martin De Porres Building in UST during the second Sunday of the Bar exams. According to Tiongson’s three fellow watchers, while they were counting the pages of the questionnaires after the morning examination, Tiongson took pictures of the Civil Law questionnaire using his digital camera. “Tiongson allegedly repeated the same act and took pictures of the Mercantile Law questionnaire after the afternoon examination,” said the high court in recounting the facts of the administrative case. During investigation of the OBC, Tiongson admitted bringing in his digital camera. He said he refused to surrender his camera to the badge counter personnel for fear that it will not be handled and kept properly. Following the incident, Tiongson was no longer allowed to serve as head watcher during the remaining Sundays of the examination that year. The OBC also indefinitely suspended him from becoming a head watcher for gross misconduct and dishonesty. In its own ruling, the SC affirmed the Read More …