FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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i.iJJv 10 ;'J :: i.; 
Second Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Diploma mills or entities that sell fraudulent degrees, diplomas, or certifications, 
have proliferated in recent decades due to inconsistent law enforcement and technological 
advances such as the Internet and electronic mail. These diploma mills take many 
different forms but often share common characteristics, such as lack of accreditation or 
false claims of accreditation by agencies not recognized by the Commission on Higher 
Education. These institutions do not require previous academic records for admission. 
The tuition fee is charged based on the number of degrees purchased, rather than the 
number of credit hours or courses taken and the credits for degrees are offered based on 
life experience rather than academic work. In these institutions, students can receive 
degrees in far less time than at legitimate, accredited institutions of higher education and 
their faculties do not have degrees or credentials from accredited institutions. More often 
than not, the names of these institutions are very similar to legitimate, accredited 
institutions of higher education. 
Rapidly growing commerce in fraudulent academic credentials imperils the 
national security of the Philippines. The safety of the Philippine public is particularly 
endangered by the sale of fraudulent medical, engineering, science, and education 
degrees. Some individuals who obtain degrees from diploma mills are conspirators in 
fraudulent behavior, but others are innocent consumers who have become victims of 
financial scams. 


However, efforts to shut down diploma mills have been weak and erratic due to 
variations in the laws and agency policies, insufficient enforcement mechanisms and 
political priorities. 
The regulation of education in the country is, in general, a State responsibility, 
and the development and regulation of academic standards in higher education is the 
responsibility of institutions of higher education. The government should have uniform 
standards to determine the legitimacy of degrees, diplomas, certifications, and degree- 
granting institutions. 
Therefore, this Act is necessary to protect institutions of higher education, 
businesses and other employers, professional licensing boards, patients and clients of 
degree holders, taxpayers, and other individuals from any person claiming to possess a 
legitimate academic degree that in fact was issued by a fraudulent or nonexistent school, 
by a non-educational entity posing as a school, or by any entity in violation of state law. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
a 
NOV 10 p 4 ~ : ~ ~  
Second Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
REGULATING THE PROLIFERATION OF FRAUDULENT DEGREES, DIPLOMAS 
AND CERTIFICATIONS ISSUED BY UNAUTHORIZED DEGREE GRANTING 
INSTITUTIONS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House ojRepresentatives ojthe Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Diploma Integrity 
Protection Act of 2008”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. The State shall give priority to education, 
science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, 
accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development. 
SECTION 3. Definition ojTerms. As used in this Act unless the context indicates 
otherwise, the following definition of terms shall be adopted: 
A. “Degree-Granting Institution” refers to any entity that offers or confers an 
academic, professional, or occupational degree, diploma, or certificate, if such 
degree, diploma, or certificate may be used to represent to the general public that 
the individual possessing such degree, diploma, or certificate has completed a 
program of education or training beyond secondary education. 
B. “Diploma Mill” refers to any entity that: 
1. 
lacks valid accreditation by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as 
a valid accrediting agency of institutions of higher education ; and 
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2. 
offers degrees, diplomas, or certifications, for a fee, that may be used to 
represent to the general public that the individual possessing such a degree, 
diploma, or certification has completed a program of education or training 
beyond secondary education , but little or no education or course work is 
required to obtain such a degree, diploma, or certification. 
SECTION 4. List of Recognized Accrediting Agencies and Institutions. The 
Commissioner on Higher Education shall: 
A. Make available in a regularly updated electronic format, a list of -- 
1. 
2. 
foreign degree-granting institutions that-- 
accrediting agencies and associations, recognized by the CHED; 
a. have degree-granting authority, as granted by the appropriate agency in 
the home country of such institution; 
b. issue degrees that are accepted for professional licensure, public 
employment, and admission into graduate programs of degree-granting 
institutions in the home country; 
c. are determined by the Commissioner on Higher Education to be 
academically equivalent to an eligible institution, and 
d. are located in a home country that is capable of performing an effective 
academic evaluation of the degree-granting institutions to which it issues 
degree-granting authority. 
B. Modify and maintain the lists described in subsection (1) as necessary to ensure 
that the lists and the information contained in the lists are accurate and up-to-date, 
based on the most recent information available to the Commissioner. 
SECTION 5. Accrediting Agencies. No accrediting agency or association may be 
considered to be a reliable authority as to the quality of education or training offered by a 
degree-granting institution for any purpose related to immigration, employment and 
hiring practices, or for any other purposes, unless the agency or association is on the list 
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of accrediting agencies and associations recognized by the Commissioner on Higher 
Education. 
SECTION 6. Civil Service Employment. For purposes of applying any civil 
service law, rule, or regulation that requires or takes into consideration a degree from an 
institution of higher education for purposes of appointment or promotion of, or improved 
pay for an employee, only a degree from a degree-granting institution that is on the list of 
eligible institutions recognized by the Commissioner on Higher Education and provided 
to the appropriate government agency under section 4 shall be acceptable. 
SECTION 7. Diploma Mill Tusk Force. 
A. Establishment of a Task Force - The Commissioner on Higher Education shall 
establish a Diploma Mill Task Force (referred to in this Act as the 'Task Force'). 
B. Membership - The Task Force shall, if practicable, be composed of the following 
members: 
1. The Assistant Commissioner for Higher Education. 
2. A representative of the Department of Education with experience related to 
the determination of the legitimacy and quality of degrees from foreign 
institutions of higher education, selected by the Secretary of Education. 
3. A representative of the Department of Justice. 
4. A representative of the Department of Labor and Employment, selected by the 
Secretary of such agency. 
5. A representative of the Professional Regulatory Commission. 
6. A representative of the Civil Service Commission. 
7. Two individuals from the academe with experience in higher education, the 
detection of fraudulent degrees and degree-granting institutions, or law 
enforcement related to credential fraud. 
C. Criteria for Membership. - All members of the Task Force shall be persons who 
are especially qualified to serve on the Task Force by virtue of their education, 
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training, or experience, particularly in the fields of higher education, accreditation of 
institutions of higher education, foreign higher education standards, government 
regulation of institutions of higher education, immigration, civil service employment 
requirements and hiring practices, or fraud prevention, detection, or enforcement. 
D. Task Force Chair - At the first meeting of the Task Force, the members of the Task 
Force shall elect a member of the Task Force to serve as Chair. 
E. Task Force Guidelines - The Task Force shall develop guidelines, to be used for 
the development of government legislation, to identify degree-granting institutions as 
legitimate or fraudulent degree-granting institutions for government purposes. In 
developing such guidelines, the Task Force shall consider the following: 
1. Characteristics of degree-granting institutions that help determine the 
legitimacy of the institution, such as whether an entity-- 
a. offers or confers degrees, diplomas, or certificates- 
i. for little or no meaningful academic work; 
ii. without requiring an appropriate level of academic achievement for the 
attainment of such degrees, diplomas, or certificates; or 
iii. without imposing academic or other requirements for admittance into 
the institutions or programs offering such degrees, diplomas, or 
certificates; 
b. has fiscal and administrative structures and capacity appropriate to the 
specified scale of educational operations; 
c. has resources to support claims as a degree-granting institution, including 
curricula, qualified faculty, facilities, equipment, and supplies, student 
support services, objectives of the degrees or credentials offered, 
admissions practices, academic calendars and catalogs, and a grading 
system; and 
d. has degree-granting authority issued by CHED in which degrees, or 
instruction leading to degrees, are offered, and is recognized by the 
Commission as an approved institution of higher education ; 
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2. The feasibility of defining the term ‘fraudulent degree-granting institution’ 
(commonly referred to as ‘diploma mills’), and if feasible, shall define such term 
for use in government laws and regulations; 
3. The issues related to: 
a.the detection of new and existing fraudulent degree-granting institutions; 
b.recognition and prevention of the practices used by such fraudulent 
degree-granting institutions to avoid detection; 
c. the enforcement of laws and regulations prohibiting such fraudulent 
degree-granting institutions and practices and the use of fraudulent degrees; 
and 
d.the prosecution of such fraudulent degree-granting institutions and 
practices and the use of fraudulent degrees; 
4. Difficulties in identifying fraudulent degree-granting institutions located in 
foreign countries, or that claim recognition or degree-granting authority from 
foreign countries; 
5. Means to alert and educate the public about fraudulent degree-granting 
institutions and the use of fraudulent degrees; 
6. Laws, regulations, and other means used to address fraudulent degree-granting 
institutions and the use of fraudulent degrees; 
7. The potential need for coordination and cooperation among various 
government agencies to investigate and prosecute suspected fraudulent 
degree-granting institutions, and the detailed recommendations of the Task 
Force regarding such coordination and cooperation; 
8. The study and the report to the Task Force and the purposes for which various 
agencies and educational institutions need to identify fraudulent degree- 
granting institutions, and identify, prohibit, and prevent the use of degrees 
issued by such fraudulent institutions, and the ability of such agencies to 
implement any guidelines considered by the Task Force. 
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SECTION 8. Appropriation. - The amount of Five million pesos (P5,000,000.00) 
is hereby authorized to be appropriated for the Diploma Mill Task Force. Thereafter, the 
funds necessary for the operation of the Task Force shall be included in the General 
Appropriations Act. 
SECTION 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part thereof is held invalid 
or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive orders, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule and regulation contrary 
to, or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or 
amended accordingly. 
SECTION 11. Efectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
following its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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