Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. KENNETH T. GATCHALIAN 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The 1987 Constitution  mandates the State to regulate  educational institutions 
and promote quality education. This applies to both public and private schools play 
important roles in education, thus, the government should supervise all schools fairly. 
To support this, Republic Act No. 7836, also known as the “Philippine Teachers 
Professionalization Act of 1994,” was enacted to promote and improve the teaching 
profession and oversee the licensure exam for teachers. In 2004, this law was amended 
through Republic Act No. 9293, which revised Sections 15, 16, and 31. 
Schools worldwide see professional teaching license as an important 
requirement for hiring teachers.1 In the Philippines, the licensure exam helps measure 
the quality of teachers and determine the kind of education they provide. It ensures 
that only those who meet the minimum standards and skills needed to teach are 
allowed to work in different schools and other educational institutions.2  
The Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT) is used by 
the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board for Professional 
Teachers to assess if future teachers are ready to teach. From 2017 to 2019, only less 
than half of the test-takers passed the exam both in elementary and secondary 
education. A World Bank study (2009–2017) also showed that many teachers lacked 
strong subject knowledge3. Since the BLEPT plays a key role in ensuring teacher 
1 Yauney, J.M. (2022). K-12 CS teacher licensing in the US. In Proceedings of the 53rd ACM 
Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 2, 1171. Available at: https:// 
doi.org/10.1145/3478432.3499202 
2 Abao EL, Petancio JAM, Sanchez JMP and Sumalinog GG (2023) Performance of beginning 
teachers in the licensure examination for teachers: a national study. Front. Educ. 
8:1240658. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1240658 
3 World Bank. (2019). Philippines basic education: public expenditure review. Available at: 
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/3d726a60-03c8-55 3f-
8de8-214e29234b45/content 
July 30, 2025
11:32 am
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quality, it's important to review and 
update the “Philippine Teachers 
Professionalization Act of 1994. 
To help raise professional standards and increase the number of qualified 
teachers, while allowing Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) to better align their 
curriculum, training, and the licensure exam, this bill proposes changes to Sections 5, 
7, 8, and 13 to 16 through the following provisions: 
1.
Expanding the number of the members of the Board and the
nominations for the members of the Board, and mandating the posting of
the final list of nominees on the PRC official website;
2.
Providing that the members of the Board who are employees or
officials of government entities be seconded to the PRC for the duration
of their term;
3.
Setting additional qualifications and necessary expertise of the
Board members, and the prohibition on the conflict of interest in the
conduct and release of the licensure examination to be set by the PRC;
4.
Prescribing the scope of examinations for the early childhood,
special needs education, elementary, and secondary levels;
5.
Proposing other applicable fields of specialization with
qualifications as may be determined by the PRC, in coordination with the
TEC;
6.
Requiring the completion of a refresher course for those who
failed to pass the licensure examination two (2) times;
7.
Including the submission of and passing the portfolio of
attainment of the professional standards for teaching as one of the
requirements in taking the BLEPT;
8.
Mandating the release of BLEPT questions and answers by the
PRC within five (5) days after the day of the administration of the
examination; and
9.
Requiring the report of the ratings obtained by each candidate in
each component to the PRC and mandating the Board to make public the
licensure examination performance of TEIs within 15 days after the
release of examination results.
The bill also adds a new Section 15-A, allowing the TEC to create guidelines for 
preparing, assessing, and evaluating teachers’ portfolios to meet professional 
teaching standards. 
To provide quality and transformative education through well-trained and qualified 
teachers. the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.  
 KENNETH T. GATCHALIAN 


3
Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. KENNETH T. GATCHALIAN 
AN ACT 
FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7836, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS 
THE “PHILIPPINE TEACHERS PROFESSIONALIZATION ACT OF 1994”, AS 
AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9293  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:  
Section 1. Section 5 of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 7836 is hereby amended to read 
as follows:  
“Sec. 5. Creation and Composition of the Board. – There is hereby created 
under this Act a Board for Professional Teachers, hereinafter called the 
Board, a collegial body under the general supervision and administrative 
control of the Professional Regulation Commission, hereinafter referred to 
as the Commission, composed of [five (5)] SEVEN (7) members who shall 
be appointed by the President of the Philippines from among the 
recommendees chosen by the Commission.  
[The recommendees shall be chosen from the list of nominees selected 
by the accredited association of teachers,] THE DEPARTMENT OF 
EDUCATION (DEPED), COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION 
(CHED), 
TEACHER 
EDUCATION 
COUNCIL 
(TEC), 
EARLY 
CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (ECCDC), 
ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 
(ALCU), PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF STATE UNIVERSITIES 
AND 
COLLEGES 
(PASUC), 
COORDINATING 
COUNCIL 
OF 
PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES 
(COCOPEA), AND AN ACCREDITED ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS 
SHALL EACH RECOMMEND NOT MORE THAN TWO (2) 
NOMINEES WHO SHALL BE EVALUATED BY THE COMMISSION 
BASED ON [who duly possess all] the qualifications prescribed in Section 
[8] 3 of this Act. THE FINAL LIST OF NOMINEES SHALL BE
PUBLISHED IN A NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION AND
POSTED ON THE COMMISSION’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
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4
The chair[man]PERSON and vice-chair[man]PERSON of the Board 
shall be appointed from these [five (5)] SEVEN (7) members by the 
President: Provided, That the members of the first Board appointed under 
this Act shall be automatically registered as professional teachers and 
issued with the certificate of registration and professional license upon 
payment of the fees for examination, registration, and other fees 
prescribed by the Commission.  
FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECOMMENDING NOMINEES UNDER 
THIS SECTION, THE ACCREDITED ASSOCIATION SHALL REFER 
TO A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION DULY RECOGNIZED BY 
THE COMMISSION AND COMPOSED OF AT LEAST 20% OF THE 
TOTAL NUMBER OF TEACHERS WITH VALID PROFESSIONAL 
LICENSE.”  
  
Sec. 2. Section 7 of the same Act is hereby amended as follows:  
“Sec. 7. Term of Office. – The members of the Board shall hold office for 
a term of three (3) years from the date they assume office[: Provided, That 
the first appointees to the Board under this Act shall hold office according 
to the following terms: one (1) member shall serve for one (1) year; one (1) 
member for two (2) years; the chairman, vice-chairman, and one (1) 
member for three (3) years]. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD WHO ARE 
OFFICIALS OR EMPLOYEES OF GOVERNMENT ENTITIES SHALL 
BE SECONDED TO THE COMMISSION FOR THE DURATION OF 
THEIR TERM SUBJECT TO EXISTING CIVIL SERVICE RULES AND 
REGULATIONS. Vacancies shall be served for the unexpired term only. 
No person who has served AS MEMBER OF THE BOARD for two (2) 
consecutive terms shall be eligible for reappointment. Appointment to fill 
an unexpired term shall be considered an appointment to a complete 
term.  
The chairman or any member shall take his oath of office prior to the 
performance of his duties.”  
  
Sec. 3. Section 8 of the same Act is hereby amended as follows:  
“Sec. 8. Qualifications of Board Members. – Each Board member must at 
the time of his OR HER appointment:  
a.  Be a citizen and resident of the Philippines;  
b. 
 Be at least thirty-five (35) years of age, of proven integrity, 
and possessed of high moral values in his OR HER personal as well as 
professional conduct and has not been convicted of any offense 
involving moral turpitude;  
c. 
 Be a holder of [the degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor 
of Science in Education and preferably a holder of a master's or doctorate 
degree in education, or their equivalents,]  AT LEAST A MASTER'S 
DEGREE, PREFERABLY AN EARNED DOCTORATE DEGREE, IN 
TEACHER EDUCATION OR OTHER ALLIED DISCIPLINES from a 
REPUTABLE 
HIGHER 
EDUCATION 
INSTITUTION[, 
duly 
recognized and/or accredited by the Philippine government];  


 
5
d. 
 Be a professional teacher with a valid certificate of 
registration and valid professional license, save those members who 
shall compose the first Board for Professional Teachers;  
e. 
 Has been a professional teacher in the active practice of 
the teaching profession for at least ten (10) years in EARLY 
CHILDHOOD, elementary, [and] OR secondary LEVEL, OR IN THE 
TERTIARY LEVEL AS A FULL-TIME FACULTY IN A TEACHER 
EDUCATION INSTITUTION (TEI); and   
f. 
 Not be, AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT, an official 
member of the faculty of, nor have pecuniary interest in any [university, 
college, school, or institution] HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION 
conferring a bachelor’s degree in education or its equivalents [for at least 
three (3) years prior to his appointment,], and NOT connected with a 
review center or with any group or association where review classes or 
lectures in preparation for the licensure examination are offered or 
conducted, NOR HAVE PECUNIARY INTEREST IN SUCH.  
PROVIDED, THAT THE COMMISSION SHALL ISSUE THE 
APPROPRIATE RULES TO GOVERN THE PRACTICE OF THE 
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD TO ENSURE THAT NO CONFLICT OF 
INTEREST SHALL ARISE IN THEIR FUNCTIONS RELATED TO THE 
CONDUCT OF THE LICENSURE EXAMINATION AND RELEASE OF 
THE RESULTS.  
Provided, [however] FURTHER, That the membership to the Board 
shall be evenly distributed to cover all levels of education, including 
equitable representation of the different fields of specialization.   
PROVIDED, FINALLY, THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 
SHALL 
ALSO 
HAVE 
THE 
NECESSARY 
EXPERTISE 
IN 
IMPLEMENTING TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS THAT ARE 
PRESCRIBED BY THE TEC AND REGULATED BY THE CHED, TEST 
DEVELOPMENT 
AND 
ANALYSIS, 
AND 
LOGISTICS 
IN 
IMPLEMENTING LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENTS AND SYSTEM 
EVALUATION.”  
  
Sec. 4. Section 13 of the same Act is hereby amended as follows:  
“Sec. 13. Examination, Registration and License Required. – Except as 
otherwise specifically allowed under the provisions of this Act, all 
applicants for registration as professional teachers shall be required to 
undergo a written examination which shall be given at least once a year in 
such places and date as the Board may determine upon approval by the 
Commission.   
A valid certificate of registration and a valid professional license from 
the Commission are required before any person is allowed to practice as a 
professional teacher in the Philippines, except as otherwise allowed under 
[this Act] SECTION 8 OF R.A. NO. 10533, OR THE “ENHANCED BASIC 
EDUCATION ACT OF 2013”: PROVIDED, THAT THEY PASS THE 
WRITTEN EXAMINATION WITHIN FIVE (5) YEARS FROM THE 
DATE OF HIRING.”  


 
6
  
Sec. 5. Section 14 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:  
“Sec. 14. Scope of Examination. – The examinations for the EARLY 
CHILDHOOD 
EDUCATION, 
SPECIAL 
NEEDS 
EDUCATION, 
elementary, and secondary school teachers shall be separate[.], AND [The 
examination for teachers in the  elementary level] shall consist of [two (2)] 
THE FOLLOWING parts, namely: [professional] GENERAL education, 
[and] 
[general] 
PROFESSIONAL 
education, 
and/OR 
field 
of 
specialization, AS APPLICABLE [The examination for teachers in the 
secondary level shall consist of three (3) parts, namely: professional 
education, general education, and field of specialization].”  
FOR 
APPLICANTS 
WITH 
THE 
REQUIRED 
UNITS 
IN 
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION, AS PROVIDED UNDER SECTION 6 
OF THIS ACT, THE EXAMINATIONS SHALL CONSIST OF 
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AND FIELD OF SPECIALIZATION, 
AS DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSION, IN COORDINATION 
WITH THE TEC.”  
  
Sec. 6. Section 15 of the same Act is hereby further amended to read as follows:  
“Sec. 15. Qualification Requirements of Applicant. – No applicant shall be 
admitted to take the examination unless, on the date of the filing of the 
application, he OR SHE shall have complied with the following 
requirements:  
a. 
 A citizen of the Philippines or an alien whose country has 
reciprocity with the Philippines in the practice of the teaching 
profession;  
b. 
 At least eighteen (18) years of age;  
c. 
 In good health and of good reputation with high moral 
values;  
d. 
 Has not been convicted by final judgment by a court for 
an offense involving moral turpitude;  
e. 
 A graduate of a [school, college or university] HIGHER 
EDUCATION INSTITUTION DULY recognized by the government 
and possesses the minimum educational qualifications, as follows:  
1. 
For 
teachers 
in 
[preschool] 
THE 
EARLY 
CHILDHOOD LEVEL, a bachelor's degree in early childhood 
education (BECED) or its equivalent;  
2. 
FOR 
TEACHERS 
IN 
SPECIAL 
NEEDS 
EDUCATION PURSUANT TO R.A. NO. 11650, OR THE 
“INSTITUTING A POLICY OF INCLUSION AND SERVICES 
FOR LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES IN SUPPORT OF 
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION ACT”, A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN 
SPECIAL 
NEEDS 
EDUCATION 
(BSNED) 
OR 
ITS 
EQUIVALENT;  
3. 
For teachers in the elementary grades, a bachelor's 
degree in elementary education (B[S]EED) or its equivalent;  


 
7
4. 
For teachers in the secondary grades, a bachelor's 
degree in education or its equivalent with a major [and minor,] or a 
bachelor's degree in arts and sciences with THE REQUIRED UNITS 
IN PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AS DETERMINED BY THE 
TEC [at least eighteen (18) units in professional education];  
5. 
For teachers of vocational and two-year technical 
courses, a bachelor's degree in the field of specialization or its 
equivalent, with THE REQUIRED UNITS IN PROFESSIONAL 
EDUCATION AS DETERMINED BY THE TEC [at least eighteen 
(18) units in professional education]; and  
6. 
FOR THOSE WITH OTHER APPLICABLE 
FIELDS 
OF 
SPECIALIZATION, 
THE 
MINIMUM 
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS SHALL BE DETERMINED 
BY THE COMMISSION, IN COORDINATION WITH THE TEC.  
f. 
 HAS SUBMITTED AND PASSED THE PORTFOLIO 
OF ATTAINMENT OF THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR 
TEACHING AS PROVIDED UNDER SECTION 7 OF THIS ACT; 
AND  
g. 
 HAS COMPLETED A REFRESHER COURSE IN A 
GOVERNMENT-RECOGNIZED TEI AS DEFINED UNDER R.A. NO. 
11713, OR THE “EXCELLENCE IN TEACHER EDUCATION ACT” 
WITHIN 
ONE 
YEAR 
PRIOR 
TO 
THE 
DATE 
OF 
THE 
EXAMINATION FOR APPLICANTS WHO FAILED TO PASS THE 
LICENSURE EXAMINATION TWO (2) TIMES.”  
  
Sec. 7. A new Section 15-A is hereby inserted to read as follows:  
“SEC. 15-A. SUBMISSION OF PORTFOLIO OF ATTAINMENT OF 
THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS. – GRADUATES OF HIGHER 
EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS WHO SHALL BE TAKING THE 
WRITTEN EXAMINATION SHALL BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A 
TEACHING PORTFOLIO AS EVIDENCE OF THEIR ATTAINMENT 
OF THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS.  
THE TEC SHALL BE CAPACITATED TO DEVELOP AND ISSUE 
APPROPRIATE 
GUIDELINES 
FOR 
THE 
PREPARATION, 
ASSESSMENT, AND EVALUATION OF THE PORTFOLIO OF 
ATTAINMENT OF THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR 
TEACHING. THESE GUIDELINES SHALL ENSURE ALIGNMENT 
WITH THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND UPHOLD THE 
QUALITY AND INTEGRITY OF THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS 
ACROSS INSTITUTIONS.”  
  
Sec. 8. Section 16 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:  
“Sec. 16. RELEASE OF THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS; Report of 
the EXAMINATION RESULTS. – THE LICENSURE EXAMINATION 
QUESTIONS AND CORRESPONDING ANSWERS SHALL BE 
RELEASED BY THE COMMISSION TO THE TEC WITHIN FIVE (5) 


 
8
DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF ADMINISTRATION OF THE 
EXAMINATION.  
FURTHER, the Board shall, within one hundred twenty (120) days 
after the examination, report the ratings obtained by each candidate IN 
EACH COMPONENT to the COMMISSION for approval and 
appropriate action.   
THE COMMISSION SHALL ALSO MAKE PUBLIC THE 
LICENSURE 
EXAMINATION 
TEST 
QUESTIONS 
AND 
CORRESPONDING ANSWERS, AND THE PERFORMANCE OF TEIS 
WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE EXAMINATION 
RESULTS.”  
  
Sec. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). – Within sixty (60) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the Commission shall update its IRR necessary for the full 
and effective implementation of this Act.  
  
Sec. 10. Transitory Provision. – The Commission and the Board shall update their 
existing policies and issuances to ensure their alignment with this Act within a period 
of six (6) months from its effectivity, and report the same to Congress on the first year 
of its implementation.  
  
Sec. 11. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act is declared 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions or parts not affected shall 
remain in full force and effect.  
   
Sec. 12.  Repealing Clause. – All other laws, executive orders, presidential 
decrees, administrative orders, rules and regulations, issuances, or parts thereof 
inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or 
amended accordingly.  
  
Sec. 13. Effectivity. – Notwithstanding the non-issuance of the IRR, this Act shall 
take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a 
newspaper of general circulation.   
  
Approved,