Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Batasan Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 10569
Introduced by  
HON. ATTY. GERVILLE “JINKY BITRICS” R. LUISTRO 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A LEGAL SCHOLARSHIP AND RETURN SERVICE 
PROGRAM FOR DESERVING STUDENTS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Enshrined in the Bill of Rights in the 1987 Philippine Constitution is the right of any 
person to have free access to courts and quasi-judicial bodies and adequate legal assistance and 
shall not be denied to them by reason of poverty.1 In pursuit of this goal, our country has already 
made significant advances, with perhaps one of the most evident examples manifested in the 
Public Attorney’s Office under the Department of Justice (DOJ) which provides free legal 
representation to impoverished individuals, and in the Integrated Bar of the Philippines’ (IPB) 
own legal aid program which extends legal assistance to indigent Filipinos.  
Despite such efforts, wide gaps in the provision of access to adequate legal assistance still 
exist. According to a 2018 survey conducted by the World Justice Project, an international civil 
society organization working to advance the rule of law around the world, 80 percent of Filipinos 
were not able to access any legal assistance. In a separate United Nations Development 
Programme (UNDP) survey, one reason for the inaccessibility of assistance is the lack of contact 
with lawyers.2 A 2016 report on the Philippine Criminal Justice System, for example, cites the 
lack of considerable public investment in the hiring of more judges, prosecutors, and public  
1 https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/1987-constitution/
2 https://www.trust.org/i/?id=da574ac4-780c-4e47-963b-c3680fb475f7
July 1, 2024
4:45 pm


attorneys proportional to the country’s increasing population.3 
Law school fees do not help in the slightest to encourage students to even consider taking 
up law as a profession; school fees in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) can go as high as 
P30,000.00 per semester, and nearly P100,000.00 in private Higher Education Institutions 
(HEIs).  
This bill aims to address the deficiency of lawyers through the provision of scholarships 
for qualified and deserving individuals enrolling in recognized law schools, in view of improving 
overall access to legal services by increasing the number of lawyers in the country. Moreover, 
the mandatory return service required to those of availing the scholarships will ensure that the 
necessary manpower for all legal-related services and functions of government agencies and 
offices will be amply met. 
In view of the foregoing, approval of the bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. ATTY. GERVILLE “JINKY BITRICS” R. LUISTRO 
3 https://international-review.icrc.org/sites/default/files/irrc-903-8.pdf


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Batasan Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 10569 
Introduced by  
HON. ATTY. GERVILLE “JINKY BITRICS” R. LUISTRO 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A LEGAL SCHOLARSHIP AND RETURN SERVICE 
PROGRAM FOR DESERVING STUDENTS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
Assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the "Abogado Para sa Bayan Act". 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
uphold the right to free access to the courts and quasi-judicial bodies and ensure that adequate 
legal assistance shall not be denied to any person by reason of poverty. Towards this end, and in 
cognizance of the constitutional directive to provide for preventive measures and legal aid 
services to the underprivileged whose human rights have been violated or need protection, the 
State shall establish a legal scholarship and return service program to assist deserving students 
pursue legal education who shall eventually render legal services in government offices. 
SECTION 3. Legal Scholarship and Return Service Program. There shall be established 
a Legal Scholarship and Return Service (LSRS) Program for deserving students who intend to 
pursue a Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree in state universities and colleges (SUCs) or in 
partner private higher education institutions (HEls) in regions where there are no SUC offering 
Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree. The LSRS Program shall provide the following 
benefits to qualified legal education students: 


(a) Free tuition and other school fees, including but not limited to: student registration
fees, library fees, and publication fees; 
(b) Allowance for prescribed books and supplies;
(c) Allowance for review fees for the government-mandated bar exam; and
(d) Allowance for licensure fees.
SECTION 4. Qualifications and Requirements. In order to be qualify for the grant of 
scholarship under the LSRS Program, a prospective or current legal education student must 
satisfy the following requirements: 
(a) Must be a Filipino Citizen residing in the Philippines;
(b) Must not have completed a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree from any HEI
offering legal education; 
(c) Must be a graduating student or a graduate of an undergraduate degree program; and
(d) Must have passed the entrance examination and complied with other requirements for
admission into the Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree program offered by the SUC or 
private HEI where the student intends to enroll. 
SECTION 5. Conditions for the Grant of Legal Scholarship. Qualified students accepted 
into the LSRS Program shall be subject to the following conditions: 
(a) Must sign an agreement stating the terms and conditions of the scholarship which
shall be prescribed by the Legal Education Board (LEB); 
(b) Must carry full load of subjects prescribed per semester by the SUC or private HEI
concerned, and shall not, under any circumstance, drop a course which would result in 
underloading; 
(c) Must finish the Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree program within the
prescribed time frame of the SUC or private HEI where the scholar is enrolled in, subject to the 
retention policies of the SUC or private HEI concerned: Provided, That a scholar who is already 
enrolled, may be allowed, for valid and justifiable reasons, to file a leave of absence; 
(d) Must take the bar examination within a maximum period of one (1) year after
completion of the Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree; 
(e) Must render return service as provided under Section 7 of this Act.
SECTION 6. Disqualifications. The scholarship grant shall terminate, and the recipient 
of legal scholarship shall repay the full cost of scholarship and related benefits received, 


including all the expenses incurred during the participation in the LSRS program, in case of the 
following circumstances: 
(a) If the scholar fails to meet the academic requirements or to complete the course within
the prescribed period without valid cause as may be determined by the SUC or private HEI 
concerned; 
(b) If the scholar commits gross misconduct in a manner that would bring significant
damage to the SUC or private HEI concerned or to the community as a whole. 
SECTION 7. Mandatory Return Service. Within five (5) years from admission to the 
practice of law, a scholar shall render mandatory return service for two (2) years in government 
agencies, including, but not limited to: the Public Attorney's Office, National Prosecution 
Service, Department of Education, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 
Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Department of Justice, 
Department of National Defense, Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Courts, or 
in government agencies and instrumentalities that provide legal services to: (i) poor and 
marginalized individuals and communities, and (ii) public school teachers, public health workers, 
and military and uniformed personnel involved in cases arising from or in connection with the 
performance of their duties and functions: Provided, That the mandatory return service shall be 
separate and distinct from the Clinical Legal Education Program as provided under Rule 138-A 
of the Rules of Court: Provided, further, That beneficiaries of LSRS Program appointed to 
plantilla positions shall receive the appropriate salaries, benefits and other emoluments for 
services rendered under the mandatory return service; Provided, furthermore, That beneficiaries 
of LSRS Program who, after three (3) years from admission to the practice of law, fails to secure 
appointment in government shall have the option to: (i) pay the full cost of scholarship and 
related benefits received, including all the expenses incurred during the participation in the LSRS 
Program; or (ii) undertake alternative compliance program to be formulated by the LEB pursuant 
to the provisions of this Act and Republic Act (RA) No. 9999, otherwise known as the Free 
Legal Assistance Act of 2010 : Provided, finally, That in the application of Republic Act No. 
9999, the allowable deduction from the gross income shall be the amount that could have been 
collected from the actual free legal services rendered or up to twenty percent (20%) of the gross 
income derived from the actual performance of the legal profession, whichever is lower. 
SECTION 8. Harmonization with the Clinical Legal Education Program. Pursuant to 
Article VIII, Section 5, subsection 5, of the Constitution, the Legal Education Board shall adopt 
the policy on the Revised Law Student Practice Rule, ensure that law students participate in the 
clinical legal education programs in all legal education institutions, define the scope of service to 
be rendered by law students in the said program, contribute to access to justice of the 
marginalized sectors, enhance learning opportunities of law students, instill among them social 
responsibility and awareness, and prepare them for the practice of law. 


SECTION 9. Sanctions. Any lawyer who has availed of the benefits under the LSRS 
Program but fails or refuses to comply with the mandatory return service as provided under this 
Act shall be required to pay twice the amount of scholarship, including other benefits received by 
reason of participation in the LSRS Program: Provided, That the penalty imposed herein shall 
not apply to lawyers who fail to comply with the required return service by reason of force 
majeure or not due to their fault or negligence. 
SECTION 9. Appropriations. The amount necessary for the implementation ofthis Act 
shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
SECTION 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within sixty (60) days from the 
effectivity of this Act, the LEB shall, in consultation with the Philippine Association of Law 
Schools, Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges and Commission on Higher 
Education, promulgate the rules and regulations to effectively implement the provisions of this 
Act. 
SECTION 11. Separability Clause. If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall remain in 
full force and effect. 
SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules 
and regulations, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
repealed, amended, or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 13. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,