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SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
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SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 
. 2057 
'14 
JAN 15 P5 54 
RECEIVED By:-f,.-, 
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Introduced by SENATOR JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The legislative branch is the policy-making body of the Republic. 
It requires competent, efficient ad honest public servants to 
complement the earnest aspiration of lawmakers to serve the people 
with utmost responsibility, integrity and efficiency. 
The Congressional Secretariat officers and employees have the 
primary responsibility of providing lawmakers with professional, 
technical and other necessary services 
for 
legislation. 
Such 
expectations can only be achieved by the recruitment of highly 
qualified personnel and the provision of a system of training and 
continuing education program for the legislative officers and 
employees. 
with these in mind; and to maintain the highest level of morale 
among the personnel assisting in the lawmaking process and to 
ensure the highest degree of professionalism in the service, it is 
proposed that the Philippine Legislative Academy be established . 
Through this measure, the guidelines needed to maintain a high level 
of technical and professional personnel in the Legislative Branch shall 
be institutionalized. 
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JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO 


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SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 
Sennil' 
(~ff,;r<.f I~.j;m.bru 
'14 
JAN 15 P5:54 
2057 
R«;CElVEU lIy;._--t--
Introduced by SENATOR JOSEPH VICTOR G, EJERCITO 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATIVE 
ACADEMY, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THER~FOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared a policy 
of the State to ensure an efficient and credible Career Service of the 
Legislature (CSL). Toward this end,. it is imperative to provide 
members of the CSL with continuing appropriate education and 
training. 
The 8SL shall include the officers and employees of Congress 
composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the 
Commission on Appointments and the Senate and House of 
Representatives Electoral Tribunals. It shall also include the career 
officers and employees of -the Philippine Legislative Academy 
established under this Act. 
SECTION 2. 
Objectives. -
It is the purpose of this Act to 
professionalize, upgrade and strengthen the work force of Congress in 
order: 


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a) To enable its officers and employees to efficiently and 
effectively 
provide 
the 
necessary 
legislative 
and 
administrative support services to 
Congress and its 
Members; 
b) To create a pool of competent and development-oriented 
career legislative service officers and employees; and 
c) To provide a system of training and continuing education for 
personnel in order to ensure that only competent and 
qualified persons are recruited into the career legislative 
service officers and employees; and 
SECTION 3. Philippine Legislative Academy. - To carry out the 
policy and objectives enunciated in Sections 1 and 2 hereof, there is 
hereby established a Philippine Legislative Academy, herein referred to 
as the Academy. The Academy shall be a unit of both Houses of 
Congress and shall operate under its administration, supervision and 
control. It shall be located at the House of Representatives, Batasan 
Complex, Quezon City. 
SECTION 4. Functions. - The Academy shall serve as a training 
school for legislative officers and employees for positions in the CSL. 
For this purpose, it shall provide and implement a curriculum for 
legislative education as well as' condu<:t seminars, workshops and 
, 
other training programs to upgrade legislative support services, 
capabilities and efficiency, and shall perform such other functions as 
ay be necessary in carrying out its mandate. 
SECTION 5. Governing Board. - The Academy shall have, as its 
governing body, a Board of Trustees composed of the Chairperson of 
the Civil Service Commission, the Secretary of the Senate and the 
Secretary General of the House of Representatives, as ex officio 
members; and an incumbent Deputy Secretary of the Senate chosen 


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by the Semite President, and an incumbent Deputy Secretary General 
of the House of Representatives chosen by the Speaker, both of whom 
shall have served in such positions for at least five (5) years, as 
designated members. 
The ex officio members of the Board of Trustees shall serve as 
such for the duration of their incumbency in their respective offices. 
All members shall serve without compensation, but shall be 
entitled to a reasonable honoraria/allowance for the performance of 
their duties. 
SECTION 6. Executive Board. - The Executive Board of the 
Academy shaH be. designated by the Board of Trustees, and shall be 
composed .of a. ChanceHor, two (2) Vice Chancellors and an Executive 
Secretary. The Executive Board shall serve for a term of three (3) years 
without prejudice to subsequent reappointments. 
In case of a vacancy in any Executive Board position, the Board 
of Trustees shall designate a replacement who shaH serve in such 
position for the remainder of the unfinished term. 
The Chancellor shall have a requisite qualifications meritorious 
service as an incumbent Deputy Secretary of the Senate or an 
incumbent Deputy Secretary General of the House of Representatives, 
who shall have served as such for at least three (3) years, and belongs 
to the ranks of the Career Executive Service. 
A Vice ChanceHor shall be chosen from each House. A Vice 
ChanceHor shall have as requisite qualifications meritorious service as 
an incumbent Executive Director or Deputy Executive Director of the 
Senate or the House of Representatives, who shall have served as 
such for at least three (3) year~, and belongs to the ranks of the 
Career Executive Service 
The Executive Secretary shaH have the same requisite 
qualifications and the same compensation at least as a Service 
Director II. He or she shall serve on a full-time basis and shall be the 
Recorder-Secretary of the Board of Trustees. 


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If no such person meets the abovementioned requirements for 
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any position, the Board of Trustees shall designate such official with 
the closest qualifications. 
The Chancellor and the Vice Chancellors shall serve without 
compensation, 
but 
shall 
be 
entitled 
to 
reasonable 
honoraria/ allowance for the performance of their designated duties as 
determined by the Board of Trustees or as provided by law. 
The members of the Executive Board shall not engage in the 
private practice of any profession . 
SECTION 7. Academy Staff - The Academy shall be staffed by a 
corps of professional lecturers. A lecturer shall be nominated by any 
of the members of the Executive Board of the Academy; and, such 
nomination shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval. 
Lecturers whose nominations are approved by the Board of Trustees 
shall be in,cluded i.n the list of lecturers, and shall be entitled to 
reasonable honoraria/ allowance as deemed fit by the Board of 
Trustees or as provided by law. 
SECTION 8. Academic Courses. - The academic courses and the 
publication of a l,egislative service journal and such other documents 
shall be determined by the Executive Board and shall be approved by 
the Board of Trustees. 
SECTION 9. Criteria for Selection and Admission to the 
Academy. -
The criteria for the selection and admission to the 
Academy shall be determined by the Executive Board and subject to 
the approval of the Board of Trustees . 
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SECTION 10. Appointment and Promotion. - Legislative officers 
and employees who have completed the programs prescribed by the 
Academy and have satisfactorily. complied with all the requirements 


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incident thereto shall be given priority' for appointment, selection or 
promotion to any position or vacancy in the CSL. 
SECTION 11. Consortium Agreements. -
The Academy may 
enter into consortium and similar or related agreements with 
educational and training institutions for the development and 
implementation 
of 
programs 
for 
capability 
building, 
career 
development and legislative orientation. 
SECTION 12. Tax Exemptions, - The provision of any general or 
special law to the contrary notwithstanding: 
a) 
All revenues and assets of the Academy used actually, 
directly and exclusively for educational purposes shall 
be exempt from al taxes and duties; 
b) 
Gifts and donations of real and personal properties of 
all' kinds to the Academy shall be exempt from the 
'donor's tax and the same shall be considered as 
allowable deductions from the gross income of the 
donor, in accordance with the provisions of the 
National I!).ternal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended; 
c) 
Importation 
of 
economic, 
technical, 
vocational, 
scientific, philosophical, historical and cultural books, 
supplies, equipment, machinery and other materials, 
including scientific and educational computer and 
software equipment, shall be exempt from customs 
duties and taxes,; and 
d) 
Educational services rendered by the Academy shall 
be exempt from value-added tax. 
SECTION 13. Legislative Academy Fund. - All legacies, gifts and 
donations to the Academy established under this law shall constitute 
a special fund to be known as the Legislative Academy exclusively for 
the purpose of this Act. 


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SECTION 14. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry 
out the initial implementation of this Act, including the operation, 
maintenance and. improvement of the Academy, shall be charged 
against t1;e General Appropriations Act of 2015 and every year 
thereafter under the programs of the Congress of the Philippines. 
SECTION 15. Separability Clause. - Should any provision under 
this Act be deemed invalid, the ,emainder of this Act not otherwise 
affected thereby shall remrun in full force and effect. 
SECTION 16. Repealing Clause. -
All laws and regulations 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or 
amended accordingly. 
SECTION 17. Effectivity Clause,. -This Act shall take effect 
fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at 
least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Adopted,