TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
L. > JULIO P6 30
SENATE
S. B. No.
448
Introduced by Senator Rodante D. Marcoleta
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A LEGAL SCHOLARSHIP AND RETURN SERVICE PROGRAM 
FOR QUALIFIED AND DESERVING STUDENTS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The 1987 Constitution itseif requires legal assistance to be made accessible to 
all Filipinos, no matter their stature in life. This is in fact inscribed in the Bill of Rights, 
specifically Article III, Section 11 which states: "Free access to the courts and quasi- 
judicial bodies and adequate iegal assistance shall not be denied to any person by 
reason of poverty."
However, despite this enshrined principle, justice remains an elusive dream to 
many impoverished and marginalized Fiiipinos. This is in part due to the limited 
number of lawyers and legal services avaiiable to poor litigants.
This imbalance in accessibility is clearly shown in the workioad bandied by the 
Public Assistance Office (PAO). In 2024 aione, PAO's workforce of 2,676 lawyers 
assisted more than 15 million clients and handled more than 847,000 cases.1 This 
means that in a single year alone, each PAO lawyer on average assisted more than 
5,600 clients and handled 317 cases.2 This heavy workload, among other factors, has 
led to a high turn-over rate of public attorneys which in turn affects the effective legal 
representation of indigent Filipinos.
This bill aims to address this issue by institutionalizing a legal scholarship and 
return service program that wouid provide legal education scholarships to qualified
1 Public Attorney's Office, Accomplishment Report of the Public Attorney's Office for the Year 2024, 7, Avaiiabie at 
httDs://Dao.oov.ph/wp-content/uDloads/2Q25/02/Accomplishment-Report-2024.pdf (last accessed on July 05, 2025).
2 Ibid.


students in exchange for a two-year return service in PAO or in other agencies that 
provide legal services to poor and unserved Filipinos. This proposed measure will not 
only assist students in achieving their dream of becoming lawyers for the country, but 
will also help bridge the divide in our country's legal system in terms of accessibility 
and representation - proving that justice is not just an empty dream reserved for 
those with resources, but is an attainable reality available to all Filipinos.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate approval of this measure is earnestly 
sought.
R0DAN7E D. MARCOLETA


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
)
)
SENATE 
S. B. No. 448
LJ
JULIO P6 30
Introduced by Senator Rodante D. Marcoleta
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A LEGAL SCHOLARSHIP AND RETURN SERVICE PROGRAM 
FOR QUALIFIED AND DESERVING STUDENTS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Abogado Para sa Bayan
2 
Act".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State shall ensure that no person shall be
4 
deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person
5 
be denied the equal protection of the laws. The State shall also provide free and
6 
adequate legal assistance to all citizens regardless of economic standing. The State
7 
shall hereby establish a program to encourage more lawyers to serve the people, and
8 
to guarantee that there shall be, at all times, a sufficient number of lawyers to provide
9 
free and adequate legal services to indigent and underprivileged Filipinos in need of
10 
legal assistance.
11 
Sec. 3. Establishment of the Legal Scholarship and Return Service Program. - A
12 
Legal Scholarship and Return Service (LSRS) Program shall be established in state
13 
colleges and universities (SUCs) or in partner private higher educational institutions
14 
(PHEIs) offering bachelor of laws or a juris doctor degree, for qualified and deserving
15 
students: Provided, That priority in the selection of recipients for the LSRS Program
16 
shall be given to:
17 
a. Members of the indigenous cultural communities/indigenous peoples
18 
(ICCs/IPs); or


1 
b. Those identified as poor or near poor based on the listahanan of the
2 
Department of Social Welfare and Development, or those whose income fall
3 
below the poverty threshold as defined by the Department of Economy,
4 
Planning, and Development, or those who cannot afford to provide in a
5 
sustained manner their minimum basic needs of food, health, education,
6 
housing, and other essential amenities of life.
7 
Sec. 4. Coverage. - The LSRS Program established under this Act shall provide the
8 
following benefits to qualified students:
9 
a. Full tuition and other school fees, including but not limited to: student
10 
registration fees, library fees, and publication fees;
11 
b. Allowance for prescribed books and supplies;
12 
c. Allowance for transportation expenses and monthly living allowance;
13 
d. Allowance for review fees for government-mandated bar exams; and
14 
e. Allowance for licensure fees.
15 
Sec. 5. Qualifications and Requirements. - In order to qualify for the grant of
16 
scholarship under the LSRS Program, a prospective or current legal education student
17 
must satisfy the following requirements:
18 
a. Must be a Filipino citizen residing in the Philippines;
19 
b. Must not have completed a bachelor of laws or juris doctor degree from any
20 
higher educational institution (HEI) offering legal education;
21 
c. Must be a graduating student or a graduate of an undergraduate degree
22 
program;
23 
d. Must be of good moral character; and
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e. Must have passed the entrance examination and complied with other
25 
requirements for admission into the juris doctor or bachelor of laws degree
26 
program offered by the SUC or PHEI where the student intends to enroll.
27 
Sec. 6. Conditions for the Grant of Legal Scholarship. - Qualified students accepted
28 
into the LSRS Program shall be subject to the following conditions:
29 
a. Must sign an agreement stating the terms and conditions of the scholarship
30 
which shall be prescribed by the Legal Education Board (LEB);


1 
b. Must carry the full load of subjects prescribed per semester by the SUC or PHEI
2 
concerned, and shall not, under any circumstance, drop a course which would
3 
result in underloading;
4 
c. Must finish the juris doctor or bachelor of laws degree program within the
5 
prescribed time frame of the SUC or PHEI where the scholar is enrolled in,
6 
subject to the retention policies of the SUC or PHEI concerned: Provided, that
7 
a scholar who is already enrolled, may be allowed, for valid and justifiable
8 
reasons, to file a leave of absence;
9 
d. Must take the bar examination within a maximum period of one (1) year after
10 
completion of the juris doctor or bachelor of laws degree; and
11 
e. Must render return service as provided under Section 8 of this Act.
12 
Sec. 7. Disqualifications. - The scholarship grant shall terminate, and the recipient
13 
of legal scholarship shall repay the full cost of scholarship and related benefits
14 
received, including all expenses incurred during the participation in the LSRS program,
15 
in case of the following circumstances:
16 
a. If the scholar fails to meet the academic requirements or to complete the course
17 
within the prescribed period without valid cause as may be determined by the
18 
SUC or PHEI concerned; or
19 
b. If the scholar commits gross misconduct in a manner that would bring
20 
significant damage to the SUC or PHEI concerned or to the community as a
21 
whole.
22 
Sec. 8. Mandatory Return Service. - Within five (5) years from admission to the
23 
practice of law, a scholar shall render mandatory return service for two (2) years in
24 
the Public Attorney's Office (PAO), or in other government agencies and
25 
instrumentalities that provide legal services to poor and marginalized individuals,
26 
among others: Provided, That the mandatory return service shall be separate and
27 
distinct from the Clinical Legal Education Program as provided under Rule 138-A of
28 
the Rules of Court, as amended: Provided, further. That the beneficiaries of LSRS
29 
Program appointed to plantilla positions shall receive the appropriate salaries, benefits
30 
and other emoluments for services rendered under the mandatory return service;
31 
Provided, furthermore. That beneficiaries of LSRS Program who, after three (3) years
32 
from admission to the practice of law, fails to secure appointment in government shall


1 
have the option to: (i) pay the full cost of scholarship and related benefits received,
2 
including ali the expenses incurred during the participation in the LSRS Program, or
3 
(ii) undertake alternative compliance program to be formulated by the LEB pursuant
4 
to the provisions of this Act and Republic Act No. 9999, otherwise known as the Free
5 
Legal Assistance Act of 2010: Provided, finaily. That in the application of Republic Act
6 
No. 9999, the aliowable deduction from the gross income shall be the amount that
7 
could have been collected from the actual free legal services rendered or up to twenty
8 
percent (20%) of the gross income derived from the actual performance of the legal
9 
profession, whichever is lower.
10 
Sec. 9. Number and Allocation of Students to be Admitted in the Program. - Prior
11 
to the implementation of this Act and every five (5) years thereafter, the LEB shall, in
12 
consultation with the Philippine Association of Law Schools and participating HEIs and
13 
upon the assessment of the shortage of legal practitioners in the public sector,
14 
determine the appropriate number and geographic allocation of scholars to be
15 
admitted in the LSRS Program.
16 
Sec. 10. Sanctions. - Any lawyer who has availed of the benefits under the LSRS
17 
Program but fails or refuses to comply with the mandatory return service as provided
18 
under this Act shall be required to pay twice the amount of scholarship, including other
19 
benefits received by reason of participation in the LSRS Program: Provided, That the
20 
penalty imposed herein shall not apply to lawyers who fail to comply with the required
21 
return service by reason of force majeure or not due to their fauit or negligence.
22 
Sec. 11. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation of this
23 
Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
24 
Sec. 12. Annual Report. - Within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act, and
25 
every year thereafter, LEB shall submit an annual report on the implementation of this
26 
Act to the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines.
27 
Sec. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from the
28 
effectivity of this Act, the LEB shall, in consultation with the Philippine Association of
29 
Law Schools, Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges, the Commission
30 
on Higher Education, and other relevant government agencies and stakeholders,
31 
promulgate the rules and regulations to effectively implement the provisions of this
32 
Act.


1 
Sec. 14. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this Act is declared
2 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder thereof not otherwise affected shall remain
3 
in full force and effect.
4 
Sec. 15. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders,
5 
ietters of instructions, proclamations or administrative regulations that are inconsistent
6 
with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.
7 
Sec. 16. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its
8 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,