NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez 
House Bill No.  _____ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article XIV, Sections 1 and 2 provide, 
“Section 1. The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at 
all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. 
Section 2. The State shall: 
Establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education 
relevant to the needs of the people and society;” 
This shows the importance of education and the big role that educational institutions, 
particularly higher education institutions, play. And one of the factors in having a quality higher 
education institution is having quality leadership.  
Philippine higher education is mandated to contribute to building a quality nation capable of 
transcending the social, political, economic, cultural and ethical issues that constrain the 
country’s human development, productivity and global competitiveness1.  
There is an urgent need to institutionalize and strengthen Philippine Higher Education System 
by investing on the recruitment and selection of competent leadership in state-run higher 
education institutions, continuous professional development, and career management of 
these institutions’ executive personnel, especially in preparation for the unique demands of 
leading State Universities and Colleges (SUC).  
The establishment of a merit-based career system specifically designed for the public 
higher education sector shall bring about greater institutional accountability, train key 
competencies, strengthen public management, enhance academic leadership, provide 
capability development, promote career progress from recruitment and selection up to 
retirement, and contribute to compliance with global standards and international best 
practices. This will enable our public HEIs to be at par with other countries which saw fit to 
establish such career system and to better equip them in the era of internationalization of 
higher education. 
In view of the foregoing, immediate passage of this measure is earnestly requested. 
RUFUS B. RODRIGUEZ 
1 CHED Memorandum Order No. 46, s. 2016 
December 13, 2022
1:32PM
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NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez 
House Bill No.  _____ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE HIGHER EDUCATION CAREER SYSTEM AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
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 “Philippine Higher Education Career 
System or the Phil-HECS Act”. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy – The State shall protect, foster and promote the right of all 
citizens to affordable quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to ensure 
that education shall be accessible to all. The State further recognizes the role of education in 
securing the future of the youth and in the development of our nation. Article XIV, Section 2 
(1) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that the State shall establish, maintain and
support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of
the people and society. Therefore, pursuant to the foregoing, there is an urgent need to
establish a coherent, merit-based career system for executives in state universities and
colleges, designed to provide a continuing pool of highly qualified, well-selected, and
development-oriented 
career 
administrators, 
which 
subsequently 
allows 
for 
the
institutionalized and transparent implementation of the processes for selection and
appointment of the leadership in state universities and colleges (SUCs). Through this system,
the State ensures the efficiency, responsiveness and effectiveness of the institutional
governance of SUCs, thus strengthening and ensuring the global competitiveness of
Philippine higher education.
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms – The terms used in this Act are defined as follows: 
(a) Higher Education Career System refers to the system that shall facilitate the
transparent recruitment, selection, appointment, further professional advancement,
and career management of both potential and incumbent SUC leaders;
(b) Higher Education Career Officer (HECO) refers to any individual, whether active or
retired, who has at any point been conferred eligibility for appointment to the position
of SUC president by qualifying them through the Professional Advanced Program
(PAP) and assessment conducted by Phil-HECS;
(c) Roster of Eligible Executives refers to the officially validated pool of qualified HECOs
from which potential SUC presidents shall be selected for appointment as instituted
and maintained by the PhilHECs Governing Board;
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(d) Recruitment and selection refers to the element of the career system wherein 
applications for entry into Phil-HECS Executive Development Program (EDP) are 
screened and  accepted;  
 
(e) Professional Advancement Program (PAP) refers to the element of the career 
system which enhances and updates the competencies of eligible candidates in 
accordance with international best practices;  
 
(f) Career management refers to the element of the career system which provides career 
tracking and performance assessment and management for HECOs;  
 
(g) Governing Board (GB) refers to the body that shall be convened for the purpose of 
governance program and policy direction of Phil-HECS, and conferring eligibility to 
those who qualified and met the prescribed requirements and standards;  
 
(h) International Points of Reference (IPRs) refers to individuals representing certain 
relevant sectors and institutions chosen by the GB to advise on international higher 
education traditions and best practices; 
 
(i) Secretariat refers to the body of technical, administrative, and other support staff that 
shall implement the directives of the GB;  
 
(j) Technical Working Group refers to the transitional body created by the Commission 
on Higher Education (CHED) to plan and operationalize Phil-HECS prior to the 
convening and operation of the Governing Board, and this shall cease to exist after the 
assumption to duty of the latter;  
 
(k) Top SUC Management Executives– refers to the positions of Vice Presidents, 
Chancellors, Vice Chancellors, Deans and Campus Directors 
 
(l) Reputable HEI refers to any local higher education institution (HEI) which has been 
recognized by the CHED as meeting the standards of either vertical (universities, 
professional institutes, and liberal arts colleges) and horizontal typologies 
(autonomous or deregulated), or those acknowledged by CHED as belonging to 
accredited or recognized 1000 overseas HEIs.  
 
SEC. 4. Philippine Higher Education Career System (Phil-HECS) – The Philippine Higher 
Education Career System is hereby established as a coherent and merit-based system which 
shall promote and facilitate the recruitment, selection, professional advancement, and career 
management of qualified individuals for deployment to Philippine SUCs. 
 
SEC. 5. Purpose – Phil-HECS shall increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and external 
students of the institutional governance of SUCs, by strengthening the competencies of SUC 
executives and managers, and promoting individual accountability, in order to contribute to 
improving the quality of Philippine higher education. Specifically, the Phil-HECS shall 
endeavor:  
1. To facilitate the recruitment, selection, professional advancement, and career 
management of the best leaders and senior academic staff in public higher education;  
2. To establish and maintain a Roster of Eligible Executives from which appointments to 
the positions of SUC presidents will be drawn through the implementation of an 
eligibility process, and the provision of professional advancement program; and  
3. To introduce transformational leadership that steers Philippine State Universities and 
Colleges towards recognition by the various local and international quality assurance 
institutions.  


SEC. 6. Scope – Phil-HECS shall be focused on executive positions in SUCs. Entry into the 
system shall be open to all qualified applicants as maybe determined by the Governing Board, 
regardless of whether they come from the public or private sector, provided they meet the 
qualification standards set by the Governing Board. All incumbent SUC presidents on the date 
of this Order shall also be considered included in the system by way of the Presidential 
Leadership Program. 
 
SEC. 7. Elements of Phil-HECS - Phil-HECS shall have three main functional elements that 
allow the system to meet its objectives:  
1. Recruitment and selection, which sources talent into Phil-HECS and accepts and 
screens applications for entry into the system;   
2. Professional advancement, which enhances and updates the competencies of high-
level SUC officials and senior academic staff, including both eligibility candidates and 
incumbent SUC presidents;   
3. Career management, which tracks individual performance and identifies placement 
opportunities for individuals included in the system.   
 
SEC. 8. Eligibility – Through the Phil-HECS, candidates shall be granted the eligibility to qualify 
for the position SUC president the manner and requirements of which shall be fixed by the 
GB. This eligibility shall be conferred with the title of Higher Education Career Officer (HECO) 
and shall mean permanent inclusion to the Roster of Eligible Executives.  
 
SEC. 9. Creation of a Governing Board – To carry out the purposes of this Act, the Phil-HECS 
Governing Board (Phil-HECS GB) is hereby created, hereinafter referred to as the Board.   
 
A. Composition. The permanent Phil-HECS GB shall be composed of the following:  
1. The chairperson of the CHED, as ex-officio chair of the board;   
2. A Commissioner of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), as ex-officio member;   
3. A designated representative from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) 
with the rank of Undersecretary, as ex-officio member;   
4. A designated representative from the National Economic and Development Authority 
(NEDA) with the rank of Undersecretary, as ex-officio member;   
5. An incumbent SUC president nominated by the CHED chairperson;   
6. An incumbent president from a private higher education institution nominated by the 
CHED chairperson; and  
7. A senior representative from a leading business enterprise with recognized advocacy 
for executive development.  
 
B. Powers, duties, and functions. The Board shall have the following powers, duties, and 
functions:  
1. To provide policy and program direction on matters pertaining to the implementation 
of Phil- HECS, in particular:  
a. The qualifications standards, recruitment and selection of candidates for the 
PAP;  
b. The content, methodology, and approaches of instruction and assessment 
applied in PAP;   
c. The conferment of the title of HECO, which grants eligibility for appointment to 
the position of SUC president and such other rights and privileges appertaining 
thereto;   
d. The career management of individuals who are entered into the Roster of 
Eligible Executives;   
 


2. To promote efficiency, transparency, meritocracy, and accountability throughout the 
entire process;   
3. To address any appeals regarding the Phil-HECS eligibility process;   
4. To designate International Points of Reference to advise the Board on international 
higher education traditions and best practices;   
5. To appoint technical consultants and other external resource individuals, selected from 
eminent academics, administrators, and researchers, to advise the Board on matters 
related to academic policies, both local and international, and on the monitoring and 
evaluation of all programs implemented;   
6. To evaluate the financial status and viability of Phil-HECS;   
7. To mobilize resources from both local and international sources accordingly;   
8. To select and designate the appropriate venues for the activities of Phil-HECS, 
including PAP, that are most conducive to the pursuit of its diverse objectives;   
9. To exercise all other powers incidental, necessary, and appropriate for the fulfillment 
of the purposes of this Act.   
 
SEC. 10. Creation of a Phil-HECS Secretariat – A Secretariat is hereby created to be headed 
by an Executive Director to support the Board in carrying out its functions. The Board shall 
provide for the institutional setup, qualifications and compensation and certain incentives of 
employees composing the Secretariat in accordance with existing Civil Service and Career 
Executive Service rules and regulations and consistent with the provision of the Salary 
Standardization Law for government personnel, and determine the size and composition of 
the Secretariat.   
 
A. Composition. The Secretariat, as appointed by the GB, shall be composed of: 
 
a. An Executive Director, which shall have the rank of an Assistant Secretary;   
b. A Deputy Director for Management Services;  
c. A Deputy Director for Professional Development; and  
d. Technical, administrative, and support staff.  
 
The two Deputy Directors shall alternately serve as Secretary to the Phil-HECS GB.  
 
B. Functions. The Secretariat shall perform all the functions necessary for the fulfillment of 
the system’s goals, including but not limited to conceptualizing, planning, implementing, 
monitoring, and evaluating the activities of the different elements of the system.  
 
SEC. 11. Funding – The initial operations of Phil-HECS shall be initially funded from the Higher 
Education Development Fund (HEDF) amounting to one hundred million pesos  
(PhP 100,000,000.00). Thereafter, the operation of Phil-HECS and the GB shall be included 
in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).   
 
SEC. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations – Within thirty (30) days from the effectivity of 
this Act, the Board shall constitute a working group, in consultation with relevant stakeholders 
in Tertiary Education to promulgate the Implementing Rules and Regulations necessary for 
the proper implementation of this Act within sixty (60) days from the constitution of the Board.   
 
SEC. 13. Separability Clause – If, for any reason, any provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional or invalid, parts or provisions of this Act which are not affected shall continue 
to be in full force and effect.  
 
SEC. 14. Repealing Clause – All laws, executive orders, presidential decrees, Implementing 
Rules and Regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.  
 


SEC. 15. Effectivity Clause - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.   
  
Approved,