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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Philippines 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. __________ 
Introduced by Representative Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes G. Matibag 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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As provided for in Section 2 of Republic Act 7662 or the “Legal Education Reform 
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Act of 1993” creating the Legal Education Board (LEB), “It is the declared policy of the 
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State to uplift the standards of legal education in order to prepare law students for 
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advocacy, counselling, problem-solving, and decision-making, to infuse in them the ethics 
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of the legal profession, to impress in them the importance, nobility and dignity of the legal 
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profession as an equal and indispensable partner of the Bench in the administration of 
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justice and to develop social competence. Towards this end, the State shall undertake 
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appropriate reforms in the legal education system, require proper selection of law 
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students, maintain quality among legal education institutions, and require legal 
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apprenticeship and continuing legal education.” 
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One specific area where there is a pressing need for reforms is in the right of 
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access of law students to affordable quality legal education – one that would fortify their 
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moral compass, hone their skills and sharpen their minds as well as develop in them a 
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sense of mission in their work so that they would be aware of the true essence of their 
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profession, which is charitable service for the poor and marginalized individuals and 
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communities. 
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The “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017” (RA 10931) has 
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already provided the means by which all bona fide students in State Universities and 
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Colleges (SUCs) regardless of the program or course enrolled in, could avail of free tuition 
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and other fees in every academic year until graduation, provided he or she is in good 
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academic standing with no disciplinary case. 
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Congress has allocated certain amounts in the annual General Appropriations Act 
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of 2017 until 2021 indicated as a line item in the CHED Budget for the program called 
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“Cash Grants to Medical Students enrolled in SUCs” (CGMS-SUCs), intended for free 
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tuition and other expenses of medical students in the eight (8) SUC Colleges of Medicine 
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numbering approximately 1,650-1,750 a year and provided budgetary allocation in the 
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amount of from P187-P317 Million for FY 2017-2021. 
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October 3, 2022
11:00 am
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Considering that the average number of law students enrolled in legal education 
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institutions approximates 4,283 as of AY 2021-2022, and that only an estimated 
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budgetary requirement of P70-75 Million is required for the effective implementation of 
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Free Legal Education Program in SUCs per academic year, the immediate passage of 
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this measure is enjoined to ensure that law students will not be deprived of their right to 
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access to legal education in the SUCs. Such budget may be included in the LEB budget 
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for effective distribution to the qualified law students in the SUC legal education 
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institutions where they are enrolled in. 
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MA. RENE ANN LOURDES G. MATIBAG 
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Republic of the Philippines 
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
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Quezon City, Philippines 
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NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
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First Regular Session 
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House Bill No. __________ 
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Introduced by Representative Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes G. Matibag 
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AN ACT PROMOTING ACCESS TO QUALITY LEGAL EDUCATION BY PROVIDING 
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FOR FREE TUITION AND OTHER SCHOOL FEES IN STATE UNIVERSITIES AND 
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COLLEGES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
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assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Free Legal Education Act of 
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2023”. 
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SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to provide appropriate legal 
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measures for the protection of human rights of all persons within the Philippines, as well 
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as Filipinos residing abroad; offer economic assistance to the underprivileged and 
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marginalized sectors; deliver free legal services to indigent litigants, and address the lack 
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of and unavailability of legal practitioners in the different government agencies in the 
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country. 
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Likewise, the State hereby recognizes the invaluable role of lawyers and the legal 
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education out of which they are molded, in the attainment of societal progress.  Towards 
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this end, the State shall encourage the youth to pursue a career in legal education and 
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thereafter, provide them with opportunities for employment in the legal field through which 
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they could better serve their countrymen. 
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SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. The following terms shall be defined conceptually as they 
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are used throughout the statute. – 
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1) Legal Education – Legal education refers the totality of various academic
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programs in higher education designed for the training of prospective lawyers,
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allied professionals and legal scholars. It shall encompass the basic and graduate
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law programs, and other legal studies programs;
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2) Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) – refers to an educational institution, 
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private or public, undertaking operations of higher education program/s with an 
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organized group of students pursuing defined studies in higher education, 
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receiving instructions from teachers, usually located in a building or group of 
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buildings in a particular site specifically intended for educational purposes. The 
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following are the classifications of Higher Education Institutions: 
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a) Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) are institutions incorporated 
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as stock or non-stock corporations and supervised and regulated by the 
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Commission on Higher Education, except for the law program; 
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b) State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) are those created by special laws or 
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charters, governed by their respective board of regents or board of trustees, 
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chaired by the CHED Chairperson according to RA 8292; and 
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3) Legal Education Institutions (LEIs) – All higher education institutions accredited 
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by the Legal Education Board to offer basic and/or graduate law programs, allied 
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legal studies programs and/or other legal studies programs and recognized by the 
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Commission on Higher Education (CHED), when applicable.  
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SEC. 4. Establishment of Free Legal Education Program in SUCs – There shall be 
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established a Free Legal Education Program for deserving students in state universities 
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and colleges (SUCs). All Filipino students who are either currently enrolled in the Juris 
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Doctor Program offered in SUCs at the time of the effectivity of this Act, or shall enroll at 
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any time thereafter, after passing the entrance examination and other admission and 
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retention requirements of the said SUCs, shall be exempt from paying tuition and other 
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school fees for units enrolled in. 
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All SUCs with a Law Program duly accredited by the Legal Education Board shall be 
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qualified to implement this Act insofar as beneficial to their bona fide law students. 
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The SUCs shall create a mechanism, which will ensure that the beneficial provisions of 
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this Act, relative to tuition and other school fees subsidy, need not apply to students with 
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the financial capacity to pay for their education. 
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SEC. 5. Coverage. – The Free Legal Education Program shall cover the following: 
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1) Tuition fees at the rate approved by the SUC governing board as of date of 
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passage of this Act; and 
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2) Other school fees including but not limited to: 
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a) Fees for prescribed books, on a reimbursement basis, as determined by the 
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LEB, upon consultation with its stakeholders;  
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b) Student registration fees; and 
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c) Library fees. 
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SEC. 6. Exceptions. – The following students are ineligible to avail of the Free Legal 
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Education: 
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1) Students who have already attained a Bachelor of Laws or a Juris Doctor degree 
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from any legal education or institution.  
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2) Students who fail to comply with the admission and retention policies of SUCs. 
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3) Students who fail to complete their Juris Doctor degree within the period prescribed 
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in the program. 
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Students (who are) ineligible to avail of the Free Legal Education Program shall be 
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charged the tuition and other school fees as determined by the governing Board of the 
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SUCs. 
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SEC. 7. Harmonization with the Clinical Legal Education Program. – Pursuant to 
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Section 5(5), Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution, the Supreme Court is empowered to 
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adopt and promulgate rules through the amendment of the provisions of Rule 138-A or 
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the Revised Law Student Practice Rule of the Rules of Court. 
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The Legal Education Board shall adopt the policy on the Revised Law Student Practice 
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Rule, ensure that law students participate in the clinical legal education programs in all 
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legal education institutions, define the scope of serv5ice to be rendered by law students 
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in the said program, contribute to access to justice of the marginalized sectors, enhance 
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learning opportunities of law students, instill among them social responsibility and 
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awareness, and prepare them for the practice of law.  
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SEC. 8. Harmonization with the UniFAST Act. – Pursuant to Republic Act No. 10687, 
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the Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) is the existing 
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system to unify and harmonize all publicly-funded national government programs for 
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Student Financial Assistance Programs, including but not limited to scholarships, grants-
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in-aid, and student loans for tertiary education.  
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As the repository of all government-funded modalities of Student Financial Assistance 
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Programs for tertiary education in both public and private institutions, the UniFAST is 
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mandated by law to implement the disbursement of student financial grants including the 
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Free Legal Education Program, the latter in coordination with the LEB, which shall provide 
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UniFAST with validating data or information on the currently enrolled registered law 
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students per semester. 
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SEC. 9. Prohibited Acts. – Upon effectivity of this Act, it shall be unlawful for any SUC, 
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or any person or entity representing an SUC, to collect tuition and other school fees from 
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qualified law students during the registration or enrollment period. Provided, that this 
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provision shall not apply to law students who voluntarily opt out of the subsidy or are 
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otherwise ineligible to avail of the provisions of this Act.  
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SEC. 10. Penalties. – A commission of any prohibited act defined under the next 
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preceding section shall subject the SUC to an administrative case under the jurisdiction 
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of the LEB, and shall result in the imposition of the appropriate administrative sanction, 
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including but not limited to: (a) downgrading of the government recognition; (b) phase-out 
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of the law program; and (c) termination of the law program.   
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This is without prejudice to the civil or criminal liability of the party responsible therefor. 
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SEC. 11. Reporting Requirements. – All SUCs shall submit to the UniFAST and the 
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LEB, within five (5) days after the last day of registration for each semester, a report 
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detailing the names of law students eligible for free tuition and other school fees of the 
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institution, under this Act. 
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SUCs shall submit a report to the LEB and UniFAST before the start of an academic year 
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on the projected number of enrollees for each academic year set by the respective 
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governing boards of SUCs. Before the start of each academic year, the SUCs shall submit 
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a report to the LEB and UniFAST on their projected number of enrollees as determined 
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by their respective governing boards for the purpose of implementing the disbursement 
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of student financial grants.   
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SEC. 12. Appropriations. – The amount necessary to carry out the implementation of 
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this Act shall be included in the current year’s appropriation of the UniFAST. 
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Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continuous implementation of the Free Legal 
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Education Program provided under this Act shall be included in the UniFAST 
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appropriations in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
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SEC. 13. Oversight Committee. –  
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SEC. 14. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within one hundred twenty (120) 
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days from the effectivity of this Act, the LEB as lead, in coordination with the CHED, 
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UniFAST, DBM, Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), 
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Association of Local Colleges and University (ALCU), Philippine Association of Law 
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Schools (PALS), Association of Law Students (ALSP), shall formulate and issue the rules 
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and regulations to fully implement the provisions of this Act. 
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SEC. 15. Separability Clause. – Should any part or provision of this Act be determined 
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to be unconstitutional or invalid, the other parts or provisions not affected thereby shall 
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remain in full force and effect. 
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SEC. 16. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, executive orders. rules and regulations 
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and other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
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repealed or modified accordingly. 
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SEC. 17. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
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the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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