EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
)
)
S E N A T E
of Ur ^ptiTtarp
*19 
AUG 13 
P 4 :0 4
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG RE VILLA, JR.
AN ACT
PENALIZING THE IMPOSITION OF A "NO PERMIT, NO EXAM" POLICY OR 
ANY SUCH POLICY THAT PROHIBITS STUDENTS OF POST-SECONDARY AND 
HIGHER 
EDUCATION 
FROM 
TAKING 
THEIR 
MIDTERM 
OR 
FINAL 
EXAMINATION OR OTHER SIMILAR ASSESSMENTS DUE TO UNPAID 
TUITION AND OTHER SCHOOL FEES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
In our culture, education is the most precious inheritance most Filipino parents 
believe they can pass on to their children for the benefit of their own future. No matter 
which social class you belong in the society, education is considered important. 
Especially to the lower class, it gives them hope that their educated children can help 
improve the quality of life of their families.
Unfortunately for students and their parents, schools can be quite exacting 
when it comes to tuition, and this could not be any more apparent than during 
examinations. While families understand that tuition and other fees are necessary for 
schools to provide the service required of them, they encounter unavoidable 
circumstances at times when they could not meet the obligation to pay the tuition fee 
on time. And while CHED has issued a Memorandum Order requiring colleges and 
universities to provide a Student Affairs and Services (SAS) office that will provide its 
students a package of services, including guidance and counseling, career and job 
placement, economic enterprise development and scholarship and financial assistance, 
it does not categorically prohibit the "no permit, no exam policy" and so this does not 
effectively stop schools from practicing it.


Prohibiting students from taking examinations solely because of the non­
payment of tuition and/or other school fees is a violation of the rights of students to 
education. The State has the urgent duty to protect these rights and provide students 
with the means to access quality education. Hence, this measure seeks to protect the 
rights of students and aims to provide schools with adequate protection to ensure the 
payment of tuition and other school fees.
In view of the foregoing, the urgent approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S E N A T E
s. No. 904
at tlif fei'triinip
'19 
AUG 13 P4--04
RECfc.V.C.' 3-. 
\
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
PENALIZING THE IMPOSITION OF A "NO PERMIT, NO EXAM" POLICY OR 
ANY SUCH POLICY THAT PROHIBITS STUDENTS OF POST-SECONDARY AND 
HIGHER 
EDUCATION 
FROM 
TAKING 
THEIR 
MIDTERM 
OR 
FINAL 
EXAMINATION OR OTHER SIMILAR ASSESSMENTS DUE TO UNPAID 
TUITION AND OTHER SCHOOL FEES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as the "Anti-No Permit, No
2 
Exam Act of 2019"
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  It shall be the policy of the State to protect and
4 
promote the right of all the citizens to quality education at all levels. The State shall
5 
take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. Thus, it is hereby
6 
declared unlawful for any educational institution, whether public or private to disallow
7 
any student from taking any examination due to non-payment of tuition and other
8 
school fees.
9 
Sec. 3. Coverage. -  This Act shall cover the following educational institutions:
10 
a) Private elementary schools;
11 
b) Private secondary schools;
12 
c) Public and private post-secondary technical -vocational institutes; and
13 
d) Public and private Higher Education institutions (HEIs), including local colleges.
14 
Sec. 4. Right o f Students. -  Students of post-secondary and higher education
15 
shall have the right to take their midterm or final examinations, or other similar


1 
assessments, notwithstanding the existence of unpaid financial obligations to the
2 
school.
3 
Sec. 5. Obligation o f Students. -  The students and/or their parents, unless
4 
waived by the school authorities concerned, shall be obligated to pay an interest
5 
for the unpaid tuition and other school fees, which shall not be more than five
6 
percent (5%) per annum, computed from the date of the examination taken by
7 
the students until the date when the overdue and unpaid tuition and other school
8 
fees are fully liquidated.
9 
Sec. 6. Right o f Schools. -  The school authorities shall have the following rights
10 
against students with financial obligations, which remain due and unsettled to their
11 
schools:
12 
a) To withhold the release of the grades or a student with delinquent account
13 
until the unpaid tuition and other school fees plus interest charges are fully
14 
paid;
15 
b) To deny admission or enrolment of any student having unsettled tuition or
16 
other school fees at the next succeeding semester 
classes, in the case of
17 
higher education, or at the next succeeding short-term course, 
in the case
18 
of post-secondary technical-vocational education, as the case may be, until
19 
the previous delinquencies are fully paid;
20 
c) To refuse issuance of school clearance to students with financial obligations
21 
to the school until all previous delinquencies are fully paid.
22 
Sec. 7. No Permit, No Exam Policy. -  Schools shall be prohibited from adopting
23 
a "No Permit, No Exam Policy", which limits the right to every student to take
24 
examinations notwithstanding the existence of unpaid financial obligations to the
25 
school. Provided, That the parents or legal guardian of the student provide a
26 
promissory note, addressed to the school, indicating the amount and the date of
27 
payment. The school shall reserve the right to pursue the recovery of the unpaid
28 
tuition fees through proper court action where civil rights and liabilities may be
29 
judicially established and collected. This shall not prohibit the student, parents, or
30 
legal guardians to seek informal means of resolving tuition fee disputes or enter into
31 
an agreement with the school before proceeding to court.
32 
Sec. 8. Prohibited Acts. -  The following acts shall be prohibited:


1 
a) Disallowing students with due and unpaid tuition and other school fees from
2 
taking examinations or providing a different schedule of exam from the rest of
3 
the student body; and
4 
b) Requiring the students to secure a special permit to take the examinations from
5 
the school authorities prior to the administration of examinations.
6 
Sec. 9. Penalties. -  Any educational institution official or employee, including
7 
deans, coordinators, advisers, professors, instructors, principals, teachers and other
8 
concerned individuals found guilty of violating any of the unlawful acts enumerated in
9 
Section 7 of this Act shall be punished by a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos
10 
(PhP 50,000.00) but not more than One Hundred Thousand Pesos (PhP 100,000.00).
11 
Sec. 10. Implementing Guidelines. -  The Department of Education (DepEd),
12 
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Commission on
13 
Higher Education (CHED) shall issue the rules and regulations necessary to implement
14 
the provisions of this Act within sixty (60) days from the date of its approval.
15 
Sec. 11. Separability Clause. -  If any provision or part of this Act is held invalid
16 
or unconstitutional, the other sections or provisions hereof shall not be affected
17 
thereby and shall remain in force and effect.
18 
Sec. 12. Repealing Clause. -  All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders,
19 
proclamations, issuances, administrative order, rules and regulations contrary to or
20 
inconsistent with any provision of this Act are hereby amended, repealed or modified
21 
accordingly.
22 
Sec. 13. Effectivity Clause. -T his Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
23 
publication in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
24
25 
Approved,