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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
1st Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representatives PAOLO Z. DUTERTE and ERIC G. YAP 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Education is valued as one of the most important legacies parents aspire to leave 
behind. Thus, many Filipino families consider sending their children to school as a 
collective achievement. While many educational institutions offer free tuition fees and 
scholarship to qualified indigent students, there are other costs not covered that must 
be shouldered by the student in order to finish their degree or to practice their 
profession. 
For some who have been struggling to afford education, the added expense of a 
professional examination is an outright burden. Since the sole purpose of licensure 
examination is to identify those eligible with enough knowledge and experience 
necessary to perform the tasks on the job safely and competently, financial capacity or 
lack thereof must not serve as a barrier for graduates to take the exam. 
This bill seeks to provide for the free professional examinations to qualified indigents 
to level the playing field amongst all future professional examination takers. This shall 
enable our graduates from low-income families to overcome the financial barrier to 
becoming a professional in their chosen field. 
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 
ERIC G. YAP 
September 19, 2022
9:57 am
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1 
Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
1st Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representatives PAOLO Z. DUTERTE and ERIC G. YAP 
AN ACT  
PROVIDING FOR FREE PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATIONS TO QUALIFIED 
INDIGENTS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Free Professional 
Examinations Act.” 
SEC 2. Declaration of Policy. It is declared policy of the State to promote full 
employment and to provide equal opportunities for employment for all. 
Corollary to this is the concomitant responsibility of the State to ensure that 
there are no inroads that may effectively hinder the professional growth of the 
citizens. Furthermore, it is the policy of the State to promote a just and dynamic social 
order that will free the people from poverty through policies and programs that 
provide adequate social services, and improve the quality of life for all. In this regard, 
efforts should be initiated so as we may afford the poor access to mechanisms that 
may expand opportunities for better employment. 
SEC 3. Definition of Terms. – As provided for in this Act: 
a. “Professional Examinations” shall refer to the licensure examinations
conducted by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) leading to
the issuance of a professional license. It shall also include examinations
conducted by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) leading to eligibility for
employment to the government as a civil service professional or sub
professionals and the Bar Examinations conducted by the Supreme Court
of the Philippines.
b. “Qualified Indigents” refers to a person who has no visible means of
income or support, or whose income may not be sufficient for the
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subsistence or basic needs of his family, as may be determined by the 
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).  
 
SEC 4. Requirements for Availment. For purposes of availing of the benefits of 
this Act, an examinee shall secure a certification as a qualified indigent from the 
DSWD. Such certification shall be presented to the Professional Regulations 
Commission (PRC), the Civil Service Commission (CSC) or the Supreme Court of the 
Philippines, as the case may be, in lieu of the payment of examination fees.  
 
No other fee shall be charged against the qualified indigent for purposes of the 
professional examination.  
 
SEC 5. Limitations on Availment. Benefits of this Act may be availed of by a 
qualified indigent only once for every year.  
 
SEC 6. Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Campaign. The 
DSWD, PRC, CSC and the Supreme Court of the Philippines, in cooperation with the 
Philippine Information Agency (PIA), is hereby mandated to conduct an annual IEC 
campaign in order to inform the people of the procedures and guidelines in availing 
the benefits of this Act.  
 
SEC 7. Reportorial Requirement. For purposes of determining the effectiveness 
and social impact of the provisions of this Act, the DSWD, PRC, CSC and the Supreme 
Court of the Philippines shall submit an annual report to both Houses of Congress 
indicating therewith the number of parties who benefited from this Act.  
 
SEC 8. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or 
other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
repealed and modified accordingly.  
 
SEC 9. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of other 
provisions.  
 
SEC 10. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.  
 
 
Approved,