FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
·SENATE 
S.B. 1147 
Introduced by Senator Manny Villar 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
10 
JUL 12 A8 :591 
Many institutions of higher learning in the country have deteriorated to an extent 
that they fail to produce passers of national examinations. 
To arrest this shameful state of the educational system, it is imperative to give 
more powers to the Commission on Higher Education so that they can adequately 
address this problem. The CHED at present suffers from bureaucratic infirmities. More 
leeway and flexibility to its mandate may give it the tools to do something about the 
proliferation of "diploma mills" in the country. 
Approval of this bill is, thus, requested. 


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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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10 
JUt 12 1\8 :51!J, 
SENATE 
s,B.1147 
Introduced by Senator Manny Villar 
, AN ACT 
PROVIDING A MECHANISM FOR GENERATING QUALITY GRADUATES 
OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS BASED ON PERFORMANCE IN 
PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE EXAMINATIONS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Professional Examination 
Zero-Performance Policy Act". 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
constantly improve the standards of higher education in the Philippines to ensure that 
students get the best education possible from both the public and private higher 
education institutions. 
In the furtherance of this policy, the State shall likewise provide for appropriate 
safeguards to maintain the high quality of professional education by arresting the 
perceived decline in the quality of higher education brought about by the continued 
onslaught of commercialization of education in higher education institutions whose 
administrations are more inclined to maximize the tuition revenues than the provision of 
a sound and competent higher education. 
The State shall ensure provision of quality and relevant higher education by 
linking continued government accreditation of professional degree courses of higher 
education institutions to the performance of their graduates in the professional board 
examinations. 
SEC. 3. Zero-Performance Policy. - Government recognition andlor permit to 
operate pertinent and related professional courses by any higher education institution 
whether public or private, whose graduates have registered zero-performance in any 
professional board or bar examination in three (3) out of five (5) consecutive times they 
participated in shall be revoked permanently. 
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SEC. 4. Publication. - In addition to the usual publication of individual examinee 
results, the various professional examination boards under the Professional Regulation 
Commission (PRC) and the Supreme Court, in case of the bar examinations, are hereby 
required to also publish results in nationally circulated newspapers showing the 
percentage of successful examinees from the higher education institutions that 
participated in the examinations. 
The Commission on Higher. Education (CHED), the Professional Regulation 
Commission (PRC) and the Supreme Court (as the case may be), shall jointly publish 
professional examination results in nationally circulated newspapers of the top ten (10) 
best and worst performing higher education institutions in each of the higher education 
programs with professional licensure examinations. Further, the CHED shall likewise be 
required to publish in nationally circulated newspapers the list of higher education 
institutions whose government recognition and/or permit to operate pertinent and 
related professional courses have been revoked because of zero-performance in 
profeSSional licensure examinations.' 
SEC. 5. Incentives and Awards. - The CHED shall provide incentives and/or 
awards/recognition to higher educat'ion institutions which have conSistently registered 
best performance for five (5) consecutive years in each of the higher education 
programs with professional licensure examinations. The necessary criteria shall be set 
by the CHED in consultation with PRC, Supreme Court and other relevant professional 
organizations. 
SEC. 6. Implementation. - The CHED in cooperation with the PRC, or the 
Supreme Court in case of the bar examination, shall issue the necessary rules and 
regulations for the effective implementation of this Act and shall implement this Act: 
Provided, That the implementation shall not be later than one (1) academic year after 
the passage of this Act. 
SEC. 7. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of 
this Act shall be charged against the currents year's appropriations of the CHED and/or 
the Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF). Thereafter, such sums as may be 
necessary for the continued impler:nentation of the Professional Examination Zero-
Performance Policy Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act: 
Provided, That incentives and/or rewards to be given to higher education institutions as 
provided under Section 5, hereof, shall be taken from the HEDF. 
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SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. - All laws, statutes, directives, orders and/or 
presidential issuances contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act shall be 
repealed or amended accordingly. 
SEC. 9. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following its 
publication in the Official Gazette or. in any two (2) newspapers of general publication, 
whichever comes first. 
Approved, 
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