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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Third Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S.B. No. 
3256 
Introduced by SENATOR MANNY VILLAR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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The 198'1 Constitution mandates the State 'to protect and promote the right of all 
citizens to quality cduci1!ion at all levels and to take appropriate steps to make education 
accessible to ail,' (Art XIV Sec 1) 
Various international instruments, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Convention on the 
Rights of the Child, to which the Philippines is a signatory, have also declared education as a 
right and not just a privilege, Hence, the country IS duty-bound to provide free, quality, and 
accessible education, 
However, conSidering the rising cost of education, especially college education, more 
and more high school graduates find it impossible to enroll in college or drop out and fail to earn 
a degree. 
Data from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) stlOwed that enrollees in higher 
education institutions (HEls) from 200'1 to the present have reached 2,56 million, but the 
dropout rate reached an alarming 83,7 percent This means that the country is producing 2,13-
million college dropouts annually while graduates stand at close to 500,000 only, 
CHED records also shownd that enrollment in tertiary education has not been 
encouraging as it slowed down from 1999 to 2002, and then dropped gradually starting 2002 to 
2003, with negative 0,8 percent growth in 2004-2005 for both public and private schools, Except 
for the big jump in 1998-1999, enrollment has been sliding down, thereafter, Moreover, tertiary 
education enrollment even in state universities and colleges shows a decelerating trend, 
weakening to negative 1,2 percent growth in 2004-2005, despite the lower cost of public 
education, In the case of private schools, the decline started as early as 2002, 
Based on the Commission's 2008 data, out of 100 Grade 1 pupils, only 66 finish Grade 6 
and only 58 of them enroll in first year high schooL Of the 58, only 43 finish high schooL 
However, only 23 of the 43 who finished high school enroll in college and only 14 of the 23 
eventually graduate from college, 
Also disturbing is the National Statistics and Coordination Board (NSCB) data on the 
ratio of graduates to enrollment for tertiary educalion, which stands at 16 to less than 18 percent 
from 1994 to 200!), In the past 10 years, the l\]SeB reported that the total number of college 
graduates increased by an average of only 2,9 percenL The number of graduates also 
increased to only 481 ,862 in Acaclomic Year 2009-2010 from 363,640 in AY 2000-2001, 
Considering that more than 26,5 percent or 3,8 million Filipino families are living below 
the poverty line, as reported by the NSCB 2009 Poverty Statistics and released in February 
2011, access to tertiary educallon for bright and deserving children of these families would be 


almost impossible, especially if they do not have the means to pay even for an entrance 
examination, which is the initial step towards admission to a college degree program. 
Thus, this bill aims to ensure that poor but deserving high school graduates are given 
equal opportunities in applying for college admission to higher education institutions by 
removing the first hindrance at the entry level, such as the prohibitive cost of entrance 
examinations. 
In view of the foregoing reasons, immediate approval of this measure is earnestly 
sought. 
~&lv1 !~v~\ 
M~VNNYlVILLAR 


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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Third Regular Session 
) 
;:llli 1 () 
SENATE 
5.13. No. 
3256 
Introduced by SENATOR MANNY VILLAR 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR FREE COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS TO UNDERPRIVILEGED 
PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BELONGING TO THE TOP TEN PERCENT (10%) OF 
THE GRADUATING CLASS 
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 College Entrance Exam 
Act." 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared the policy of the State to expand 
and further democ'ralize access to quality education at the college level by instituting 
mechanisms tbat protect the rights of underprivileged but bright and deserving high school 
graduates. 
The exemption from the imposition of entrance examination fees is one such mechanism 
that will ensure that underprivileged, but bright and deserving high school graduates, are given 
adequate assistance and equal opportunity to pursue their dreams of obtaining a college 
education. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. For Purposes of this Act, the following terms shall mean: 
a) Col/ege Entrance Examinations -
shall refer to examinations required by higher 
education institutions on graduating high school students or high school graduates as 
one of the criteria for determining admission to a four-year or five-year college degree 
program in the said educational institutions; 
b) Underprivileged Public l-iiglJ School Graduates - shall refer to public high school 
students who belong to the top 10 percent of the graduating class and whose parents 
live below the poverty line or belong to the poorest of the poor as determined by the 
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and who are the qualified 
beneficiaries of this Act; 
c) Higher Education Institution (HE/)- shall refer to an educational institution that is 
legally authorized to offer a program of education leading to the conferment of a degree. 
SEC. 4. Coverage. This Act shall apply to all public and private HEls offering degree 
programs, including local colleges and universities, and shall cover underprivileged public high 
school students graduating or who have graduated at the top 10 percent of the class and 
intending to apply for admission in any public or private HEI in the country for a degree program. 


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SEC. 
5. 
Qualification Requirements of Free College Entrance Examinations 
Beneficiary. A student beneficiary eligible under this Act shall have the following entry 
requirements. 
a) Must be a natural-born Filipino citizen; 
b) Must be a graduating high school student or high school graduate from a public high 
school and intends to enroll in any public or private HEI; 
c) Must belong to the top 10% of the graduating class; and 
d) Must have parents or guardians living below the poverty line as determined by the NEDA 
SEC. 6. Penalties. Any HEI official or employee and other concerned individuals found 
guilty of violating the provisions of this Act shall suffer the penalty of prision correccional or 
imprisonment from six (6) months and one (1) day to six (6) years and a fine of Seven Hundred 
Fifty Thousand Pesos (P750,000.00). 
In addition, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) may impose disciplinary sanctions 
against any HEI official or employee violating the provisions of this Act pursuant to Section 13 of 
Republic Act No. 7722, otherwise known as the Higher Education Modernization Act of 1994. 
SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The CHED, in coordination with the 
Department of Education (DepED), Philippine Association of Stale Universities and Colleges 
(PASUC), the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), and the 
Association of Local Colleges and Universities (ALCU), shall issue the necessary rules and 
regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. 
SEC. 8. Separability Clause. if any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or 
invalid, the other sections or provisions not otherwise affected shall continue to be in full force 
and effect. 
SEC. 9. Repealing Clause. All laws, executive orders, decrees, instructions, rules and 
regulations contrary to or inconsistent with any provision of this Act are hereby amended, 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 10. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication 
in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,