TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
SENATE
S.B. No.
52
25 JUL-2 ?5:57
Introduced by SENATOR WIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7836, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS 
THE “PHILIPPINE TEACHERS PROFESSIONALIZATION ACT OF 1994”, 
AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9293
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The 1987 Constitution provides that the State recognizes the 
complementary roles of public and private institutions in the educational 
system and shall exercise reasonable supervision and regulation of all 
educational institutions. In pursuit of these objectives, Republic Act (R.A.) No. 
7836 or the “Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994” was enacted 
for the promotion, development, and professionalization of teachers and the 
teaching profession, and the supervision and regulation of the licensure 
examination. The law was amended in 2004 by R.A. No. 9293, amending in 
particular Sections 15, 16, and 31.
Schools all over the world regard licenses as an essential employment 
entry in the teaching field.1 In the Philippines, the licensure examination
1 Yauney, J.M. (2022). K-12 CS teacher licensing in the US. In Proceedings of the 53rd ACM 
Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 2, 1171. Available at: https:// 
doi.org/10.1145/3478432.3499202
1


became one of the factors that signaled the quality of educators and the 
instruction they provided. It has become a key safeguard for the caliber of a 
teacher to be employed in schools and offers a standard by which to judge 
whether a graduate has the minimal proficiency necessary to engage in the 
teaching profession.2
The Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT) is 
the measure by which the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the 
Board for Professional Teachers (Board) ascertain the educational 
preparedness of future educators. From 2017 to 2019, the average national 
passing rates for elementary and secondary education examinees were below 
50%.3 A World Bank study4 examined data from 2009 to 2017 with findings 
implying the need to improve teacher preparation as teachers performed 
poorly on tests measuring teacher content knowledge. Considering the 
importance of the BLEPT in determining teaching quality, the need to revisit 
the “Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994” is necessary.
In support of strengthening the professional standards and pool of 
qualified teachers while enabling the Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) to 
reinforce the constructive alignment between the curriculum, teacher 
training, and licensure examination, this bill seeks to amend Sections 5, 7, 8, 
and 13 to 16, through the following provisions:
(1) Expanding the number of the members of the Board and the 
nominations for the members of the Board, and mandating the 
posting of the final list of nominees on the PRC official website;
2 Abac EL, Petancio JAM, Sanchez JMP and Sumalinog GG (2023) Performance of beginning 
teachers in the licensure examination for teachers: a national study. Front. Educ. 8:1240658. 
doi; 10.3389/feduc.2023.1240658
3 Ibid.
4 World Bank. (2019). Philippines basic education: public expenditure review. Available at: 
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/3d726a60-03c8-55 3f- 
8de8-214e29234b45/content


(2) Providing that the members of the Board who are employees or 
officials of government entities be seconded to the PRC for the 
duration of their term;
(3) Setting additional qualifications and necessary expertise of the Board 
members, and the prohibition on the conflict of interest in the 
conduct and release of the licensure examination to be set by the 
PRC;
(4) Prescribing the scope of examinations for the early childhood, special 
needs education, elementary, and secondary levels;
(5) Proposing other applicable fields of specialization with qualifications 
as may be determined by the PRC, in coordination with the TEC;
(6) Requiring the completion of a refresher course for those who failed to 
pass the licensure examination two (2) times;
(7) Including the submission of and passing the portfolio of attainment 
of the professional standards for teaching as one of the requirements 
in taking the BLEPT;
(8) Mandating the release of BLEPT questions and answers by the PRC 
within five (5) days after the day of the administration of the 
examination; and
(9) Requiring the report of the ratings obtained by each candidate in each 
component to the PRC and mandating the Board to make public the 
licensure examination performance of TEIs within 15 days after the 
release of examination results.
This bill also introduces a new Section 15-A, which capacitates the TEC 
to develop and issue appropriate guidelines for the preparation, assessment, 
and evaluation of the portfolio of attainment of professional standards for 
teaching.
With the end goal of providing transformajivg'^^ucation through 
refocused and qualified educators, the immedjme parage of this bill is 
earnestly sought.
Win GATCHALIAN


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
]
25 JIJL -2 P5 57
SENATE
S.B. No. 52
Introduced by SENATOR WIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7836, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS 
THE “PHILIPPINE TEACHERS PROFESSIONALIZATION ACT OF 1994”, 
AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9293
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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Section 1. Section 5 of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 7836 is hereby amended
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to read as follows:
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“Sec. 5. Creation and Composition of the Board. - There is
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hereby created under this Act a Board for Professional Teachers,
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hereinafter called the Board, a collegial body under the general
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supervision and administrative control of the Professional
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Regulation Commission, hereinafter referred to as the Commission,
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composed of [five (5)] SEVEN (7) members who shall be appointed
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by the President of the Philippines from among the recommendees
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chosen by the Commission.
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[The recommendees shall be chosen from the list of nominees
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selected—by—the—accredited—association—ef—teachers,] THE
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DEPED), COMMISSION ON
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HIGHER EDUCATION (CHED), TEACHER EDUCATION COUNCIL
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(TEC), EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND 
DEVELOPMENT


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COUNCIL (ECCDC), ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL COLLEGES AND 
UNIVERSITIES (ALCU), PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF STATE 
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES (PASUC), COORDINATING 
COUNCIL OF PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS OF THE 
PHILIPPINES (COCOPEA), AND AN ACCREDITED ASSOCIATION 
OF TEACHERS SHALL EACH RECOMMEND NOT MORE THAN 
TWO (2) NOMINEES WHO SHALL BE EVALUATED BY THE 
COMMISSION BASED ON [who duly possess all] the qualifications 
prescribed in Section 3 of this Act. THE FINAL LIST OF 
NOMINEES SHALL BE PUBLISHED IN A NEWSPAPER OF 
GENERAL CIRCULATION AND POSTED ON THE COMMISSION’S 
OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
The chair [manfPERSON and vice-chair [man] PERSON of the 
Board shall be appointed from these [five (5)] SEVEN (7) members 
by the President: Provided, That the members of the first Board 
appointed under this Act shall be automatically registered as 
professional teachers and issued with the certificate of registration 
and professional license upon payment of the fees for examination, 
registration, and other fees prescribed by the Commission.
FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECOMMENDING NOMINEES 
UNDER THIS SECTION, THE ACCREDITED ASSOCIATION 
SHALL REFER TO A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION DULY 
RECOGNIZED BY THE COMMISSION AND COMPOSED OF AT 
LEAST 20% OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TEACHERS WITH 
VALID PROFESSIONAL LICENSE.”
Sec. 2. Section 7 of the same Act is hereby amended as follows:
“Sec. 7. Term of Office. - The members of the Board shall hold 
office for a term of three (3) years from the date they assume offlce[T 
Provided, That the first appointees to the Board under this Act shall
hold office according to the following terms: one (1) member shall
serve for one (1) year; one (1) member for two (2) years; the
chairman, vice-chairman, and one (1) member for three (3) years).
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MEMBERS OF THE BOARD WHO ARE OFFICIALS OR 
EMPLOYEES OF GOVERNMENT ENTITIES SHALL BE 
SECONDED TO THE COMMISSION FOR THE DURATION OF 
THEIR TERM SUBJECT TO EXISTING CIVIL SERVICE RULES 
AND REGULATIONS. Vacancies shall be served for the unexpired 
term only. No person who has served AS MEMBER OF THE 
BOARD for two (2) consecutive terms shall be eligible for 
reappointment. Appointment to fill an unexpired term shall be 
considered an appointment to a complete term.
The chairman or any member shall take his oath of office prior 
to the performance of his duties.”
Sec. 3. Section 8 of the same Act is hereby amended as follows:
“Sec. 8. Qualifications of Board Members. - Each Board member 
must at the time of his OR HER appointment:
(a) Be a citizen and resident of the Philippines;
(b) Be at least thirty-five (35) years of age, of proven integrity, 
and possessed of high moral values in his OR HER personal as well 
as professional conduct and has not been convicted of any offense 
involving moral turpitude;
(c) Be a holder of [the degree of Bachelor of Arts-or Bachelor of 
Science in Education and preferably a holder of a master's or
doctorate degree in education, or their equivalents,] AT LEAST A 
MASTER S DEGREE, PREFERABLY AN EARNED DOCTORATE 
DEGREE, IN TEACHER EDUCATION OR OTHER ALLIED 
DISCIPLINES from a REPUTABLE HIGHER EDUCATION 
IN STITUTION [■;—duly—recognized—and / or—accredited—by—the 
Philippine government];
(d) Be a professional teacher with a valid certificate of 
registration and valid professional license, save those members 
who shall compose the first Board for Professional Teachers;
(e) Has been a professional teacher in the active practice of the 
teaching profession for at least ten (10) years in EARLY
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CHILDHOOD, elementary, [afi4] OR secondary LEVEL, OR IN THE 
TERTIARY LEVEL AS A FULL-TIME FACULTY IN A TEACHER 
EDUCATION INSTITUTION (TEI); and
(f) Not be, AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT, an official 
member of the faculty of, nor have pecuniary interest in any 
[university, college, school, or institution] HIGHER EDUCATION 
INSTITUTION conferring a bachelor’s degree in education or its 
equivalents [for at least three (3) years prior to his appointment,], 
and NOT connected with a review center or with any group or 
association where review classes or lectures in preparation for the 
licensure examination are offered or conducted, NOR HAVE 
PECUNIARY INTEREST IN SUCH.
PROVIDED, THAT THE COMMISSION SHALL ISSUE THE 
APPROPRIATE RULES TO GOVERN THE PRACTICE OF THE 
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD TO ENSURE THAT NO CONFLICT 
OF INTEREST SHALL ARISE IN THEIR FUNCTIONS RELATED 
TO THE CONDUCT OF THE LICENSURE EXAMINATION AND 
RELEASE OF THE RESULTS.
Provided, [however] FURTHER, That the membership to the 
Board shall be evenly distributed to cover all levels of education, 
including equitable representation of the different fields of 
specicdization.
PROVIDED, FINALLY, THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 
SHALL ALSO HAVE THE NECESSARY EXPERTISE IN 
IMPLEMENTING TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS THAT ARE 
PRESCRIBED BY THE TEC AND REGULATED BY THE CHED, 
TEST DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS, AND LOGISTICS IN 
IMPLEMENTING LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENTS AND SYSTEM 
EVALUATION.”
Sec. 4. Section 13 of the same Act is hereby amended as follows:
“Sec. 13. Examination, Registration and License Required. - 
Except as otherwise specifically allowed under the provisions of this
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Act, all applicants for registration as professional teachers shall be
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required to undergo a written examination which shall be given at
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least once a year in such places and date as the Board may
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determine upon approval by the Commission.
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A valid certificate of registration and a valid professional license
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from the Commission are required before any person is allowed to
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practice as a professional teacher in the Philippines, except as
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otherwise allowed under [this Act] SECTION 8 OF R.A. NO. 10533,
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OR THE “ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013”:
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PROVIDED, THAT THEY PASS THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION
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WITHIN FIVE (5) YEARS FROM THE DATE OF HIRING.’’
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Sec. 5. Section 14 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:
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“Sec. 14. Scope of Examination. - The examinations for the
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EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, SPECIAL NEEDS
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EDUCATION, elementary, and secondary school teachers shall be
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separate [vjj AND [The examination for teachers in the elementary
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level] shall consist of [two (2)] THE FOLLOWING parts, namely:
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[professional] GENERAL education, [and] [general]
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PROFESSIONAL education, and/OR field of specialization, AS
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APPLICABLE [The examination for teachers in the secondary level
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shall consist of three (3) parts, namely: professional education,
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general education, and field of specialization].”
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FOR APPLICANTS WITH THE REQUIRED UNITS IN
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PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION, AS PROVIDED UNDER SECTION
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6 OF THIS ACT, THE EXAMINATIONS SHALL CONSIST OF
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PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AND FIELD OF SPECIALIZATION,
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AS DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSION, IN COORDINATION
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WITH THE TEC. ”
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Sec. 6. Section 15 of the same Act is hereby further amended to read
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as follows:
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“Sec. 15. Qualification Requirements of Applicant - No applicant
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shall be admitted to take the examination unless, on the date of 
the filing of the application, he OR SHE shall have complied with 
the following requirements;
(a) A citizen of the Philippines or an alien whose country has 
reciprocity with the Philippines in the practice of the teaching 
profession;
(b) At least eighteen (18) years of age;
(c) In good health and of good reputation with high moral 
values;
(d) Has not been convicted by final judgment by a court for an 
offense involving moral turpitude;
(e) A graduate of a [school, college or university] HIGHER 
EDUCATION INSTITUTION DULY recognized by the government 
and possesses the minimum educational qualifications, as follows:
(1) For teachers in [preschool] THE EARLY 
CHILDHOOD LEVEL, a bachelor's degree in early childhood 
education (BECED) or its equivalent;
(2) FOR TEACHERS IN SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION 
PURSUANT TO R.A. NO. 11650, OR THE “INSTITUTING A 
POLICY OF INCLUSION AND SERVICES FOR LEARNERS 
WITH DISABILITIES IN SUPPORT OF INCLUSIVE 
EDUCATION ACT”, A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN SPECIAL 
NEEDS EDUCATION (BSNED) OR ITS EQUIVALENT;
(3) For teachers in the elementary grades, a bachelor’s 
degree in elementary education (B[S]EED) or its equivalent;
(4) For teachers in the secondary grades, a bachelor's 
degree in education or its equivalent with a major [and 
minor,] or a bachelor's degree in arts and sciences with THE 
REQUIRED UNITS IN PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AS 
DETERMINED BY THE TEC [at least eighteen (18) units in 
professional education];
(5) For teachers of vocational and two-year technical 
courses, a bachelor's degree in the field of specialization or
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its equivalent, with THE REQUIRED UNITS IN 
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AS DETERMINED BY THE
TEC [at least eighteen (18) units in professional education]; 
and
(6) FOR THOSE WITH OTHER APPLICABLE FIELDS 
OF SPECIALIZATION, THE MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL 
QUALIFICATIONS SHALL BE DETERMINED BY THE 
COMMISSION, IN COORDINATION WITH THE TEC.
(f) HAS SUBMITTED AND PASSED THE PORTFOLIO OF 
ATTAINMENT OF THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR 
TEACHING AS PROVIDED UNDER SECTION 7 OF THIS ACT; 
AND
(g) HAS COMPLETED A REFRESHER COURSE IN A 
GOVERNMENT-RECOGNIZED TEI AS DEFINED UNDER R.A. NO. 
11713, OR THE “EXCELLENCE IN TEACHER EDUCATION ACT” 
WITHIN ONE YEAR PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE 
EXAMINATION FOR APPLICANTS WHO FAILED TO PASS THE 
LICENSURE EXAMINATION TWO (2) TIMES.”
Sec. 7. A new Section 15-A is hereby inserted to read as follows:
“SEC. 15-A. SUBMISSION OF PORTFOLIO OF ATTAINMENT 
OF THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS. - GRADUATES OF 
HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS WHO SHALL BE TAKING 
THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION SHALL BE REQUIRED TO 
SUBMIT A TEACHING PORTFOLIO AS EVIDENCE OF THEIR 
ATTAINMENT OF THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS.
THE TEC SHALL BE CAPACITATED TO DEVELOP AND 
ISSUE APPROPRIATE GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION, 
ASSESSMENT, AND EVALUATION OF THE PORTFOLIO OF 
ATTAINMENT OF THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR 
TEACHING. THESE GUIDELINES SHALL ENSURE ALIGNMENT 
WITH THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND UPHOLD THE


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QUALITY AND INTEGRITY OF THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS 
ACROSS INSTITUTIONS.”
Sec. 8. Section 16 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows;
“Sec. 16. RELEASE OF THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS; 
Report of the EXAMINATION RESULTS. - THE LICENSURE 
EXAMINATION QUESTIONS AND CORRESPONDING ANSWERS 
SHALL BE RELEASED BY THE COMMISSION TO THE TEC 
WITHIN FIVE (5) DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF ADMINISTRATION 
OF THE EXAMINATION.
FURTHER, the Board shall, within one hundred twenty (120) 
days after the examination, report the ratings obtained by each 
candidate IN EACH COMPONENT to the COMMISSION for
approval and appropriate action.
THE COMMISSION SHALL ALSO MAKE PUBLIC THE 
LICENSURE EXAMINATION TEST QUESTIONS AND 
CORRESPONDING ANSWERS, AND THE PERFORMANCE OF 
TEIS WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE 
EXAMINATION RESULTS.”
Sec. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). - Within sixty (60) 
days from the effectivity of this Act, the Commission shall update its IRR 
necessary for the full and effective implementation of this Act.
Sec. 10. Transitory ProiAsion. - The Commission and the Board shall 
update their existing policies and issuances to ensure their alignment with 
this Act within a period of six (6) months from its effectivity, and report the 
same to Congress on the first year of its implementation.
Sec. 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this Act is 
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions or parts not 
affected shall remain in full force and effect.


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Sec. 12. Repealing Clause. - All other laws, executive orders,
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presidential decrees, administrative orders, rules and regulations, issuances,
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or parts thereof inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are
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hereby repealed or amended accordingly.
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Sec. 13. Effectivity. - Notwithstanding the non-issuance of the IRR, this
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Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
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Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,