NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S. No.
)
SENATE 
1610
of liiPSifrrtnrp
*22 DEC 14 A9:13
RECEIVED B'1:
Introduced by Senator Raffy T. Tulfo
AN ACT
PROMOTING ACCESS TO QUALITY LEGAL EDUCATION BY PROVIDING FOR 
FREE TUITION AND OTHER SCHOOL FEES IN STATE UNIVERSITIES AND 
COLLEGES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article XIV, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution declares that the State shall 
protect and promote the rights of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall 
take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. For this purpose, the 
Congress enacted the "Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017" 
(Republic Act No. 10931) which provided free tertiary education to bona students 
in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) regardless of the program or course they are 
enrolled. Law students, however, are ineligible to avail the free tertiary education 
under this law as they are already bachelor's degree holders.
In top private legal educational institutions, it costs around Php75,000.00 - 
Php98,000.00 per semester to study law, while tuition fees in state universities range 
from Php24,000 to Php30,000.00, excluding all the living expenses and other 
necessities.
One of the reasons for lack of access to justice in the Philippines is the shortage 
of practicing iawyers. At present, there are oniy around 40,000 attorneys comprising 
the Integrated Bar of the Philippines - even fewer are practicing lawyers. That


translates to one lawyer serving roughly 2500 people, very far from the ideal ratio of 
one lawyer for every 250 persons.
This measure seeks to ensure that law students will have access to legal 
education in the SUCs and at the same time increase the workforce of the legal 
profession.
In addition, the requirement to render return ^r^ice in the public secto> lall 
pave the way for a sustainable human resource dgi^loyment in the public sector ^at 
is critical for the nation's justice system.
In view of the foregoing, the urgent passing of this bill is^earnestiy sougf
RaffyJ^Tdlfo
"Smator


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE
S. No. 1610
Senate
v^r,xi©ffitr of tlif c ftnrp
*22 DEC 14 A9:14
RECElVtOBV;
Introduced by Senator Raffy T. Tulfo
AN ACT
PROMOTING ACCESS TO QUALITY LEGAL EDUCATION BY PROVIDING FOR 
FREE TUITION AND OTHER SCHOOL FEES IN STATE UNIVERSITIES AND 
COLLEGES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Free Legal Education
2 
Act of 2023".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to provide
4 
appropriate legal measures for the protection of human rights of all persons within
5 
the Philippines, as well as Filipinos residing abroad; offer economic assistance to the
6 
underprivileged and marginalized sectors; deliver free legal services to indigent
7 
litigants, and address the lack of and unavailability of legal practitioners in the different
8 
government agencies in the country.
9 
Likewise, the State hereby recognizes the invaluable role of lawyers and the
10 
legal education out of which they are molded, in the attainment of societal progress.
11 
Towards this end, the State shall encourage the youth to pursue a career in legal
12 
education and thereafter, provide them with opportunities for employment in the legal
13 
field through which they could better serve their countrymen.


1 
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - The following terms shall be defined
2 
conceptually as they are used throughout the statute:
3 
1) Legal Education refers the totality of various academic programs in
4 
higher education designed for the training of prospective lawyers, allied
5 
professionals and legal scholars. It shall encompass the basic and
6 
graduate law programs, and other legal studies programs;
7 
2) Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) refers to an educational institution,
8 
private or public, undertaking operations of higher education program/s
9 
with an organized group of students pursuing defined studies in higher
10 
education, receiving instructions from teachers, usually located in a
11 
building or group of buildings in a particular site specifically intended for
12 
educational purposes. The following are the classifications of Higher
13 
Education Institutions:
14 
a. Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) are institutions
15 
incorporated as stock or non-stock corporations 
and supervised and
16 
regulated by the Commission on Higher Education, except for the law
17 
program;
18 
b. State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) are those created by special
19 
laws or charters, governed by their respective board of regents or
20 
board of trustees, chaired by the CHED Chairperson according to RA
21 
8292; and
22 
3) Legal Education Institutions (LEIs) refers to all higher education
23 
institutions accredited by the Legal Education Board to offer basic and/or
24 
graduate law programs, allied legal studies programs and/or other legal
25 
studies programs and recognized by the Commission on Higher
26 
Education (CHED), when applicable.
27 
Sec. 4. Establishment of Free Legal Education Program in SUCs. - There shall
28 
be established a Free Legal Education Program for deserving students in SUCs. All
29 
qualified Filipino students who are either currently enrolled In the Juris Doctor Program
30 
offered in SUCs at the time of the effectivity of this Act, or shall enroll at any time
31 
thereafter, after passing the entrance examination and other admission and retention


1 
requirements of the said SUCs, shall be exempt from paying tuition and other school
2 
fees for units enrolled in.
3 
All SUCs with a Law Program duly accredited by the Legal Education Board
4 
shall be qualified to implement this Act insofar as beneficial to their bona fide law
5 
students.
6 
The SUCs shall create a mechanism, which will ensure that the beneficial
7 
provisions of this Act, relative to tuition and other school fees subsidy, need not apply
8 
to students with the financial capacity to pay for their education.
9 
Sec. 5. Qualifications and Requirements. - In order to be qualified for the
10 
Free Legal Education Program, a law student must comply with the following
11 
requirements:
12 
1) Must be a Filipino Citizen residing in the Philippines;
13 
2) Must be a student taking up Juris Doctor in an SUC;
14 
3) Must sign an agreement stating the terms and conditions of the
15 
scholarship on a form that shall be prescribed by the LEB;
16 
4) Must carry full load of subjects prescribed per semester by the SUC, and
17 
shall not, under any circumstance, drop a course which will result in
18 
underloading;
19 
5) Must finish the entire Juris Doctor degree within the prescribed time
20 
frame of the SUC where the scholar is enrolled in, subject to the retention
21 
policies of the SUC; Provided, That a scholar who is already enrolled, may
22 
be allowed, for valid and justifiable reasons, to file a leave of absence;
23 
6) Must take the bar examination within a maximum period of one (1) year
24 
after compietion of the Juris Doctor (\eqree-,
25 
7) Must render return service as provided under Section 14 of this Act.
26 
Sec. 6. Coverage. - The Free Legal Education Program shall cover the
27 
following:
28 
1) Tuition fees at the rate approved by the SUC governing board as of date
29 
of passage of this Act;
30 
2) Government-mandated bar examination and licensure fees; and
31 
3) Other school fees including but not limited to:


1 
a. Fees for prescribed books, on a reimbursement basis, as determined
2 
by the LEB, upon consultation with its stakeholders;
3 
b. Student registration fees; and
4 
c. Library fees.
5 
Sec. 7. Ineligibility. - The following students are ineligible to avail of the Free
6 
Legal Education:
7 
1) Students who have already attained a Bachelor of Laws or a Juris Doctor
8 
degree from any legal education or institution.
9 
2) Students who fail to comply with the admission and retention policies of
10 
SUCs.
11 
3) Students who fail to complete their Juris degree within the period
12 
prescribed in the program.
13 
Students who are ineligible to avail of the Free Legal Education Program shall
14 
be charged the tuition and other school fees as determined by the governing Board
15 
of the SUCs.
16 
Sec. 8. Harmonization with the Clinical Legal Education Program. - Pursuant
17 
to Section 5(5), Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution, the Supreme Court is empowered
18 
to adopt and promulgate rules through the amendment of the provisions of Rule 138-
19 
A or the Revised Law Student Practice Rule of the Rules of Court.
20 
The Legal Education Board shall adopt the policy on the Revised Law Student
21 
Practice Rule, ensure that law students participate in the clinical legal education
22 
programs in all legal education institutions, define the scope of service to be rendered
23 
by law students in the said program, contribute to access to justice of the marginalized
24 
sectors, enhance learning opportunities of law students, instill among them social
25 
responsibility and awareness, and prepare them for the practice of law.
26 
Sec. 9. Harmonization with the UniFASTAct. - Pursuant to Republic Act No.
27 
10687, the Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) is the
28 
existing system to unify and harmonize all publicly-funded national government
29 
programs for Student Financial Assistance Programs, including but not iimited to
30 
scholarships, grants-in-aid, and student loans for tertiary education.
31 
As the repository of all government-funded modalities of Student Financial
32 
Assistance Programs for tertiary education in both public and private institutions, the


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
UniFAST is mandated by law to implement the disbursement of student financial 
grants including the Free Legal Education Program, the latter in coordination with the 
LEB, which shall provide UniFAST with validating data or information on the currently 
enrolled registered law students per semester.
Sec. 10. Prohibited Acts. - Upon effectivity of this Act, it shall be unlawful 
for any SUC, or any person or entity representing an SUC, to collect tuition and other 
school fees from qualified law students during the registration or enrollment period. 
Provided, that this provision shall not apply to law students who voluntarily opt out of 
the subsidy or are otherwise ineligible to avail of the provisions of this Act.
Sec. 11. Penalties. - A commission of any prohibited act defined under the 
next preceding section shall subject the SUC to an administrative case under the 
Jurisdiction of the LEB, and shall result in the imposition of the appropriate 
administrative sanction, including but not limited to: (a) downgrading of the 
government recognition; (b) phase-out of the law program; and (c) termination of the 
law program.
This is without prejudice to the civil or criminal liability of the party 
responsible therefor.
Sec. 12. Reporting Requirements. - k\\ SUCs shall submit to the UniFAST and 
the LEB, within five (5) days after the last day of registration for each semester, a 
report detailing the names of law students eligible for free tuition and other school 
fees of the institution, under this Act.
SUCs shall submit a report to the LEB and UniFAST before the start of an 
academic year on the projected number of enrollees for each academic year set by 
the respective governing boards of SUCs. Before the start of each academic year, the 
SUCs shall submit a report to the LEB and UniFAST on their projected number of 
enrollees as determined by their respective governing boards for the purpose of 
implementing the disbursement of student financial grants.
Sec. 13. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the 
implementation of this Act shall be included in the current year's appropriation of the 
UniFAST.


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continuous implementation of the 
Free Legal Education Program provided under this Act shall be included in the UniFAST 
appropriations in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Sec. 14. Mandatory Return Service. - Within four (4) years upon passing the 
bar examinations and conferment of the license to practice the legal profession, a 
scholar shall render mandatory return service for two (2) years in the Public Attorney's 
Office or any government agency lacking lawyers as may be determined by the LEB; 
Provided, That the lawyer shall receive appropriate salaries and other benefits for 
service rendered under the mandatory return service.
Any scholar who fails or refuses to comply with the mandatory return service 
the service obligation imposed under this Act shall be required to reimburse the 
Government the full cost of scholarship, including other benefits and expenses 
received under this Act.
Sec. 15. Impiementing RuiesandReguiations. - Within one hundred twenty 
(120) days from the effectivity of this Act, the LEB as lead, in coordination with the 
CFIED, UniFAST, DBM, Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges 
(PASUC), Association of Local Colleges and University (ALCU), Philippine Association 
of Law Schools (PALS), Association of Law Students (ALSP), shall formulate and issue 
the rules and regulations to fully implement the provisions of this Act.
Sec. 16. Separabiiity Ciause. - Should any part or provision of this Act be 
determined to be unconstitutional or invalid, the other parts or provisions not affected 
thereby shall remain in full force and effect.
Sec. 17. Repeaiing Ciause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations and other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of 
this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
Sec. 18. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,