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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session 
S.B.No. 25L2 
’ 
(In substitution of S.B. No. 1888) 
Prepared by the Committee on Civil Service ana’ Government Reorganization with 
Senator Penfilo M. Lacson, as author. 
“AN ACT 
DECLARING AS UNLAWFUL ANY FORM OF CHEATING IN 
CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS, UNAUTHORIZED USE 
AND POSSESSION OF CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION 
GRANTING THE CSC EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION 
OVER THESE CASES INCLUDING THOSE 
COMMITTED BY PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS” 
(CSC) EXAMINATION- RELATED MATERIALS, AND 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Statement of Policy. - Public office is a public trust. As such, 
it is hereby declared the policy of the State to ensure that honesty, integrity and the 
merit and fitness principle be always the measure of entry into the public service. 
Thus, all forms of cheating in civil service examinations including those committed 
by private individuals shall be immediately and effectively addressed. The public 
service should not be a haven for “misfits and cheats.” 
Pursuant thereto, any form of cheating in civil service examinations is hereby 
declared illegal and unlawful. This shall include acts and omissions that are done 
before, during and after such examinations. To further protect the integrity of the 
examinations the possession and or use of any examination-related materials like 
electronic program files or data, test booklets and answer sheets, by any individual, 
group or review center shall be considered an act of cheating. 


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SEC. 2. The Civil Service Commission (CSC) as the central personnel agency 
of the government shall exercise exclusive jurisdiction to investigate and decide over 
these cases. This jurisdiction shall cover government employees as well as private 
individuals. 
SEC. 3. Defiiition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the following terms 
shall mean: 
(a) Civil Service Examination - refers to all examinations being 
administered by the CSC or those administered by other agencies in 
coordination with or through the assistance of the CSC. 
(h) Cheating - refers to any act or omission before, during or after any civil 
service examination that will directly or indirectly undermine the 
sanctity and integrity of the examination such as, but not limited to, the 
following: 
1. Impersonation 
2. Use of “codigo” or crib sheets 
3. Employing a “poste” or a person inside or outside of the 
examination room who may or may not be a registered examinee 
but who provides examinees with answers or “codigo” or”crib 
sheets” or such other assistance purportedly to enhance 
examinee’s better chances of passing. 
4. Tampering with the examination records such as the Answer Data 
Files, the Application Forms or the Picture-Seat Plan to facilitate 
the passing of an examinee who have failed 
5. Collusion of whatever nature between examinees and examination 
personnel 


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6. Examinee number switching 
7. Possession and or use of fake certificate of eligibility 
8. Such other acts of similar nature which facilitate the passing of an 
examination including those committed by review centers or 
entities offering refresher courses or tutorials. 
(c) Cheats - shall include all persons or review centers or entities offering 
refresher courses or tutorials who directly or indirectly commit the act of 
cheating. 
(d) Examination-related materials - refer to any materials in whatever form, 
which are used by the CSC in the conduct of the examinations or by 
other agencies, which administer examinations in coordination with or 
through the assistance of the CSC. These shall include but are not 
limited, to the following: Computer or electronic program files and data, 
test questions, answer sheets and test booklets. 
(e) Private Individuals - those persons who are not yet considered 
government employees as well as those former government employees 
who had been separated from the service. 
These shall also cover 
individuals who are hired by government agencies based on job orders or 
contracts of service, where no employment relationship subsists between 
these individuals and the hiring agencies. 
(0 Review Center - shall refer to entities, created or established formally or 
informally, by an individual or group of individuals, to provide, conduct, 
specialize and/or assist individuals (students, professionals, employees) or 
group of individuals through tutorial programs andlor review classes or 
review 
programs, 
seminars,/training 
programs, 
and 
advance 
subjectkourse orientation, intensive and comprehensive test preparation, 


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familiarity with scope of tests through simulation activities and provision 
of documents or review materials, and proficiency enhancement, 
sometimes with the assurance of passing or high possibility of passing the 
civil service examination and other examinations conducted in 
coordination with and/or through the assistance of the CSC. 
SEC. 4. 
Statistically Improbable Results. - Any civil service 
examination result 
which shall be declared as statistically improbable by 
the CSC shall be a prima facie evidence of the existence of an examination 
irregularity or form of cheating. 
SEC. 5. 
Unauthorized Possession of and/or Unauthorized Use of 
Examination Material. - The unauthorized possession of 
and/or 
unauthorized use, reproduction andlor dissemination in any form of 
examination materials, in whole or in part, by an individual, either private or 
government employee, group or review center, from an unauthorized source, 
shall be considered an act of cheating and punishable under this Act. 
SEC. 6. Powers and Functions -To achieve these objectives, the CSC 
shall have the following powers and functions, in addition to those provided 
for under Executive Order No. 292: 
(1) Exclusive jurisdiction over administrative cases involving 
examination irregularities. 
(2) Investigate and prosecute on its own or on complaint by any 
person, any examination irregularity cases that may be committed 
by private individuals, groups or review centers. 


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(3) Request any government agency for assistance and information 
necessary in the effective discharge of its responsibilities under 
this Act. 
(4) Issue subpoena and subpoena duces tecum for the production of 
documents and records pertinent to its investigation and inquiries. 
(5) Punish for contempt any official, employees, or private individual 
who refuses without any valid cause to extend assistance and 
information necessary in the discharge of its responsibilities under 
this Act. 
(6) Take the primary role in continuously reviewing examinations 
systems and procedures to ensure that the integrity of such 
examinations is not compromised. 
SEC. 7. Immunity - Immunity from prosecution may be granted by 
the CSC to any person upon whose testimony rests the prosecution and/or 
conviction of other individnavs or groups perpetrating examination 
irregularities. 
Those granted immunity shall be exempted from administrative and 
criminal prosecution. 
SEC. 8. Penalties - Any person who commits any of the prohibited 
acts covered by Section 3@) above, shall, upon conviction suffer the penalty 
of imprisonment of not less than six (6) years and one (1) day but not more 
than twelve (12) years and a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos 
(P50,OOO.OO); 
Provided, that, if the offender is already a government 
employee the accessory penalties of dismissal from the service, forfeiture of 


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government benefits, cancellation of eligibility, bar from taking any 
government examination, and perpetual disqualification from re-entering 
government service shall be imposed; Provided, further, that if the offender is 
a non-government employee, the accessory penalties of disqualification from 
taking any government examination and from entering the government 
service shall be imposed; Provided, $nu& 
that if the person found guilty is 
an employee, owner or member of the Board of Directors of a review center, 
he shall be likewise penalized as provided in this Act and the license/permit 
to operate as Review Centers shall likewise be revoked. 
SEC. 
9. 
Administrative Liability. - Any 
person 
found 
administratively liable under any of the acts mentioned above, shall be liable 
for serious dishonesty and grave misconduct and shall be dismissed from the 
service with all the accessory penalties for government employees. Non- 
government employees found administratively liable shall be perpetually 
barred from entering government service and from taking any government 
examination. 
SEC. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Civil Service 
Commission shall promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to carry 
out the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 11. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, letters of 
instructions, executive orders, rules and regulations insofar as they are 
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended as the case may 
be. 
SEC. 12. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in the Oflcial Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved.