Press Release
December 20, 2022

Tulfo proposes free tuition fees for law students; seeks to increase workforce of legal profession

Senator Idol Raffy Tulfo filed a measure seeking to promote access to quality legal education by providing free tuition and other school fees to deserving students in state universities and colleges (SUCs).

In filing Senate Bill (SB) No. 1610, Tulfo also sought to increase the shortage of workforce in the legal profession by requiring scholars to render mandatory return service for two years in the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) or any government agency lacking lawyers.

"One of the reasons for lack of access to justice in the Philippines is the shortage of practicing lawyers," the bill's explanatory note read. As such, SB No. 1610 seeks to contribute to access to justice of the marginalized sectors.

At present, there is a ratio of one lawyer serving roughly 2500 people, which is very far from the ideal proportion of one lawyer for every 250 persons.

While Congress already enacted the "Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017" which provided free tertiary education to bona fide students in SUCs, Tulfo noted that law students are ineligible to avail the free tertiary education under said law as they are already bachelor's degree holders.

Many law students, especially those coming from poor families, cannot afford to become a lawyer considering that it costs around Php75,000.00 - Php98,000.00 per semester to study law in top private legal educational institutions.

Moreover, tuition fees in state universities range from Php24,000 to Php30,000.00, excluding all the living expenses and other necessities.

Under SB No. 1610, The Free Legal Education Program shall cover the tuition fees at the rate approved by the SUC governing board, as well as government-mandated bar examination and licensure fees and other school fees including but not limited to library fees and fees for prescribed books.

All SUCs with a Law Program duly accredited by the LEB shall be qualified to implement this Act insofar as beneficial to their bona fide law students.


Libreng tuition fee para sa mga law students, sinusulong ni Tulfo

Naghain ng panukalang batas si Senator Idol Raffy Tulfo na naglalayong masiguro ang libreng tuition fee at iba pang school fees ng mga kwalipikadong law students sa state universities at colleges (SUCs).

Sa paghahain ng Senate Bill (SB) No. 1610, nais din ni Tulfo na masolusyunan ang kakulangan ng empleyado sa legal na propesyon sa pamamagitan ng mandatory return service ng mga scholars na magtatrabaho sa Public Attorney's Office (PAO) o anumang ahensya ng gobyerno na kulang sa abogado sa loob ng dalawang taon.

Ani Tulfo, isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit hindi gumugulong ng maayos ang hustisya sa Pilipinas ay ang kakulangan ng mga abogado.

Sa kasalukuyan, mayroong ratio ng isang abogado na naglilingkod sa humigit-kumulang 2,500 katao, na napakalayo sa inaasahang isang abogado para sa bawat 250 katao.

Kahit mayroon ng "Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017" na batas na nagbibigay ng libreng tertiary education sa mga bona fide students sa SUCs, sinabi ni Tulfo na hindi kabilang sa batas na ito ang mga aspiring law students dahil mayroon na silang bachelor's degree.

Nagkakahalaga ng humigit-kumulang Php75,000.00 - Php98,000.00 kada semestre ang bayad kada estudyante sa mga nangungunang pribadong legal na institusyong pang-edukasyon.

Ang matrikula naman sa mga state universities ay nagkakahalagang Php24,000 hanggang Php30,000.00, pero hindi pa kasama dito ang lahat ng gastos sa pamumuhay at iba pang mga pangangailangan.

Sa ilalim ng SB No. 1610, covered ng Free Legal Education Board ang ang tuition fees na aprubado ng SUC governing board, gayundin ang bar examination at licensure fees at iba pang mga bayarin ng estudyante sa paaralan.

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