MALACAÑANG

MANILA

PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO 1006

PROVIDING FOR THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF TEACHERS, REGULATING THEIR PRACTICE IN

THE PHILIPPINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

WHEREAS, the Constitution provides that “All educational institutions shall be under the
supervision of; and subject to regulation by, the State”, and requires that “the State shall
establish and maintain a complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the
goals of national development”;

WHEREAS, in the pursuit on these objectives, the Department of Education and Culture has
adopted ways and means of overseeing all the educational institutions in the country;

WHEREAS, this supervisory function of the DEC has been primarily beamed towards insuring
that the educational institutions inculcate in the studentry love of the country, teach the duties
of citizenship, and develop moral character, personal discipline, and scientific, technological and
vocational efficiency;

WHEREAS, to implement these objectives, the institutions have relied upon their teachers
whose direct and continuing interaction with the young people and the children make them
potent forces for the development of proper attitudes among the citizenry;

WHEREAS, this accounts for the tremendous growth of the teaching population, comprising in
the civil service sector alone more than 300,000 teachers deployed all over the country;

WHEREAS, to insure that in the immediacy and urgency of teacher recruitment qualitative
requirements are not overlooked, it has become necessary to regulate the teaching profession;

WHEREAS, although teaching requires a number of years of collegiate study, it is the only course
that it is not yet considered a profession;
WHEREAS, in recognition of the vital role of teachers in nation-building and as an incentive to
raise the morale of teachers, it is imperative that they be considered as professionals and
teaching be recognized as a profession.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the

powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby decree and order:

Section 1. Title. This Decree shall be known as the Decree Professionalizing Teaching.

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared a policy that teacher education shall be
given primary concern and attention by the government and shall be of the highest quality, and
strongly oriented to Philippine conditions and to the needs and aspirations of the Filipino
people even as it seeks enrichment from adoptable ideas and practices of other people.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. As used in this Decree, the following shall be construed as
follows:

(a) Teaching refers to the profession primarily concerned with the classroom instruction, at the
elementary and secondary levels, in accordance with the curriculum prescribed by National
Board of Education, whether on part-time or full-time basis in the public or private schools.

(b) Teachers refers to all persons engaged in teaching at the elementary and secondary levels,
whether on a full-time or part-time basis, including guidance counselors, school librarians,
industrial arts or vocational teachers and all other persons performing supervisory and/or
administrative functions in all schools in the aforesaid levels and legally qualified to practice
teaching under this Decree.

(c) Board refers to the National Board for Teachers duly constituted under this Decree.

Section 4. Creation of the National Board for Teachers. There is hereby created a National Board
for Teachers, hereinafter called the Board, to be composed of the following:
1) Secretary of Education and Culture Co-Chairman

2) Chairman, Civil Service Commission

3) Commissioner, Professional Regulations Commission Member

4) Two members representing the private sector to be appointed by the President

Section 5. Powers and Duties. The Board shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) Appoint a set of examiners for every examination who will determine and prepare the
contents of the Board examination for teachers, hereinafter referred to as examination, in the
elementary and secondary levels of instruction, to be held at least once a year;

(b) Determine and fix the places and dates of examination, appoint supervisors and room
examiners from among the employees of the Government who shall be entitled to a daily
allowance to be fixed by the Board for every examination day actually attended, use the
buildings and facilities of public and private schools for examination purposes, approve
applications to take examination, and approve the release of examination results;

(c) Look from time to time into the conditions affecting the practice of the teaching profession,
adopt such measures as may be deemed proper for the enhancement of said profession, and/or
maintenance of the professional standards and ethics;

(d) Issue, suspend, revoke, replace or reissue Professional Teachers Certificate, and administer
oaths;

(e) Appoint, subject to the provisions of existing laws, such officials and employees as are
necessary in the effective performance of its functions and responsibilities, prescribe their
duties and fix their compensation;

(f) Prescribe and collect examination and other fees as it may deem proper; and
(g) Promulgate rules and regulations, and exercise such other powers, functions and duties as
may be necessary to carry into effect the purposes of this Decree.

Section 6. Qualification requirements for examination applicants. No applicant shall be admitted

to take the examination unless, on the date of filing of the application, he shall have complied
with the following requirements:

(a) Except those who have been engaged in teaching as herein defined for at least five years in
schools in the Philippines not organized exclusively for nationals of a foreign country at the time
of the effectivity of this Decree, the applicant must be a citizen of the Philippines;

(b) That he is of good moral character;

(c) That he is free from any physical and/or mental defect which will incapacitate him to render
efficient service; and

(d) That he possesses the following minimum educational qualifications:

1) For teachers in the kindergarten and elementary grades, Bachelor’s degree in Elementary
Education (B.S.E.Ed.) or its equivalent;

2) For teachers of the secondary schools, Bachelor’s degree in Education or its equivalent with a
major and minor, or a Bachelor’s degree in Arts or Sciences with at least eighteen units in
professional education; and

3) For teachers of secondary vocational and two-year technical courses, Bachelor’s degree in the
field of specialization with at least eighteen units in professional education.

All applications shall be filed with an office or offices designated by the Board, preferably the
offices of the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Education and Culture.
These offices shall screen and approve such applications and issue the corresponding permits to
take the examination to qualify applicants.

Section 7. Appointment of examiners. The Board shall appoint a set of examiners for every
examination who are recognized authority in teacher education, and their names shall not be
disclosed until after the release of the results of the examination. They shall each receive as
compensation the sum of not less than P5.00 for each examinee as may be determined by the
Board but in no case shall each examiner receive more than P18,000 per examination. Any
examiner who is in the service of the Government shall receive the compensation herein
provided in addition to his salary.

Section 8. Scope of the examination. The examination shall consist of written tests, the scope of
which shall be determined by the Board, taking into consideration the teaching plan of the
schools legally constituted in the Philippines.

Section 9. Ratings in the examination. In order that a candidate may be deemed to have
successfully passed the examinations, he must have obtained a general average of at least 70
per cent in all subjects, with no rating below 50 per cent in any subject.

Section 10. Report of the results of examination. The examiners shall report the ratings obtained
by each candidate to the Board within 150 days after the last day of the examination, unless
extended by the latter.

Section 11. Issuance of Certificates. Teachers who have passed examinations given by the Civil
Service Commission or jointly by the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Education
and Culture shall be considered as having passed the board examinations for teachers. The
Board may consider their certificates of rating as certificates of eligibility or issue an entirely
new certificate upon registration of the teacher and payment of the corresponding fees.

This provision shall likewise apply to those teachers who have permanent appointment under
the Magna Carta For Public School Teachers and all others who may be qualified for registration
as professional teachers under this Decree.
Section 12. Registration. The Civil Service Commission shall, as an arm of the Board, register
holders of Professional Teacher Certificate which registration shall evidence that the registrant is
entitled to all the rights and privileges of a Professional Teacher until and unless the certificate is
suspended or canceled by the Board for just cause.

Section 13. Reissuance of revoked certificates and replacement of lost certificates. The Board
may, for reason of equity and justice, and upon proper application therefor, issue another copy,
original or duplicate, upon payment of the required fee, of a certificate which has been revoked.
A new certificate to replace a lost, destroyed or mutilated certificate may be issued subject to
the rules of the Board.

Section 14. Registration by reciprocity. The Civil Service Commission shall, upon approval of the
Board, effect the registration, without examination, of a teacher validly registered under the
laws of any foreign state or country; Provided, That the requirements for registration in said
foreign state or country are substantially the same as those required and contemplated by this
Decree, and the laws of such foreign state or country allow citizens of the Philippines to practice
the profession on the same basis and grant the same privileges as the citizens or subjects of
such foreign state or country; Provided finally, That the applicant shall submit competent and
conclusive documentary evidence, confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, showing
that his country’s existing laws permit citizens of the Philippines to practice teaching profession
under the rules and regulations governing citizens thereof.

Section 15. Prohibition. Three years after the effectivity of this Decree, no person shall engage in
teaching and/or act as a teacher as defined in this Decree, whether in the public or private
elementary or secondary school, unless he is holder of a Professional Teacher Certificate or is
considered a Professional Teacher under this Decree.

Section 16. Penal Provision. Any person who shall practice the teaching without a valid
Professional Teacher Certificate, or any person presenting as his or her own the certificate of
another, or any person giving any false or forged evidence in order to obtain a Professional
Teacher Certificate or admission to an examination, or any person assuming himself as a
registered professional teacher or any person violating any provision of this Decree shall be
penalized by a fine of not less than One Thousand Pesos nor more than Five Thousand Pesos
with subsidiary imprisonment or to suffer an imprisonment of not less than six months nor
more than two years, or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the Court.
Section 17. Repealing Clause. All Acts, Decrees, Executive Orders, Administrative Orders, rules
and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Decree are hereby
repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 18. Separability Clause. In case any provision of this Decree or any portion thereof is
declared unconstitutional by a competent court, other provisions shall not be affected thereby.

Section 19. Effectivity. This Decree shall take effect January 1, 1977.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 22nd day of September, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen
hundred and seventy-six.

(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS

President of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) JACOBO C. CLAVE

Presidential Executive Assistant

Source: Malacañang Records Office

Republic Act 7836

Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994

AN ACT TO STRENGTHEN THE REGULATION AND SUPERVISION OF THE PRACTICE OF

TEACHING IN THE PHILIPPINES AND PRESCRIBING A LICENSURE EXAMINATION FOR TEACHERS
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the "Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of
1994."
Sec. 2. Statement of Policy. — The State recognizes the vital role of teachers in nation-building and
development through a responsible and literate citizenry.Towards this end, the State shall ensure and
promote quality education by proper supervision and regulation of the licensure examination and
professionalization of the practice of the teaching profession.cralaw

Sec. 3. Objectives. — This Act has the herein objectives:

(a) The promotion, development and professionalization of teachers and the teaching profession; and

(b) The supervision and regulation of the licensure examination.

Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall mean:

(a) "Teaching" — refers to the profession concerned primarily with classroom instruction, at the
elementary and secondary levels in accordance with the curriculum prescribed by the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports, whether on part-time or full-time basis in the private or public schools.

(b) "Teachers" — refers to all persons engaged in teaching at the elementary and secondary levels,
whether on full-time or part-time basis, including industrial arts or vocational teachers and all other
persons performing supervisory and/or administrative functions in all schools in the aforesaid levels and
qualified to practice teaching under this Act.

(c) "Board" — refers to the Board for Professional Teachers duly established and constituted under this
Act.

(d) "Commission" — refers to the Professional Regulation Commission.

ARTICLE II BOARD FOR PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS

Sec. 5. Creation and Composition of the Board. — There is hereby created under this Act a Board for
Professional Teachers, hereinafter called the Board, a collegial body under the general supervision and
administrative control of the Professional Regulation Commission, hereinafter referred to as the
Commission, composed of five (5) members who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines
from among the recommendees chosen by the Commission.The recommendees shall be chosen from
the list of nominees selected by the accredited association of teachers, who duly possess all the
qualifications prescribed in Section 8 of this Act.
The chairman and the voice-chairman of the Board shall be appointed from these five (5) 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.

Sec. 6. Duties and Function of the Board. — The Board shall have the following duties and functions:

(a) Promulgate, administer and enforce rules and regulations necessary for carrying out the provisions
of this Act in accordance with the charter of the Professional Regulation Commission;

(b) Determine and fix the frequency, dates, and places of examination, appoint supervisors, proctors,
and other personnel as needed who shall be entitled to a daily allowance to be fixed by the Board for
every examination day actually attended, use buildings and facilities of public or private schools for
examination purposes;

(c) Issue, suspend, or revoke the certificate of registration for the practice of the teaching profession;

(d) Prescribe and collect examination and other fees as it may deem proper;

(e) Prescribe and/or adopt a code of ethical and professional standards for the practice of the teaching
profession.Such ethical standards, rules and regulations to take effect sixty (60) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation;

(f) Administer oaths in connection with the administration of this Act;

(g) Supervise and regulate the registration, licensure and practice of professional teachers in the
Philippines;

(h) Adopt an official seal of the Board;cralaw

(i) Look into the conditions affecting the practice of the teaching profession and whenever necessary,
adopt such measures as may be deemed proper for the enhancement and maintenance of high
professional and ethical standards of the profession;

(j) Ensure that all educational institutions offering elementary and secondary education comply with
the essential requirements for curricula, faculty and facilities for the elementary and secondary levels;

(k) Investigate such violations of this Act, the rules and the code of ethical and professional standards
for professional teachers as it may come to the knowledge of the Board, and for this purpose, to issue
subpoena and subpoena duces tecum to secure the appearance of witnesses and the production of
documents in connection therewith; and

(l) Discharge such other powers, duties and functions as the Board may deem necessary for the
practice of the teaching profession and the upgrading, enhancement, development and growth of
education in the Philippines.
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 office: 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. Vacancies shall be
served for the unexpired term only. No person who has served 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. 8. Qualification of Board Members. — Each Board member must at the time of his 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 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, from a university, school,
college, academy or institute duly constituted, 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 the elementary and secondary level; and

(f) Not be an official or member of the faculty of, nor have pecuniary interest in any university, college,
school, or institution conferring a bachelor's degree in education or its equivalents for at least three (3)
years prior to his appointment, and neither 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.

Provided, however,That, the membership to the Board shall be evenly distributed to cover all levels of
education, including equitable representation of the different fields of specialization.

Sec. 9. Compensation of the Board. — The chairman, vice-chairman, and members of the Board shall
receive compensation comparable to the compensation received by existing regulatory boards under the
Professional Regulation Commission, computed on the basis of the number of examinees/candidates.
Sec. 10. Supervision of the Board and Custodian of its Records. — The Board shall be under the
supervision and control of the Commission. All records, including applications for examination,
examination papers and results, minutes of deliberation, administrative cases and investigative cases and
investigations involving professional teachers shall be kept by the Commission.

Sec. 11. Secretariat and Support Services. — The Professional Regulation Commission, through its
chairman, shall provide the secretariat and other support services to implement effectively the
provisions of this Act.cralaw

Sec. 12. Removal of a Board Member. — The chairman or any member of the Board may be removed by
the President of the Philippines upon recommendation of the Commission for neglect of duty,
incompetence, unprofessional, unethical, immoral or dishonorable conduct, commission or toleration of
irregularities in the examination, after having been given the opportunity to defend himself in a proper
administrative investigation.

In the course of investigation, the President may preventively suspend the respondent.

ARTICLE III EXAMINATION AND REGISTRATION

Sec. 13. Examination, Registration and License Required. — Except as otherwise specifically allowed
under the provisions of this Act, all applicants for registration as professional teachers shall be required
to undergo a written examination which shall be given at least once a year in such places and dates as
the Board may determine upon approval by the Commission. A valid certificate of registration and a valid
professional license from the Commission are required before any person is allowed to practice as a
professional teacher in the Philippines, except as otherwise allowed under this Act.

Sec. 14. Scope of Examination. — The examinations for the elementary and secondary school teachers
shall be separate. The examination for teachers in the elementary level shall consist of two (2) parts,
namely: professional education and general education. The examination for teachers in the secondary
level shall consist of three (3) parts, namely: professional education, general education, and field of
specialization.

Sec. 15. Qualification Requirements of Applicants. — No applicant shall be admitted to take the
examination unless, on the date of filing of the application, he 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 recognized by the government and possesses the
minimum educational qualifications, as follows:

(1) For teachers in preschool, a bachelor's degree in early childhood education (BECED) or its
equivalent;

(2) For teachers in the elementary grades, a bachelor's degree in elementary education (BSEED) or
its equivalent;

(3) 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 at least ten (10) units in professional
education; and

(4) For teachers of vocational and two-year technical courses, a bachelor's degree in the field of
specialization or its equivalent, with at least eighteen (18) units in professional education.

Sec. 16. Report of the Results of the Examination. — The Board shall, within one hundred twenty (120)
days after the examination, report the ratings obtained by each candidate to the Professional Regulation
Commission for approval and appropriate action.

Sec. 17. Issuance of Certificate of Registration and Professional License. — The registration of a
professional teacher commences from the date his name is enrolled in the roster of professional
teachers.

Every registrant who has satisfactorily met all the requirements specified in this Act shall, upon payment
of the registration fee, be issued a certificate of registration as a professional teacher bearing the full
name of the registrant with serial number and date of issuance signed by the chairman of the
Commission and the chairman, vice-chairman, and members of the Board, stamped with the official seal,
as evidence that the person named therein is entitled to practice the profession with all the rights and
privileges appurtenant thereto. The certificate shall remain in full force and effect until withdrawn,
suspended and/or revoked in accordance with law.cralaw

A professional license signed by the chairman of the Commission and bearing the registration number
and date of issuance thereof and the month of expiry or renewability shall likewise be issued to every
registrant who has paid the annual registration fees for three (3) consecutive years. This license shall
serve as evidence that the licensee can lawfully practice his profession until the expiration of its validity.
Sec. 18. Oath Before Practice. — Every registrant shall be required to take his professional oath before
practicing as a professional teacher.

Sec. 19. Periodic Merit Examination of Teachers. — To encourage continuing professional growth and
development and to provide additional basis for merit promotion, in addition to their performance
rating, teachers may take an oral and written examination at least once in five (5) years as basis for merit
promotion. In taking this examination, no fee shall be required.

Sec. 20. Failure to Pass the Merit Examination. — If a teacher fails to pass the merit examination, he or
she shall be allowed to take the examination for a second time. Should he or she fail to pass the merit
examination for the second time, then he or she shall be required to take a DECS accredited refresher
course or program before being allowed to retake the examination.

Failure of any permanent teacher to pass the merit examination shall not, however, be used as a ground
for his/her dismissal or demotion.

Sec. 21. Incentives. — Teachers who pass the merit examination shall:

(a) Be awarded a diploma of merit by the Board;

(b) Earn merit points for purposes of promotion in salary or to a higher position or grade level;

(c) Be placed in the priority list for government scholarship; and

(d) Enjoy such other benefits as may be promulgated by the Board.

Similar incentives shall be given to teachers who make inventions, develop new methods of teaching,
write a book or books and create works of artistic merit.

Sec. 22. Integration of the Teaching Profession. — The teaching profession shall be integrated into one
national organization which shall be recognized by the Board and the Commission as the one and only
integrated and accredited association of professional teachers. Upon registration with the Board, every
professional teacher shall be encouraged to become a member of the integrated national organization.
Those who have been registered with the Board but are not members of the said integrated organization
shall be allowed to register as members of the said integrated organization within three (3) years after
the effectivity of this Act. Membership in the integrated organization shall not be a bar to membership in
other associations of the teaching profession. The professional teachers shall receive the benefits and
privileges appurtenant to their membership in the said integrated and accredited organization of
professional teachers only upon payment of the required membership fees and dues.

Sec. 23. Revocation of the Certificate of Registration, Suspension from the Practice of the Teaching
Profession, and Cancellation of Temporary or Special Permit. — The Board shall have the power, after
due notice and hearing, to suspend or revoke the certificate of registration of any registrant, to
reprimand or to cancel the temporary/special permit of a holder thereof who is exempt from
registration, for any of the following causes:

(a) Conviction for any criminal offense by a court of competent jurisdiction;

(b) Immoral, unprofessional or dishonorable conduct;

(c) Declaration by a court of competent jurisdiction for being mentally unsound or insane;

(d) Malpractice, gross incompetence, gross negligence or serious ignorance of the practice of the
teaching profession;

(e) The use of or perpetration of any fraud or deceit in obtaining a certificate of registration,
professional license or special/temporary permit;

(f) Chronic inebriety or habitual use of drugs;cralaw

(g) Violation of any of the provisions of this Act, the rules and regulations and other policies of the
Board and the Commission, and the code of ethical and professional standards for professional teachers;
and

(h) Unjustified or willful failure to attend seminars, workshops, conferences and the like or the
continuing education program prescribed by the Board and the Commission.

The decision of the Board to revoke or suspend a certificate may be appealed to the regional trial court
of the place where the Board holds office within fifteen (15) days from receipt of the said decision or of
the denial of the motion for reconsideration filed in due time.

Sec. 24. Registration by Reciprocity. — No teacher of a foreign nationality shall be admitted to the
examination, or be given a certificate of registration or be entitled to any of the rights and privileges
provided under this Act; unless the country or state of which he is a subject permits Filipino professional
teachers to practice within its territorial limits on the same basis as subjects or citizens of said country or
state: Provided, that the requirements of certification of teachers with said foreign state or country are
substantially the same as those required and contemplated under this Act: Provided, further, That the
laws of such state or country grant the same privilege to Filipino professional teachers on the same basis
as the subject or citizens of such foreign country or state.
Sec. 25. Roster of Professional Teachers. — A roster of professional teachers containing the names and
addresses of professional teachers, date of registration or issuance of certificate, and other data which in
the opinion of the Board may appear pertinent shall be maintained. Copies of the roster shall be
provided by the Commission to the Board, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, and the
integrated and accredited organization of professional teachers.

Sec. 26. Registration and Exception. — Two (2) years after the effectivity of this Act, no person shall
engage in teaching and/or act as a professional teacher as defined in this Act, whether in the preschool,
elementary or secondary level, unless he is a duly registered professional teacher, and a holder of a valid
certificate of registration and a valid professional license or a holder of a valid special/temporary permit.

Upon approval of the application and payment of the prescribed fees, the certificate of registration and
professional license as a professional teacher shall be issued without examination as required in this Act
to a qualified applicant, who at the time of the approval of this Act, is:

(a) A holder of a certificate of eligibility as a teacher issued by the Civil Service Commission and the
Department of Education, Culture and Sports; orcralaw

(b) A registered professional teacher with the National Board for Teachers under the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 1006; or

(c) Not qualified under paragraphs one and two but with any of the following qualifications. to wit:

(1) An elementary or secondary teacher for five (5) years in good standing and a holder of Bachelor
of Science in Education or its equivalent; or

(2) An elementary or secondary teacher for three (3) years in good standing and a holder of a
master's degree in education or its equivalent.

Provided, That they shall be given two (2) years from the organization of the Board for professional
teachers within which to register and be included in the roster of professional teachers: Provided,
further, That those incumbent teachers who are not qualified to register without examination under this
Act or who, albeit qualified, were unable to register within the two-year period shall be issued a five-year
temporary or special permit from the time the Board is organized within which to register after passing
the examination and complying with the requirements provided this Act and be included in the roster of
professional teachers: Provided, furthermore, That those who have failed the licensure examination for
professional teachers shall be eligible as para-teachers and as such, shall be issued by the Board a special
or temporary permit, and shall be assigned by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS)
to schools as it may determine under the circumstances.
ARTICLE IV PROVISIONS RELATIVE TO THE PRACTICE OF THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Sec. 27. Inhibition Against the Practice of the Teaching Profession. — Except as otherwise allowed under
this Act, no person shall practice or offer to practice the teaching profession in the Philippines or be
appointed as teacher to any position calling for a teaching position without having previously obtained a
valid certificate of registration and a valid professional license from the Commission.

Sec. 28. Penal Provisions. — The following shall be punishable by a fine of not less than Five thousand
pesos (P5,000.00) nor more than Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00) or imprisonment of nor less than
six (6) months nor more than five (5) years, or both, at the discretion of the court:cralaw

(a) Any person who practices the teaching profession in the Philippines without being certified in
accordance with the provisions of this Act;

(b) Any person who represents or attempts to use as his own certificate of registration that of another;

(c) Any person who gives any false, or fraudulent evidence of any kind to the Board or any member
thereof in obtaining a certificate of registration as teacher;

(d) Any person who impersonates any registrant of the same or different name;

(e) Any person who uses a revoked or suspended certificate of registration;

(f) Any person who, in connection with his name, otherwise assumes, uses or advertises any title or
description tending to convey or conveys the impression that he is a teacher without holding a valid
certificate; and

(g) Any person who violates or who abets the violation of any of the provisions of this Act.

The penalty of fine or imprisonment or both, as provided in this section, shall also apply to any school
official who shall cause or be responsible for the commission of any of the above-enumerated acts.

Sec. 29. Appropriations. — Such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be
included in the 1996 General Appropriations Act and thereafter.

Sec. 30. Implementing Guidelines. — The Board shall formulate and adopt the necessary guidelines for
the effective implementation of the provisions of this Act within sixty (60) days of its approval.cralaw
The Board shall submit to both Committees on Education, Arts, and Culture; and the Committees on Civil
Service and Professional Regulation of the Senate and House of Representatives, copies of the
implementing rules and guidelines within thirty (30) days after its promulgation.

Any violation of this section shall render the official/s concerned liable under Republic Act No. 6713,
otherwise known as the "Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees" and
other pertinent administrative and/or penal laws.

Sec. 31. Transitory Provision. — All incumbent teachers in both the public and private sector not
otherwise certified as professional teachers by virtue of this Act, shall be given (5) years temporary
certificates from the time the Board for Professional Teachers is organized within which to qualify as
required by this Act and be included in the roster of professionals.

Provided, however, That the Professional Board Examination for Teachers (PBET) shall still be
administered by the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Education, Culture and Sports for
the year 1995.cralaw

Sec. 32. Separability Clause. — If, for any reason, any section or provision of this Act or the application of
such section or provision to any person or circumstance is declared unconstitutional or invalid, no other
section or provision of this Act shall be affected thereby.

Sec. 33. Repealing Clause. — All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations or
parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Sec. 34. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following its complete
publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Signed: December 16, 1994

Today in Philippine History, December 20, 1863, Spain promulgated an educational decree for
reforming the educational system in the Philippines

On December 20, 1863, Spain promulgated an educational decree for reforming the educational
system in the Philippines.

During the early Spanish occupation, education for the Filipino people centered on religion and
primarily for the elite, especially in the first years of Spanish colonization.

Prior to that, early Filipinos taught their children at home, focusing more on vocational skills
than academics. There were also tribal tutors, but there was no structured educational system.

With the enactment of the Educational Decree of 1863, it liberalized access to education, which
provided for the establishment of at least one primary school for boys and girls in each town
under the responsibility of the municipal government.

There were three grades: "entrada", "acenso", and "termino". The curriculum required the
study of Christian doctrine, values and history as well as reading and writing in Spanish,
mathematics, agriculture, etiquette, singing, world geography, and Spanish history. Girls were
also taught sewing.

The Educational Decree also provided for a normal school run by the Jesuits to educate male
teachers in Manila.

Normal schools for women teachers were not established until 1875, in Nueva Caceres.
 [ Act No. 74, January 21, 1901 ]

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

AND APPROPRIATING FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND
MAINTENANCE OF A NORMAL AND A TRADE SCHOOL IN MANILA, AND FIFTEEN THOUSAND
DOLLARS FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND MAINTENANCE OF AN AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL IN THE
ISLAND OF NEGROS FOR THE YEAR NINETEEN HUNDRED AND ONE.

By authority of the President of the United States, be it enacted by the United States Philippine
Commission, that:

SECTION 1. A Department of Public Instruction for the Philippine Islands is hereby established,
the central office of which shall be in the city of Manila. All primary instruction in the schools
established or maintained under this Act shall be free.

SEC. 2. All schools heretofore established in the Philippine Islands, under the auspices of the
Military Government, are hereby declared to be in the Department of Public Instruction
established by section one and are made subject to the control of the officers of this
Department.

SEC. 3. The chief officer of this Department shall be denominated the General Superintendent
of Public Instruction and shall be appointed by the Commission. His annual salary shall be six
thousand dollars. He shall have the following powers and duties, to be exercised and discharged
under the general supervision of the Military Governor:

(a) He shall establish schools in even pueblo in the Archipelago, where practicable, and shall
reorganize those already established, where such reorganization is necessary.

(b) He shall appoint, in accordance with Act Numbered Twenty-five, enacted October
seventeenth, nineteen hundred, a City Superintendent of Schools for Manila, and division
superintendents of schools for other parts of the Archipelago, and the teachers and clerks
authorized by law, and shall prescribe the duties of such teachers and clerks.

(c) He shall fix the salaries of the division superintendents and teachers within the limits
established by law.
(d) He shall fix a curriculum for primary, secondary, and other public schools and shall decide in
what towns secondary schools shall be established.

(e) He shall divide the Archipelago into school divisions, not more than ten in number, and shall
fix the boundaries thereof, with power to change the same when necessary, but the city of
Manila and its barrios shall constitute one of such school divisions.

(f) He shall prescribe the authority to be exercised by the principal teacher of each school over
the other teachers, if any, and his duties in caring for the schoolhouse and school property.

(g) He shall prescribe plans for the construction of schoolhouses to be built by the
municipalities, the amount of land required in each case, and rules of hygiene which shall be
observed in connection with the schools of the Archipelago.

(h) He shall make contracts for the purchase of school supplies authorized by law, and whenever
practicable, he shall invite bids by public advertisement and shall award the contract to the
lowest responsible bidder.

(i) He shall have power to determine the towns in which English teachers, to be paid, out of the
Insular Treasury, shall teach. He may exercise this discretion in favor of those towns showing
their loyalty to the United States by their peaceful conditions, and in favor of those towns which
shall construct and maintain suitable schoolhouses by local taxation or contributions.

(j) In case of a vacancy in the office of a division superintendent or that of the Superintendent
for Manila he shall discharge all the duties of such position during the vacancy, or may make a
temporary appointment to fill the same.

(k) He shall examine and pass upon all requisitions made for funds by division superintendents
and forward them, with his recommendation, to the Chief Executive for submission to the
Commission.
(l) On or before January first and July first of each year he shall make a report of his
administration for the previous six months to the Military Governor and to the Commission, and
such special reports as may from time to time be called for by either. In the regular semi-annual
reports, it shall be the duty of the superintendent to recommend changes in the school law
which he deems expedient.

(m) He shall exorcise general supervision over the entire department, and shall prepare and
promulgate rules for the examination and determination of the qualifications of applicants for
positions of division superintendents and teachers, and for the guidance of the officers and
teachers of the department, adapted to carry out this law and not inconsistent with its
provisions.

SEC. 4. There shall be a superior advisory board of education composed of the General
Superintendent and four members to be appointed by the Commission. It shall be the duty of
the board to hold regular meetings once in two months, on a day to be fixed by resolution of
the board, and such special meetings as shall be called by the General Superintendent. The
General Superintendent shall act as president of the board. The chief clerk of the General
Superintendent shall act as secretary of the board and keep minutes of its proceedings. It shall
be the duty of the board to assist the General Superintendent by advice and information
concerning the educational needs and conditions of the Islands; to make such investigations as
the General Superintendent may desire and to make recommendations to the Commission from
time to time as to needed amendments to the law. Each of the four members of the board,
appointed by virtue of this section, shall receive as compensation ten dollars for each regular or
special meeting which he shall attend. Any member of the board who is a non-resident of
Manila shall be paid his actual and necessary expenses for travel from his residence to Manila
and his return and hotel expenses, requisitions for the amount required to pay such
compensation and expenses shall be made by the General Superintendent. The terms of office
of the members of such board appointed under this section shall be for three years or until their
successors are appointed and qualified.

SEC. 5. There shall be a City Superintendent of Schools in the city of Manila who shall receive an
annual salary of three thousand dollars.

SEC. 6. In each school division established by the General Superintendent of Public Instruction,
there shall be a division superintendent who shall receive an annual salary of not less than two
thousand dollars and not more than twenty-five hundred dollars.
SEC. 7. The actual expenses of the General Superintendent and the division superintendents
while traveling or absent from their usual places of residence on official business shall be paid
out of the Insular Treasury.

SEC. 8. Except where otherwise provided, provisions of this act describing the duties and
powers of division superintendents shall apply to the City Superintendent for Manila.

SEC. 9. Each division superintendent shall, subject to rules prescribed by the General
Superintendent, under section three (m), appoint the native school teachers to serve in the
schools within his district and shall fix their salaries from year to year within the limits
prescribed by law. He shall examine the schoolhouses occupied for public instruction within his
division with a view to determining their suitableness and hygienic condition. Should the
schoolhouse in which any school is conducted appear to the division superintendent to be
unsuitable and dangerous for the health of the children, and should no other schoolhouse be
available, he shall have power, subject to the approval of the General Superintendent, to
discontinue such school, and it shall be unlawful thereafter to use the schoolhouse thus
condemned for public school purposes. He shall pass upon and accept or reject or modify the
plans for any new schoolhouse, proposed by the local authorities to be erected, and for the
proposed site thereof, and shall make report of his action thereon to the General
Superintendent of Public Instruction. If the local authorities or the local school board shall be
dissatisfied with the decision of the division superintendent as to the suitableness of the plans
or site of the proposed schoolhouse they may appeal to the General Superintendent, whose
decision shall he final. He shall make careful investigations into the agricultural conditions
existing in his division and shall make report thereon to the General Superintendent of Public
Instruction, with a view to aiding the General Superintendent in making recommendations as to
the places and number of the agricultural schools hereafter to be established. He shall see to it
by personal visits and by requiring reports from the principal teachers of each school that the
curriculum for primary and secondary schools prescribed by the General Superintendent of
Public Instruction is complied with. He shall make himself familiar with the supplies and text
books needed in each school in his division, and shall make report of the same at as early a date
as possible, in order that they may he contracted for and furnished by the General
Superintendent, he shall appoint one-half of the local school board in each pueblo in his
division, as provided in section ten. He shall have and maintain his residence and an office in
one of the large towns in his division, from which all the pueblos in his district can he most
conveniently reached.

SEC. 10. There shall be established in each municipality organized under any General Order of
the Military Governor or under such municipal code as may be hereafter enacted a local school
board, consisting of four or six members, as the division superintendent may determine, in
addition to the president or alcalde of the municipality, who shall be a member ex officio. One
half of the members, except the member ex officio, shall be elected by the municipal council,
and the remaining half shall be appointed by the division superintendent, and the term of office
of all members, holding by appointment or election, shall be two years and until their
successors shall have been duly elected or appointed.

SEC. 11. The appointed or elected members of the local school board, may, after due notice and
hearing, be removed at any time by the division superintendent, subject to the approval of the
General Superintendent of Public Instruction, who shall have power to suspend such members
temporarily.

SEC. 12. It shall be the power and duty of the local school board:

(a) To visit from time to time the schools of the pueblo and to report bi-monthly to the division
superintendent their condition and the attendance of pupils.

(b) To recommend sites and plans to the municipal council for schoolhouses to be erected.

(c) Where there are two or more schools in the pueblo, to adopt rules, subject to the
supervision of the division superintendent, for assigning the pupils of the pueblo to the several
schools.

(d) To report annually to the municipal council the amount of money which should be raised for
the current year by local taxation for school purposes.

(e) To report, whenever it shall deem necessary, directly to the General Superintendent as to
the condition of the schools of the pueblo and to make suggestions in respect thereto as may
seem to it expedient.

SEC. 13. Every pueblo shall constitute a school district and it shall be the duty of the municipal
council thereof to make as ample provision as possible by local taxation for the support of all
the schools established within its jurisdiction. In exceptional cases, where the topography of the
country or the difficulty of communication between parts of the same pueblo require it, the
division superintendent may attach a part of one pueblo to the school district of another and
shall, in such case, fix the amount which it will be just for the municipal council of the former to
contribute to the annual school expense of the latter.

SEC. 14. The English language shall, as soon as practicable, be made the basis of all public school
instruction, and soldiers may be detailed as instructors until such time as they may be replaced
by trained teachers.

SEC. 15. Authority is hereby given to the General Superintendent of Public Instruction to obtain
from the United States one thousand trained teachers at monthly salaries of not less than
seventy-five dollars and not more than one hundred and twenty-five dollars, the exact salary of
each teacher to be fixed by the General Superintendent of Public Instruction in accordance with
the efficiency of the teacher in question and the importance of the position held. The necessary
traveling expenses of such teachers from their places of residence to Manila shall be paid by the
Government.

SEC. 16. No teacher or other person shall teach or criticise the doctrines of any church, religious
sect, or denomination, or shall attempt to influence the pupils for or against any church or
religious sect in any public school established under this Act. If any teacher shall intentionally
violate this section he or she shall, after due hearing, be dismissed from the public service.

Provided, however, That it shall be lawful for the priest or minister of any church established in
the pueblo where a public school is situated, either in person or by a designated teacher of
religion, to teach religion for one half an hour three times a week in the school building to those
public school pupils whose parents or guardians desire it and express their desire therefor in
writing filed with the principal teacher of the school, to be forwarded to the division
superintendent, who shall fix the hours and rooms for such teaching. But no public school
teachers shall either conduct religious exercises or teach religion or act as a designated religious
teacher in the school building under the foregoing authority, and no pupil shall be required by
any public school teacher to attend and receive the religious instruction herein permitted.
Should the opportunity thus given to teach religion be used by the priest, minister, or religious
teacher for the purpose of arousing disloyally to the United States, or of discouraging the
attendance of pupils at such public school, of creating a disturbance of public order, or of
interfering with the discipline of the school, the division superintendent, subject to the approval
of the General Superintendent of Public Instruction, may, after due investigation and hearing,
forbid such offending priest, minister, or religious teacher from entering the public school
building thereafter.
SEC. 17. There shall be established and maintained in the city of Manila a Normal School for the
education of natives of the Islands in the science of teaching. The rules and plan for the
organization and conduct of such school and the qualifications of pupils entering the same, shall
be determined by the General Superintendent of Public Instruction.

SEC. 18. There shall be established and maintained in the city of Manila a Trade School for the
instruction of natives of the Islands in the useful trades. The powers and duties of the General
Superintendent in respect to this school shall be the same as those provided in the section in
respect to the Normal School.

SEC. 19. There shall be established and maintained a School of Agriculture in the Island of
Negros. The superior advisory school board shall recommend to the Commission for final,
determination a proper site for such school. The powers and duties of the General
Superintendent in respect to this school shall be the same as those provided in the section
concerning the Normal School.

SEC 20. The General Superintendent of Public Instruction is authorized and directed, under the
supervision of the Military Governor, to procure the making of plans and estimates for the
creation of such school buildings as he may deem necessary and practicable at the present time,
including a building or buildings for the Normal School in Manila and a building or buildings for
the Trade School directed to be established in sections seventeen and eighteen hereof. The
estimated cost of such buildings and their proper equipment shall not exceed four hundred
thousand dollars. Such plans and estimates shall be submitted to the Commission.

SEC. 21. The General Superintendent of Public Instruction is directed to prepare and submit to
the Commission through the Military Governor a statement showing the text books and other
supplies which will be needed for the year nineteen hundred and one, the estimated cost of
which.shall not exceed the sum of two hundred and twenty thousand dollars.

SEC. 22. The sum of twenty-five thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is
hereby appropriated out of any funds in the Insular Treasury not otherwise appropriated for the
organization and maintenance of the Normal School in Manila for the year nineteen hundred
and one.
SEC. 23. The sum of fifteen thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby
appropriated out of any funds in the Insular Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the
organization and maintenance of the Trade School in Manila for the year nineteen hundred and
one.

SEC. 24. The sum of fifteen thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby
appropriated, out of any funds in the Insular Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the
organization and maintenance of the School of Agriculture for the year nineteen hundred and
one.

SEC. 25. Nothing in this Act shall be construed in any way to forbid, impede, or obstruct the
establishment and maintenance of private schools.

SEC. 26. Whenever sums of money are mentioned in this Act they shall be understood to be
money of the United States.

SEC. 27. This Act shall take effect on its passage.

Enacted, January 21, 1901.