Republic of the Philippines

Congress of the Philippines

Metro Manila
Sixteenth Congress
Second Regular Session
Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-eighth day of July, two thousand
fourteen.
[REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10647]
AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE LADDERIZED INTERFACE BETWEEN TECHNICALVOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING AND HIGHER EDUCATION
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the Ladderized Education Act of 2014.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. In line with the constitutional guarantee for the State to promote
the right of all citizens to quality and accessible education at all levels and to establish, maintain
and support a complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the
people and contributory to national development, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to
institutionalize the ladderized interface between technical-vocational education and training
(TVET) and higher education to open the pathways of opportunities for career and educational
progression of students and workers, create a seamless and borderless system of education,
empower students and workers to exercise options or to choose when to enter and exit in the
educational ladder, and provide job platforms at every exit as well as the opportunity to earn
income.
The State likewise recognizes and supports the promotion and protection of the inherent
academic freedom enjoyed by all institutions of higher learning. For this purpose, the
government shall uphold the academic standards, equity principles, promptness and consistency
of the applications/ admissions and equivalency policies of higher education institutions (HEIs).
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act, the following terms are hereby defined:
(a) Articulation refers to a process which allows students to make the smooth transition from one
(1) course, program or educational level to the next without experiencing duplication of learning.
The guiding principle of articulation is that no student should repeat the same course content for
which credit has already been received, even if elsewhere or from another institution. In general,
articulated programs provide multiple entry and exit points and ladders of learning opportunities

and allows a student to move from a technical-vocational course to a college degree program,
using the principle of credit transfer;
(b) Credit refers to the value given to a particular course or subject, based on competencies and
learning outcomes;
(c) Credit transfer refers to a credit conversion established to promote student mobility by
ensuring that units earned from different modalities are credited by the institutions;
(d) Embedded TVET Qualification in a Ladderized Degree Program refers to the process of
determining the TVET competencies or qualifications that lead to job platforms in the relevant
higher education or bachelors degree program. Full TVET qualification can still be earned even
if a student of a ladderized degree program chooses to exit from the program and get a job;
(e) Equivalency refers to a process that involves assigning equivalent academic credits to the
competencies demonstrated by a student through assessment tests, thereby providing entry points
to the next higher level qualification, the purpose of which is to provide opportunities to the
student to continue to learn and to re-enter the educational program at a higher level without
having to unnecessarily retake courses on which a student has already demonstrated competence
and knowledge;
(f) Job platform refers to the gateway in the ladderized curriculum which one reaches upon
acquiring enough skills and knowledge to seek and find employment;
(g) Ladderized education refers to the harmonization of all education and training mechanisms
that allow students and workers to progress between technical-vocational and higher education
programs, or vice-versa. It opens opportunities for career and educational advancement to
students and workers. It creates a seamless and borderless education and training system that will
allow transfers in terms of flexible entry and exit between technical-vocational and higher
education programs in the post-secondary school educational system;
(h) Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) is a national policy which describes the levels of
educational qualifications and sets the standards for qualifications outcomes. It is a quality
assured national system for the development, recognition and award of qualifications based on
standards of knowledge, skills and values acquired in different ways and methods by learners and
workers of a certain country;
(i) Qualification refers to a formal certification that a person has successfully achieved specific
learning outcomes relevant to the identified academic, industry or community requirements; and
(j) Recognition of prior learning refers to the acknowledgment of a persons skills and
knowledge through previous training, work or life experience, which may be used to grant status
or credit for acquired competencies.
SEC. 4. Philippine Qualifications Framework. The PQF has the following objectives:

(a) Adoption of national standards and levels for outcomes of education;

(b) Supporting the development and maintenance of pathways and equivalencies, which provide
access to qualifications and assist people to move easily and readily between the different
education and training sectors and between these sectors and the labor market; and
(c) Alignment with international qualifications framework to support the national and
international mobility of workers through increased recognition of the value and comparability of
Philippine qualifications.
The PQF National Coordinating Committee (PQF-NCC) is composed of the Commission on
Higher Education (CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA), the Department of Education (DepED), the Department of Labor and Employment
(DOLE) and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and is chaired by DepED.
In the development of ladderized education, the CHED, TESDA and DepED are hereby
mandated to closely coordinate and effectively implement a unified PQF that establishes
equivalency pathways and access ramps allowing for easier transitions and progressions between
TVET and higher education. The framework shall include qualifications and articulation
mechanisms, such as, but not necessarily limited to the following: credit transfer, embedded
TVET qualification in ladderized degree programs, post-TVET bridging programs, enhanced
equivalency, adoption of ladderized curricula/programs, and accreditation and/or recognition of
prior learning.
For this purpose, the CHED, TESDA and DepED shall design harmonized guidelines and
equivalency competency courses to enhance the delivery of high-quality technical-vocational and
higher education courses, synchronize standards and upgrade curriculum design per discipline
and adopt a strategic implementation scheme, including a massive consultation and information
dissemination scheme. In so doing, the CHED, TESDA and DepED shall continue exploring and
developing other mechanisms and systems that will allow the interface between TVET and
higher education with the end in view of creating a seamless and borderless education system.
SEC. 5. Priority Disciplines. As a preliminary approach to the implementation of the
ladderized program and to ensure its more focused implementation, the CHED, TESDA and
DepED, in consultation with the industry, the DOLE, the Department of Agriculture (DA), the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST),
the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Professional Regulation
Commission (PRC) and other related agencies, and consistent with the Philippine Development
Plan (PDP) are directed to identify priority disciplines and programs for ladderization, taking
into account labor market realities. The CHED, TESDA and DepED shall implement the
ladderization of other disciplines, other than those presently being implemented, should these be
found necessary and beneficial based on a comprehensive study of their viability.
SEC. 6. Enhancement of the Ladderized Education Program (LEP). The CHED, TESDA and
DepED, in consultation with the PRC and the industries, as applicable, are directed to jointly
devise systems, procedures, and mechanisms, as well as to issue, amend and update existing

implementing guidelines, as necessary, for the efficient and effective implementation of the LEP
and to ensure that the objectives of the program are met. Incentives may be given to HEIs and
technical-vocational institutions to further encourage wider participation in the LEP.
The CHED, TESDA and DepED shall ensure that there are designated personnel at the regional
and provincial levels responsible for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the LEP
nationwide.
SEC. 7. Support from Other Government Agencies. The PRC, DOLE, DA, DOST, DTI, NEDA,
the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and other related agencies are hereby
mandated to extend the necessary support and provide relevant inputs towards the effective
implementation of the ladderized system of education.
SEC. 8. Scholarships, Grants and Loans. To ensure the effective implementation and greater
nationwide impact of the program and its accessibility to the students and workers, the CHED,
TESDA and DepED shall include in their respective budgets the provision of scholarships, grants
and loans to deserving students and workers availing themselves of the ladderized system of
education, in addition to the present scholarship programs being implemented by the CHED and
TESDA.
SEC. 9. Enabling Clause for HEIs. To encourage the widest enjoyment of the benefit of
ladderized education, HEIs whose curricula have been recognized by the CHED may avail of the
ladderization program: Provided, That the minimum curricular requirements under the joint
guidelines of the CHED, TESDA and DepED are complied with and duly certified by these
agencies prior to the formal offering of the ladderized education programs.
For this purpose, the HEI shall be required to submit to the CHED Regional Office a copy of the
curriculum for the proposed ladderized program for monitoring, compliance and for potential
objective inputs from their technical experts. The CHED shall be responsible for transmitting the
curricula submitted by the HEIs to the PQF-NCC for their reference. Failure of the HEIs to
submit this requirement shall be subject to administrative sanctions to be imposed by the CHED.
SEC. 10. Academic Freedom. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as restricting the HEI in
the exercise of its academic freedom. The HEI shall retain the right to assess the level and
standard of previously completed TVET programs by an applicant-student in a manner that is
transparent and objective, incorporating therein its own admission requirements. The applicantstudent must gain admission to the HEIs undergraduate program by meeting the prescribed
criteria and program requisites and such other requirements by the HEI.
SEC. 11. Appropriations. The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this Act shall
be sourced from the current budgets and development funds of the CHED, TESDA and DepED.
Thereafter, the funds necessary for the continuous implementation of this Act in the ensuing
years shall be included in the respective annual appropriations of the CHED, TESDA and DepED
in the General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The CHED, TESDA and DepED, in
consultation with relevant stakeholders in higher and technical-vocational education, shall issue
within sixty (60) days after the effectivity of this Act, the rules and regulations for the effective
implementation of this Act.
SEC. 13. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act or any part hereof shall be declared
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions, as far as they are separable, shall remain in force
and effect.
SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof
which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified
accordingly.
SEC. 15. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,

(Sgd.) FELICIANO BELMONTE JR.

Speaker of the House
of Representatives

(Sgd.) FRANKLIN M. DRILON

President of the Senate

This Act which is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2272 and House Bill No. 3575 was finally
passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on September 24, 2014.
(Sgd.) MARILYN B. BARUA-YAP
Secretary General
House of Representatives
Approved: NOV 21 2014
(Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
President of the Philippines

(Sgd.) OSCAR G. YABES

Secretary of the Senate

16th Congress
Senate Bill No. 2272
LADDERIZED EDUCATION ACT OF 2014
Filed on June 3, 2014 by Villar, Cynthia A., Recto, Ralph G., Angara, Juan Edgardo "Sonny"
M.,Cayetano, Pia S.
Long title:
AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE LADDERIZED INTERFACE BETWEEN
TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING AND HIGHER
EDUCATION
Scope:
National
Legislative status:
Approved by the President of the Philippines (11/21/2014)

Subject(s):
Ladderized Education
Primary committee
Education, Arts and Culture
Secondary committee
Finance
Committee report
No. 44 - Ladderized Education Act of 2014 (6/3/2014)

Sponsor(s):
Cayetano, Pia S.
Co-sponsor(s):

Villar, Cynthia A., Recto, Ralph G., Angara, Juan Edgardo "Sonny" M.
Document certification:
No Certification
Floor activity:
Date

Parliamentary status

Senator(s)

6/4/2014

Sponsorship Speech

Cayetano, Pia S.

6/4/2014

Co-Sponsorship Speech

Villar, Cynthia A.

6/10/2014

Period of Committee Amendments

6/10/2014

Period of Individual Amendments Closed

6/10/2014

Period of Interpellation Closed

6/10/2014

Period of Committee Amendments Closed

6/10/2014

Co-Sponsorship Speech

Angara, Juan Edgardo

"Sonny" M.

9/24/2014

Sponsorship Speech on the Conference

Committee Report

Cayetano, Pia S.

Vote(s)
Type of vote
Third Reading (7/30/2014)
Voted Yes
Angara, Juan Edgardo "Sonny" M.
Aquino IV, Paolo Benigno "Bam"
Binay, Maria Lourdes Nancy S.
Cayetano, Pia S.
Drilon, Franklin M.
Ejercito, Joseph Victor G.
Escudero, Francis "Chiz" G.
Guingona III, Teofisto "Tg"
Honasan II, Gregorio B.
Lapid, Manuel "Lito" M.
Legarda, Loren B.
Marcos, Ferdinand "Bongbong" R.
Pimentel, Aquilino Koko III L.
Poe, Grace L.
Recto, Ralph G.

Voted No

Voted Yes

Voted No

Sotto III, Vicente C.

Villar, Cynthia A.

Legislative History
Entitled:
AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE LADDERIZED INTERFACE BETWEEN TECHNICALVOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING AND HIGHER EDUCATION
[ FIRST REGULAR SESSION, 16TH CONGRESS ]
[ 2014 ]
6/3/2014

Prepared and submitted jointly by the Committee(s) on EDUCATION, ARTS

AND CULTURE and FINANCE with Senator(s) CYNTHIA A. VILLAR,
RALPH G. RECTO, JUAN EDGARDO "SONNY" M. ANGARA and PIA S.
CAYETANO as author(s) per Committee Report No. 44, recommending its
approval in substitution of SBNos. 141 and 2154, taking into consideration
HBN-3575;

6/4/2014

Committee Report Calendared for Ordinary Business;

6/4/2014

Sponsors: Senator(s) PIA S. CAYETANO, CYNTHIA A. VILLAR, RALPH G.

RECTO and JUAN EDGARDO "SONNY" M. ANGARA;

6/4/2014

Transferred from the Calendar for Ordinary Business to the Calendar for
Special Order;

6/4/2014

Sponsorship speech of Senator PIA S. CAYETANO;

6/4/2014

Co-sponsorship speech of Senator CYNTHIA A. VILLAR;

6/10/2014

Co-sponsorship speech of Senator JUAN EDGARDO "SONNY" M.

ANGARA;

6/10/2014

Period of interpellation closed;

6/10/2014

Period of committee amendments;

6/10/2014

Period of committee amendments closed;

6/10/2014

Period of individual amendments closed;

6/10/2014

Approved on Second Reading with Amendments;

6/11/2014

Printed copies were distributed to the Senators;

[ SECOND REGULAR SESSION ]

7/30/2014

Approved on Third Reading;

7/30/2014

In favor: (17) JUAN EDGARDO "SONNY" M. ANGARA, PAOLO

BENIGNO "BAM" AQUINO IV, MARIA LOURDES NANCY S. BINAY, PIA
S. CAYETANO, FRANKLIN M. DRILON, JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO,
FRANCIS "CHIZ" G. ESCUDERO, TEOFISTO "TG" GUINGONA III,
GREGORIO B. HONASAN II, MANUEL "LITO" M. LAPID, LOREN B.
LEGARDA, FERDINAND "BONGBONG" R. MARCOS, AQUILINO KOKO
III L. PIMENTEL, GRACE L. POE, RALPH G. RECTO, VICENTE C.
SOTTO III and CYNTHIA A. VILLAR;

7/30/2014

Against: N o n e;

7/30/2014

Abstention: N o n e;

8/4/2014

Sent to the House of Representatives requesting for concurrence;

8/18/2014

House of Representatives requested the Senate for a conference on the

disagreeing provisions of HBN-3575 and SBN-2272, and designated
Representatives Romulo, Escudero, Piamonte Jr., Cortuna, Rodriguez and
Paquiz as its conferees to the Bicameral Conference Committee on August 11,
2014;

8/20/2014

Senate agreed to the request of the House of Representatives for a conference

on the disagreeing provisions of SBN-2272 and HBN-3575, and designated
Senators Cayetano (P.), Villar and Sotto III as its conferees to the Bicameral
Conference Committee (Transmittal letter received by the House of
Representatives on August 28, 2014);

9/16/2014

Senate designated Senators Angara and Cayetano (A.) as additional conferees

to the Bicameral Conference Committee on the disagreeing provisions of SBN2272 and HBN-3575;

9/17/2014

House of Representatives elected Representative Celso L. Lobregat as

additional conferee to the Bicameral Conference Committee on the disagreeing
provisions of HBN-3575 and SBN-2272 on September 15, 2014;

9/22/2014

House of Representatives designated Representative Monique Yazmin Q.

Lagdameo as additional conferee to the Bicameral Conference Committee on
the disagreeing provisions of HBN-3575 and SBN-2272 on September 16,
2014;

9/23/2014

Conference Committee Report submitted to the Senate, recommending that

SBN-2272, in consolidation with HBN-3575, be approved as reconciled;

9/24/2014

Sponsorship speech on the conference committee report of Senator PIA S.

CAYETANO;

9/24/2014

Conference Committee Report Approved by the Senate (Transmitted to the

House of Representatives on September 29, 2014);

10/20/2014

Conference Committee Report Approved by the House of Representatives on

September 24, 2014;

10/21/2014

Enrolled copies of the consolidated version of SBN-2272 and HBN-3575, sent

to the House of Representatives for the signature of the Speaker and the
Secretary General;
10/27/2014

Enrolled copies of the consolidated version of SBN-2272 and HBN-3575,

received by the Senate which were already signed by the Speaker and the
Secretary General of the House of Representatives;

10/28/2014

Enrolled copies of the consolidated version of SBN-2272 and HBN-3575, sent

to the Office of the President of the Philippines, through PLLO, for the
signature and approval of His Excellency President Benigno S. Aquino III;

11/26/2014

Approved and signed into law, in consolidation with HBN-3575, by the

President of the Philippines, His Excellency President Benigno S. Aquino III on
November 21, 2014, and became;

11/26/2014

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10647.

(Pursuant to paragraph g, Sec. 7, Rule V of the Rules of the Senate, R.A.No. 10647 (SBN-2272
and HBN-3575) with pertinent documents transmitted to the Legislative Records and Archives
Service for safekeeping and preservation on November 26, 2014)
(Prepared by the Indexing, Monitoring and LIS Section, Legislative Bills and Index Service)

Approved by the President

Republic Act No. 10647
An Act Strengthening the Ladderized Interface Between Technical-Vocational Education and
Training and Higher Education
Date received by the President
10/28/2014
Date signed by the President
11/21/2014

SUMMARY:
A new law instituting ladderized education for students taking technical-vocational
education and training (TVET) and higher education has been signed by President Aquino last
November 21, 2014. Its Republic Act No. 10647, also known as the Ladderized Education Act
of 2014, aims to make education more accessible to poor and working Filipino students.
It was filed by senators Cynthia A. Villar, Ralph G. Recto, Juan Edgardo "Sonny" M.
Angara, and Pia S. Cayetano last June 3, 2014 with the Senate Bill No. 2272. The long title of
the said law is An Act Strengthening the Ladderized Interface Between Technical-Vocational
Education and Training and Higher Education. It was approved on its third reading with all the
senators agreeing. It was later send to the House of Representatives requesting for concurrence
and after five months, the bill became an official law.
Under the ladderized education, students and workers are allowed to progress between
TVET and higher education programs or vice versa and ultimately gain employment.
The law reads, It is hereby declared the policy of the State to institutionalize the
ladderized interface between technical-vocational education and training (TVET) and higher
education to open pathways of opportunity for career and educational progression of students
and workers, create a seamless and borderless system of education, empower students and
workers to exercise options or to choose when to enter and exit in the educational ladder, and
provide job platforms at every exit as well as the opportunity to earn income.
RA 10647 directed the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Department of Education (DepEd) to
synchronize tech-voc and college degree programs for easier transitions and progressions for
students.
Cayetano, chairman of the Senate committee on arts and culture, said the program
recognizes ones skills and allows one to go back to school to further his/her studies without
having to start from square one.
On the other hand, college degree holders who wish to acquire technical skills, including
those which are in demand in the labor market, may also take advantage of the same program
under the new legislation.
Doubtless, the new measure will enhance the competitiveness of Filipino workers, who
are in great demand in foreign lands, including the United States, because of their exceptional
skills and good command of the English language.
Without the ladderized education act, the countrys tech-voc graduates may have little
hope of ever earning a college degree.