Reported by:

Castillo, Justine Mae

Domenicina, Cilena
Sec. 1. Short Title.- This Act shall be known as the “The Philippine
Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994”.

Sec. 2. Statement of Policy. – The State recognizes the vital role of

the 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 licensure examination and professionalization of
the practice of the teaching profession.
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)”Teacher” – 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 Board, a collegial body under the general
supervision and administrative control of the professional Regulation 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
qualification prescribed in Section 8 of this Act.
Article II
Board for Professional Teachers

The chairman and the voice-chairman of the Board shall be appointed from
these five (5) members of the President:
Provided, That the members of the first Board appointed under this Act shall be
registered as professional teachers and issued with the certificate of registration
and the 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:

TWO MOST IMPORTANT DUTIES OF THE BOARD:

Prescribe and/or adopt a code of ethical and professional standard
for the practice of the teaching profession.
Look into the conditions affecting the practices 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 standard of the profession;
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 years; the chairman, vice-chairman, and one(1) member
for three years. Vacancies shall be serve for the unexpired term only. No person who has
served for two(2) consecutive term 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 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 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 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 the 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 Record. – 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 investigation 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.

Sec.12. Removal of a Board Member. – The chairman or any members 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 tolerating of irregularities in the examination, after having been given the
oppurtunity to defend himself in a proper administrative investigation.
Article III
Examination and Registration

Sec.13. Examination, Registration and License Required. – Except s otherwise

specifically allowed under the provisions of this Act, all applicants for registration as
professional teachers 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.
Article III
Examination and Registration

Sec.14. Scope of Examination. – The examinations of the elementary and secondary

school teachers shall be separate. The examination for the teachers in the elementary
level 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.
Article III
Examination and Registration

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 compiled with the following requirements:
(a)A citizen of the Philippines or an alien whose country has reciprocity with the Philippines
in the practice of teaching profession;
(b)At least eighteen(18) years of age.
(c)In good health and good reputation with high moral values;
(d)Has not been convicted by final judgement 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 qualification as follows:
(1)For teachers in preschool, a bachelor’s degree in early childhood
education(BECED) or 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 the major and minor; or a bachelor’s degree in arts and science
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 the 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 registration fee, be issued a certificate of registration as a professional
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-president, 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 privilege appurtenant thereto. The certificate
shall remain in full force and effect until withdrawn, suspended with the and/or revoked in
accordance with law.
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 license
shall serve as evidence that the license 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 fail to pass the merit examination, he or she
shall be allowed to take the examination for 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 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 be:
(a)Be rewarded 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 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 teachers
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 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 duties.
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;
(g) Violation of any of the provision of this Act, the rules and regulations and other policies
of the Board and the Commission, and the code of ethical and profession standards for
professional teachers; and
(h) Unjustified or willful failure to attend seminar, workshops, conferences and the like or
the continuing education program prescribe 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 the denial of the motion for reconsideration filled 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 subjects 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 sate 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 date 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 professional teachers as
defined in this Act, whether in the preschool, elementary or secondary level, unless
he is dully 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 prescribe 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 approval of this
Act is:
1. A holder of a certificate of eligibility as a teacher issued by the Civil Service Commission
and the Department of Education, Culture and Sports;
2. 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
3. Not qualified under paragraphs one and two but with any of the following
qualifications:
(a) An elementary or secondary teacher for five
(b) years in good standing and a holder of Bachelor of Science in Education or its
equivalent; or
(c) An elementary or secondary teacher for three
(d) 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 circumtances
Article IV
Provisions Relative to the Practicing
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.
 Article IV
Provisions Relative to the Practicing
of the Teaching Profession

Sec.28. Penal Provisions. – The following shall be punishable by a fine of not less than five thousand
pesos(5,000.00) nor more than twenty thousand pesos(20,000.00) or imprisonment of nor less than six(6)
months no more than five(5) years, or both at the discretion of the court:
(a) Any person who practices the teaching profession in the Philippines without being accordance with the
provision 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 evidences 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 od 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 provision 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 provision of this Act within sixty(60) days of its approval.
The Board shall submit to both Committees on Education, Arts, and Culture; and the Committees in
Civil Service and Professional Regulation of the Senate 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 “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
five(5) years temporary certificates from the time the Board for Professional Teachers is
organized within which to quality 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.
Sec.32. Separability Clause. – If, for any reason, any section or provision of this Act of the application of such
section or provision to any person or circumstances 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 regulation or parts
thereof inconsistent with the provision 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