Senator Raffy Tulfo filed a measure that seeks to grant free tuition and other fees to deserving students in state universities and colleges (SUCs) nationwide to increase the number of practicing lawyers in the Philippines.
In the proposed Senate Bill 1610 or the Free Legal Education Program, SUC scholars are required to render mandatory return of service for two years with the Public Attorney's Office or government agencies that lack lawyers.
According to the news release from the senator, the current ratio is one lawyer who will be serving 2,500 individuals.
Tulfo pointed out that the law is not qualified under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017 since it is already a post-graduate course.
The SB 1610 covers tuition fees being approved by the SUC governing board, fees for the government-mandated Bar Examination and licensure fees, as well as other school fees which include but are not limited to library fees and fees for prescribed books.
Meanwhile, Tulfo's office conducted research that the cost of studying law in private schools ranges from P75,000 to P98,000 per semester or between P24,000 and P30,000 in SUCs.
All SUCs with a law program duly accredited by the Legal Education Board shall be qualified to implement the free fees.
