WHEREAS, the State is mandated to protect the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all, pursuant to Section 1, Article XIV of the1987 Constitution;

WHEREAS, the State has the obligation to ensure and promote quality education through the proper supervision and regulation of the licensure examinations given through the various Boards of Examiners under the Professional Regulation Commission;

WHEREAS, the lack of regulatory framework for the establishment and operation of review centers and similar entities, as shown in recent events, have adverse consequences and affect public interest and welfare;

WHEREAS, the overriding necessity to protect the public against substandard review centers and unethical practices committed by some review centers demand that a regulatory framework for the establishment and operation of review centers and similar entities be immediately instituted;

WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 7722, otherwise known as the Higher Education Act of1994, created the Commission on Higher Education, which is best equipped to carry out the provisions pertaining to the regulation, of the establishment and operation of review centers and similar entities.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Establishment of a System of Regulation for Review Centers and Similar Entities. The Commission of Higher Education (CHED), in consultation with other concerned government agencies, is hereby directed to formulate a framework for the regulation of review centers and similar entities, including but not limited to the development and institutionalization of policies, standards, guidelines for the establishment, operation and accreditation of review centers and similar entities; maintenance of a mechanism to monitor the adequacy, transparency and propriety of their operations; and reporting mechanisms to review performance and ethical practice.

SEC. 2. Coordination and Support. The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Technical Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the various Boards of Examiners under the PRC, as well as other concerned non-government organizations like professional societies, and various government agencies, such as the Department of Justice (DOJ), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), and others that may be tapped later, shall provide the necessary assistance and technical support to the CHED in the successful operationalization of the System of Regulation envisioned by this Executive Order.

SEC. 3. Permanent Office and Staff. To ensure the effective implementation of the System of Regulation, the CHED shall organize a permanent office under its supervision to be headed by an official with the rank of Director and to be composed of highly competent individuals with expertise in educational assessment, evaluation and testing; policies and standards development, monitoring, legal and enforcement; and statistics as well as curriculum and instructional materials development. The CHED shall submit the staffing pattern and budgetary requirements to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for approval.

SEC. 4. Indorsement Requirement. No review center or similar entities shall be established and/or operate review classes without the favorable expressed indorsement of the CHED and without the issuance of the necessary permits or authorizations to conduct review classes. After due consultation with the stakeholders, the concerned review centers and similar entities shall be given a reasonable period, at the discretion of the CHED, to comply with the policies and standards, within a period not exceeding three (3) years, after due publication of this Executive Order. The CHED shall see to it that the System of other necessary procedures and documentation for the effective implementation of the System, are completed within sixty days (60) upon effectivity of this Executive Order.

SEC. 5. Funding. The initial amount necessary for the development and implementation of the System of Regulation shall be sourced from the CHED Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF), subject to the usual government accounting and auditing practices, or from any applicable funding source identified by the DBM. For the succeeding fiscal year, such amounts as may be necessary for the budgetary requirement of implementing the System of Regulation and the provisions of this Executive Order shall be provided for in the annual General Appropriations Act in the budget of the CHED. Whenever necessary, the CHED may tap its Development Funds as supplemental source of funding for the effective implementation of the regulatory system. In this connection, the CHED is hereby authorized to create special amounts in the HEDF exclusively for the purpose of implementing the provisions of this Executive Order.

SEC. 6. Review and Reporting. The CHED shall provide for the periodic review performance of review centers and similar entities and shall make a report to the Office of the President of the results of such review, evaluation and monitoring.

SEC. 7. Separability. Any portion or provision of this Executive Order that may be declared unconstitutional shall not have the effect of nullifying other provisions hereof, as along as such remaining provisions an still subsist and be given effect in their entirety.

SEC. 8. Repeal. All rules and regulations, other issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Executive order, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 9. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon its publication in a national newspaper of general circulation.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 8th day of September, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Six.


By the President:

(Sgd.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary