SBN 2597, AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE LEGAL EDUCATION BOARD
Mr. President, my dear colleagues:
As Chairperson of the Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, I rise to sponsor Senate Bill No. 2597 under Committee Report No. 232, entitled “An Act Strengthening the Legal Education Board, Amending for the Purpose Republic Act No. 7662, Otherwise Known as the ‘Legal Education Reform Act of 1993’”, in substitution of Senate Bill No. 1653 filed by Senator Raffy Tulfo.
This bill renames the Legal Education Board as the Commission on Legal Education or CLE.
But this bill goes beyond authorizing a name change as it, most importantly, expands its powers and functions.
Under its revamped responsibilities, the CLE shall:
- Monitor and evaluate the performance of legal education programs and legal education institutions for the purpose of providing applicable incentives subsidies and subsidies.
- Impose appropriate sanctions on performances rated as below standard.
- Identify, support, and develop potential centers of excellence in legal education for the development of legal scholarship.
- Accept grants, bequests, endowments, donations, and other forms of contributions.
- Direct the exclusive and equitable use of the Legal Education Fund for the improvement and strengthening of legal education in the country.
- Determine the annual amount to be used for the implementation of support programs, chargeable against the Legal Education Fund. In the interest of sustainable stewardship, the amount shall not exceed 50 percent of the average annual interest income that accrued to the fund during the preceding three years.
- Exempts from donor’s tax grants, bequests, endowments, contributions made to the CLE or to the Legal Education Fund, and certifies them as tax-deductible donations.
- Recommend to President and Congress measures to improve legal education and research.
However, the CLE can only exercise these powers and functions without encroaching on the academic freedom of schools.
So, it can carry out its mandates, the CLE Secretariat shall be headed by an Executive Director.
So, it can be accessible to all stakeholders, CLE shall have offices in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Mr. President, I urge the passage of this bill.