Final-16-December-2021-LEB-Report - Legal Education Board

Editorial Board

President

VISIONThe formation of lawyers, academics and scholars in the study of law and jurisprudence is the vision of legal education in the Philippines. The study of the law shall be as much a study of the human person, of the dynamics of social life and the demands on leadership as it shall be a study of constitutional and statutory provisions, of rules and of judicial precedent.

MISSIONIt is the mission of the Legal Education Board, pursuant to its statutory mandate, to assist all law schools provide the country that kind of legal education that presents lawyers to be competent legal practitioners deserving of public trust as well as to hone the research skills of legal scholars who will advance understanding in the science of jurisprudence, and enhances the leadership potential of all who attend law school so that they may assume various roles of leadership in the society. It is likewise the mission of the Legal Education Board to help all law schools in the country achieve a measure of excellence in comparison to international best practices.

ATTY. JORELL KENT N. STO. DOMINGOActing Board Secretary

RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE

Editor-in-ChiefCOMM. ZENAIDA N. ELEPAÑO

Officer in Charge, Legal Education Board

Supervising EditorATTY. CARMELITA P. YADAO-SISON, Ph.D.

Highly Technical Consultant

Contributing Writers

ATTY. CARMELITA P. YADAO-SISON, Ph.D. Highly Technical Consultant

RODRIGO C. SAGUMChief Education Program Specialist

Layout and Design ArtistBIAN CAMILLE Q. MONFORTE

Communications Specialist

All Rights Reserved@August 2021

Message from the Office of the President

LEB Report 2009-2021 1

I join my fellow lawyers and the entire legal academ-ic community in celebrating the success of the Legal Education Board (LEB) as chronicled in its Accomplish-ment Report (2018-2020). I am pleased with LEB’s gains in ensuring the advancement of our noble profession through crucial reforms that promote excellence in the academic community.

Over the years, you have raised the standards of legal education and enabled law students, professors, and school administrators to confront the growing demands of this profession.

Today, the Board is faced with the difficult task of mak-ing the legal education system responsive to challeng-es brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

I trust that, with the guidance of the Supreme Court and the support of the academe, you will come up with innovative solutions that will enable the entire legal ac-ademic community to adapt to the new normal and, in the process, produce a new breed of lawyers who are forged by these challenging times.

ATTY. AARON MARC M. DIMAANOExecutive Officer

Message from the Supreme Court

The Legal Education Board (LEB) plays a vital role in ensuring that future Philippine lawyers will be best prepared and equipped for the important role they will play in nation building.

From its establishment in 2009 until now, the LEB has been successful in fulfilling its mandate of supporting and assisting law schools in providing a standard of legal education “that prepares lawyers to be compe-tent legal practitioners deserving of public trust” and which hones “the research skills of legal scholars who will advance understanding in the science of jurisprudence, and enhances the leadership potential of all who attend law school.”

Like the Supreme Court, the LEB has been relentless in crafting innovative solutions and initiatives to prob-lems besetting the legal education system. A prime example of such initiative is the Revised Model Cur-riculum for law schools, a curriculum founded on aca-demic freedom and professional excellence. This and its other accomplishments are testaments to the com-mitment of the LEB to instill excellence, integrity, and proficiency in our future lawyers.

This Accomplishment Report not only documents the most significant achievements and activities under-taken by the LEB, but also contains important issu-ances and programs initiated by the LEB that have set the academic standards of our law schools.

My warmest felicitations to the Legal Education Board for this important publication.

ALEXANDER G. GESMUNDOChief Justice

2021-present

Message from the Office of the Executive Secretary

Since its creation more than a decade ago, the Legal Education Board (LEB), has made great strides in instituting vital reforms aimed at promoting excellence in the legal profession. This past year, the Board faced challenging task of making our legal education system responsive to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it delivered.

The achievements chronicled in this Report of Accomplishments for 2018-2020 will not have been possible without the LEB’s commitment to empower the legal academic community - law students, lawyers, and allied professionals - through quality education, up to date research and development, and inclusive programs that ensure their professional and personal development.

While it is true that LEB has brought so much progress to our noble profession in recent years, we, as students of the law, must still remain steadfast in our sworn duty of upholding the supremacy of our Constitution and ensuring that social justice, equality and inclusion will always prevail.

Congratulations at mabuhay kayong lahat!

LEB Report 2009-2021 3LEB Report 2009-20212


Message from the Supreme CourtMy warmest greetings and well wishes to the Legal Educa-tion Board (LEB) and the entire legal academic communi-ty. The publication of this Report of Accomplishments for the period of 2018 2020 showcasing LEB’s initiatives and accomplishments comes at an opportune time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, now is the time when the government must regain the trust and confidence of our people as we reel from the unprecedented challenges in the past year and rebuild our society.

With the rollout of the Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP) under Rule 138-A or the Revised Law Student Prac-tice Rule, law students are provided the necessary skills, morals, and knowledge for the practice of law. Through this, we are preparing our law students to become com-petent and ethical legal practitioners as they enter the noble profession of law.

By establishing law clinics in law schools, legal services have also become more accessible to the marginalized and underprivileged, thereby enhancing our people’s access to justice. Pursuant to its mandate to administer and supervise law schools and the legal education sys-tem in the country, the LEB has shown its adherence to its mandate of providing assistance to all law schools in the process of preparing lawyers to be competent legal prac-titioners. It has spearheaded the Online CLEP Training Program which is designed to build foundational knowl-edge and skills on clinical education in relation to the Revised Law Student Practice Rule. This demonstrates the firm commitment of the LEB to reform and uplift the standards of legal education for the past 12 years of its operation.

I would thus like to express my sincere appreciation to the LEB for its full support for the Supreme Court’s ini-tiatives for the legal academic community. It is my hope that you continue working hard towards the betterment of legal education in the country. I wish the LEB greater success in 2021 and beyond.

Mabuhay tayong lahat!

Prima facie, the little story below about an astronomer may appear to be unconnected to this Report. I pray however that you allow me to share it with you for whatever worth it may offer.

I speak about Tycho Brahe, an early Danish astronomer, for whom King Frederik II built a great observatory at Uraniborg. After Frederik died, the young prince who succeeded him sent his smart-alecky courtiers to require Tycho to justify the huge amount spent by the kingdom on his worthless mapping out of the planets and stars of the skies. The great astronomer showed the messengers his maps and charts showing 700 stars whose proper locations in the firmament he had patiently worked on for the past 25 years.

“‘And is this all?’ the critics remarked derisively. “Not all, I hope” said Tycho, “for I think before I die I shall have marked a thousand of them.”“To what end?” asked the messengers, “to what end the travail and the waste? Show its uses to us now before we go,” they demanded.

Tycho said:

A grandiose response, some may say. The point is it bespeaks the truth of the work done by countless pioneers who have carved pathways in untrodden terrain so that others may continue what has been begun and explore what lie ahead.

The Legal Education Board or the LEB is one such pioneer in the realm of legal education.

This Report traces the pathways LEB has so far assiduously carved from 2009 to August 2021 for others to carry on in pursuit of its goals. I have served as a Commissioner and member of the Board under Justice Hilarion C. Aquino as its first Chair, and Dean Emerson B. Aquende as its second.

I therefore can bear witness to the truth of the pioneering efforts of both Chairpersons without whose vision, wisdom and leadership the LEB would not have accomplished so much in so short a time. They recognized that center stage for the LEB was the responsibility to develop more effective techniques in legal pedagogy to enable law schools to goosestep with cutting edge developments in the delivery of knowledge in the classroom. And elsewhere. This by itself is a remarkable achievement, given the happenstance of this relatively unknown government agency, tasked with heavy responsibilities but hampered by a nondescript budget for operations.

The response of Tycho is best described in that famous poem by Alfred Noyes, “Watchers of the Skies,” that, according to the eminent American jurist and writer Benjamin Nathan Cardozo, tells us of the great and noble values to which we should all aspire.

“‘The men that follow me with more delicate art may add their tens of thousands; yetmysumwillsavethemjustthatfiveandtwentyyears Of patience, and bring them sooner to their goal, . . . this work of ours would lead to victories for the coming age. The victors may forget us. What of that? Theirs be the palms, the shouting and the praise, Ours be the fathers’ glory in the sons.’”

Preface

2019-2021

Upon the unexpected departure of Chairperson Aquende in the early part of 2020, the LEB through its Board Members resolved to continue to forge ahead through roads not taken but trailblazed by Aquino and Aquende.

Unfortunately, not a few days after Chair Aquende’s exit, LEB was caught in a totally unexpected maelstrom – a worldwide health crisis caused by a virus. This infinitisimal deadly pathogen turned upside down inside out the world of law academia and all existing and known notions about the delivery of legal education.

LEB therefore had to create a new dynamic demanded by the current situation. It set about formulating new policies, memorandum orders and circulars, guidelines, and other relevant issuances to effectively deal with the difficult challenges posed by the pandemic on the legal education communi-ty. Covid-19 could not stop LEB from initiating new projects and getting them off the drawing boards and implementing or continuing to implement them. I refer to LEB’s Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP), the Legal Education Advancement Program (LEAP), the Revision of the Model Law Curriculum, and Training Programs on Gender Sensitivity and Environmental Law, to name just a few.

In this regard, LEB is eternally grateful for the logistical support for these projects extended by the government, particularly the Executive Department, the Supreme Court, some Senators and Congressmen, and development partners such as The Asia Foundation (TAF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA-ROLI). Their commitment to the improvement of legal education in the country is without question.

But LEB could not have done what it did during this critical period without the amazing collective and collaborative support and incredible work done by its Commissioners Abelardo T. Domondon, Dean Josefe Sorrera-Ty, and Catherine Pedrosa. This is not to mention the gargantuan task of conducting the day-to-day operations of the LEB during the pandemic performed by the LEB Executive Committee members, namely, Attys. Carmelita Yadao-Sison Ph.D., Aaron Marc Dimaano, Jorell Kent Sto. Domingo, Jerome Francisco Antonis II, and Chief Administrative Officer Rodrigo Sagum. They all are the unsung heroes who strove with all their might at the risk of their health to get the job going for LEB. I salute and thank them all.

Let me close with a parting message that can very well be the credo of the LEB. Taken from a prayer composed by the late Bishop Ken Untener, it is also known as the Romero Prayer to honor Saint and Archbishop Oscar Romero who was gunned down while celebrating mass in El Salvador:

“We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water the seeds already planted, know-ing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.”

The Legal Education Board (LEB) created under Republic Act No. 7662 is a relatively new government agency despite its creation by law in 1993. It was consti-tuted only in 2009 with the appointment of its first Chair-person and Board members. But what it lacked in terms of years of existence was forthwith compensated for by the steady and resolute actions of its Chairpersons and Board memhbers in laying down the proper foundations of the agency during its existence from 2009 up to the present.

LEB’s pioneering years saw the Board led by its first Chairperson, Justice Hilarion L. Aquino, develop-ing baseline policies and regulations that would serve as guide for the better operation and management of existing law schools by their administrative officers. Fur-ther, the Board took direct action to gather, mobilize and secure the cooperation and valuable inputs of the legal education community and its various stakeholders that would underpin the formulation of necessary policies and related regulations and guidelines.

Partnerships with key organizations such as the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS), Associa-tion of Law Students of the Philippines (ALSP), the Phil-ippine Association of Law Professors and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, were consequently formed. This led to several capacity-building activities such as semi-nars, workshops, training sessions, and national and re-gional conferences. And, for the first time in the history of legal education in the country, several law schools, law deans, professors and bar topnotchers were recognized to memorialize their outstanding performance and ac-knowledge the quality pedagogical standards provided by the law schools for their students.

In 2016, Dean Emerson B. Aquende of the Aqui-nas University College of Law was appointed as the sec-ond Chairperson of the LEB. During his watch, the Board approved several major regulatory and supervisory pol-icies and projects which introduced reforms to upgrade standards of the law schools, as well as streamline and update existing policies and guidelines. Aquende’s vi-sion for change and the setting of higher standards in the law schools from admission to curriculum review and revision, to strict compliance with LEB policies, ushered in a challenging period for the LEB.

In 2020, the LEB experienced a temporary setback in the furtherance of its mission. This was caused by the unex-pected onslaught of a pandemic which necessarily upended notions on the methods of legal education, an experience likewise shared by other government agencies. Despite the difficult environment it found itself in, the LEB under the re-maining Board members and its duly designated LEB Offi-cer-in-Charge, Commissioner Zenaida N. Elepano, neverthe-less resolved to carry on with the major programs initiated by Chairperson Aquende.

To continue complying with its legal mandate, the Board embarked on new major projects propelled by a sense of urgency and permeated with inspired teamworking abili-ties. Assisted by a newly organized Executive Committee in 2020 with its Highly Technical Consultant, the LEB completed the groundwork for certain landmark projects such as formu-lating and releasing the necessary Memoranda and Circulars to law schools on coping with the health crisis; the consen-sus-built Revised Model Law Curriculum; partnership collab-oration with the UP Law Center to implement the landmark Legal Education Advancement Program (LEAP) despite the re-strictions and limitations of the circumstance of person, time, and space brought about by the pandemic.

This paper entitled THE LEB REPORT: 2009-2021 lists down and describes the highlights of the major policies, pro-grams, projects and related activities of LEB, a brief account of its budget situation from 2010 to 2021, profiles of its past two Chairpersons, basic information about the registered law schools in operation, as well as a directory of the current Board members and division heads of its key operational units. The original scope of content of this Report presented in February 2021 simply focused on the Budget Years 2018-2020 but would include significant milestones and data from 2010-2017. This explains the period 2018-2020 alluded to in the Messages of the President, the previous Chief Justice and the Executive Secretary. Subsequently, however, after noting the substantive data and information on the significant major programs and projects of the LEB which were coordinated, collaborated, approved and implemented in 2020-2021, the Editorial Board expanded the coverage of its content for a wholistic presentation of LEB’s accomplishments from 2009-2021. Describing the major policy directions and thrusts of the Board in the first quarter of 2021, this Report lays down in The Way Forward what it hopes to achieve in the future as embodied in the LEB Strategic Plan 2021-2022.

Precis


Atty. Carmelita P. Yadao-Sison, Ph.D.Supervising Editor

ZENAIDA N. ELEPAÑO Commissioner (2014-2021)

Officer- in – Charge (2020-2021)

The Legal EducationBoard:Its Accomplishments

LEB Accomplishments

I. The Pioneering Years A. Creation and Organization

The Legal Education Board is the state regulatory agency mandated to administer the legal education sector and to regulate and supervise the basic law program in the country. It was created by Republic Act No. 7662 or the “Legal Education Reform Act of 1993.” While the law was enacted in 1993, LEB was constituted only sixteen (16) years thereafter with the appointment of its first Chair-person, Justice Hilarion L. Aquino in November 2009.

The LEB is composed of a Chairperson and six members, five of whom are regular and one ex officio. The regular members represent the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS), the ranks of active law practitioners, the ranks of law professors and the law students’ sector. The Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) or his or her duly designated representative is ex officio member.

The first Board had Justice Hilarion L. Aquino as Chairperson, and Dean Venicio S. Flores, Justice Eloy R. Bello, Jr., Dean Eulogia M. Cueva as regular members, and CHED Director Felizardo Y. Francisco representing CHED Chairperson Emmanuel Y. Angeles as ex officio member.

At present, the Board is composed of Commissioner Zenaida N. Elepaño who represents the IBP and designated by the Office of the President as the LEB Officer-in-Charge, serving as such since March 4, 2020; with Commissioner Josefe C. Sorrera-Ty, representing the PALS, Commissioner Abe-lardo T. Domondon representing the ranks of law professors, Commissioner Catherine P. Pedrosa representing the law students’ sector as members and CHED Chairperson J. Prospero E. de Vera III as Ex Officio member.

B. Accomplishments in 2009-2016

LEB began its push for critical reforms in the legal academe in 2009. Despite facing major logistical and administrative challenges in its early years of operation, it remained true to its reform initiative commitment by setting forth landmark policies and regulations to lay the basis for and intro-duce long overdue reforms needed in the legal education system.

1. Landmark Policies and Regulations

The following Board Resolutions underpinned future reform programs of LEB under the term of Chairperson Aquino:


a. Resolution No. 7 of 15 July 2010 declaring a three-year moratorium in the opening of new law schools covering School Years 2011-2012 to 2013-2014, to halt the proliferation of sub-standard law schools in the country and ensure higher quality in legal education.,

b. Resolution No. 8 or the Rules on Administrative Sanctions on Law Schools for Obtaining Zero Passing Score in the Bar Examinations. This aimed to upgrade the standards and enhance the quality of legal education in view of the dismal performance in the bar examinations of several law schools. It likewise imposed reasonable sanctions on law schools providing sub-standard legal education to their students.

c. LEB Memorandum Order (LEBMO) No. 1 or Policies and Standards of Legal Education and Manual of Regulations for Law Schools that took effect on 13 June 2011. This was supplemented by LEBMO No. 2 providing Additional Rules in the Operation of the Law Program which took effect on 01 June 2014.

2. Seminars and Conferences conducted by LEB to further enhance the quality of legal education in the country

a. The first seminar with the theme: “Enhancing the Teaching Competence of Law Professors” was held in November 2010. This was continued in partnership with several law schools in 2011 in a series of seminars conducted in Manila, Baguio, Legazpi, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro City.

b. A convocation on Defining the New Paradigm of Legal Education in the Philippines was conducted in August 2011 for law professors and law deans in partnership with the Ateneo Law Journal Board.

c. The LEB, with the Ateneo Law and the University of San Carlos law schools, held two convocations on Philippine Legal Education and Problem-Based Learning in May and July of 2012 for law deans and law professors.

d. In August 2013 LEB, with the Philippine Association of Law Schools and the University of San Carlos School of Law and Governance, conducted a Legal Education Conference for law deans and law professors. Also in attendance were some retired and incumbent Justices of the Supreme Court.

e. In May 2013, the LEB together with the San Beda Graduate School of Law conducted a symposium on “Proposed Revised Rules of Court on Civil Procedure” for remedial law professors and deans.

f. On 27 November 2013, the LEB in partnership with the Philippine Judicial Academy of the Supreme Court, PALS and the Ateneo Law School held the Eminent Person Lecture Series with the inaugural speaker Excma. Sra. Dña. Encarnacion Roca Trias, Magistrada del Tribunal Constitucional de España in partnership with the Philippine Judicial Academy of the Supreme Court, PALS and the Ateneo Law School.

LEB Accomplishments

g. A number of workshops on Interdisciplinary Approach to the Teaching of Law was conducted by the LEB in different regions of the country from 2013 to 2014.

h. In August 2015, the Legal Education Conference with the theme “Mapping out the Future of Philippine Legal Education and the Practice of Law” was conducted by LEB in partnership with the PALS and the University of San Carlos School of Law and Governance. This was attended by law deans, law professors and retired and incumbent Supreme Court Justices.

i. The LEB conference on Globalization and ASEAN Integration: Their Impact on Legal Education and the Practice of Law was also conducted in the same year in different regions of the country.

II. Enhancing and Ensuring Quality Standards in the Law Program A. Accomplishments in 2016-2020

As second Chairperson of the LEB, Dean Emerson B. Aquende brought with him his reformatory skills developed from his experience in legal academia specifically at the Aquinas University of Legazpi where he held various academic and administrative positions. He blueprinted a plan for LEB to accom-plish fully its mandate towards enhancing and strengthening the legal education system of the country centered on what he deemed were the four pillars of the legal education sector, namely, curriculum and program design, faculty and instruction development, school management, and student preparedness.

The LEB accomplished the following under the Aquende watch:

1. From March to July of 2016, LEB conducted a series of regional consultations and dialogues with law schools in various regions of the country to draw out the existing problems of law schools in terms of teaching and administration.

2. The LEB partnered with the Ateneo Law School and the Universidad de Mallaga for the 2016 International Scientific Congress on Private Laws held on June 13-15, 2016.

3. The Board also conducted the first public hearing and consultation on the Administration of a Nationwide Uniform Law School Admission Test for Applicants to the Basic Law Courses in all Law Schools in the Country on November 2016.

This activity coincided with the 2016 LEB-PALS Legal Education Conference: “Paving the Way for Relevant, Responsive, and Gender-Sensitive Legal Education in the Philippines”. 4. The second public hearing and consultation on the Administration of a Nationwide Uniform Law School Admission Test for Applicants to the Basic Law Courses in all Law Schools in the country was held at the Ateneo Law School on December 13, 2016.

LEB Accomplishments


LEB Accomplishments

5. On 27 August 2017, LEB released the Performance and Ranking of Law Schools based on the 2016 Bar Examinations results

6. Issuance of Government Permits, Recognition

a. In 2018, the LEB processed and granted seven (7) government permits to operate the basic law program in seven (7) law schools. In the succeeding year 2019, eleven (11) government permits and four (4) government recognitions were granted to fifteen (15) law schools.

b. For the refresher course, twenty (20) special government permits were awarded to twenty (20) legal education institutions in 2018. This number increased to forty-three (43) permits granted 7. Policy Development and Issuances

a. Policy Development

a.1 In 2018, there were yet no special technical working groups (TWG) and panels (TP) organized.

a.2. However, by 2019, five (5) TWGs and TPs were organized to draft various policies. These included policies on student development and welfare, government law schools, and manuals for law registrars and for law librarians.

b. Policy Issuances

The LEB has two primary kinds of policy issuances:

Memorandum Order (LEBMO), covers substantial areas of policy and are designed to apply for a longer period of time, and

Memorandum Circular (LEBMC addressing urgent, temporary or pragmatic issues of concern requiring immediate action.

In 2016, six (6) LEB Memorandum Orders (LEBMO) were adopted. These were:

1. LEBMO No. 3, Series of 2016: Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Law Schools to Offer and Operate Refresher Courses;

2. LEBMO No. 4, Series of 2016: Supplement to LEB Memorandum Order No. 3, Series of 2016, Entitled Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Law Schools to Offer and Operate Refresher Courses;

LEB Accomplishments

3. LEBMO No. 5, Series of 2016: Guidelines for the Pre-Requisite Subjects in the Basic Law Courses;

4. LEBMO No. 6, Series of 2016: Reportorial Requirements for Law Schools;

5. LEBMO No. 7, Series of 2016: Policies and Regulations for the Administration of a Nationwide Uniform Law School Admission Test for Applicants to the Basic Law Courses in all Law Schools in the Country; and

6. LEBMO No. 8, Series of 2016: Policies, Guidelines and Procedures Governing Increases in Tuition and Other School Fees, and Introduction of New Fees, by Higher Education Institution for the Law Program.

All of these LEBMOs were registered at the Office of the National Administrative Register of the UP Law Center.

Three (3) memorandum orders were adopted by the Board in 2017, namely:

a. LEBMO No. 9, Series of 2017: Policies and Guidelines on the Conferment of Honorary Doctor of Laws Degrees (LL.D.);

b. LEBMO No. 10, Series of 2017: Guidelines on the Adoption of Academic/School Calendar; and

c. LEBMO No. 11, Series of 2017: Additional Transition Provisions to LEB Memorandum Order No. 7, Series of 2016, Entitled Policies and Regulations for the Administration of a Nationwide Uniform Law School Admission Test for Applicants to the Basic Law Courses in all Law Schools in the Country

LEB also issued 11 Memorandum Circulars in the same year:

a. LEBMC No. 01 – New Regulatory Issuances b. LEBMC No. 02 – Submission of Schedule of Tuition and other School Fees c. LEBMC No. 03 – Submission of Law School Information Report d. LEBMC No. 04 – Reminder to Submit Duly Accomplished LSIR Form e. LEBMC No. 05 - Offering of the Refresher Course for AY 2017-2018 f. LEBMC No. 06 – Applications for LEB Certification Numbers g. LEBMC No. 07 – Application of Transitory Provisions Under LEB Memorandum No. 7, s. 2017 and LEB Memorandum No. 11, s.2017 in the Admission of Freshmen Law Students in Basic Law Courses in the Academic Year 2017-2018 h. LEBMC No. 08 – Guidelines for Compliance with the Reportorial Requirements Under LEBMO No. 7, Series of 2016, for Purposes of the A.Y. 2017-2018 i. LEBMC No. 09 – Observance of Law Day and Philippine National Law Week j. LEBMC No. 10 – September 21, 2017, Suspension of Classes k. LEBMC No. 11 – Law School Authorized to Offer the Refresher Course in AY 2016-2017


In 2018, the Board issued eight (8) LEBMOs, namely:

a. LEBMO No. 12 – LEB Service/ Transaction Fees b. LEBMO No. 13 – Guidelines in The Conduct of Summer Classes c. LEBMO No. 14 – Policy and Regulations in Offering Elective Subjects d. LEBMO No. 15 – Validation of The Licenses Of/And the Law Curriculum for the Basic Law Courses in use by Law Schools and Graduate Schools of Law e. LEBMO No. 16 – Policies, Standards, And Guidelines for The Academic Law Libraries of Law Schools f. LEBMO No. 17 – Supplemental Regulations on The Minimum Academic Requirement of Master of Laws Degree for Deans and Law Professors/Lectures/Instructors in Law Schools g. LEBMO No. 18 – Guidelines on Cancellation or Suspension of Classes in all Law Schools h. LEBMO No. 19 – Migration of the Basic Law Course to Juris Doctor

In the same year, the Board also issued thirteen (13) LEBMCs, which were:

a. LEBMC No. 13 – Legal Research Seminar of the Philippine Group of Law Librarians on April 4 to 6, 2018 b. LEBMC No. 14 – CSC Memorandum Circular No. 22, series of 2016 c. LEBMC No. 15 – Law Schools authorized to offer the Refresher Course the Academic Year 2018-2019 d. LEBMC No. 16 – Clarification to LEBMO No. 3, series of 2016 e. LEBMC No. 17– Updated List of Law Schools Authorized to Offer the Refresher Course in the Academic Year 2018-2019 f. LEBMC No. 18 – PhiLSAT Eligibility Requirement for Freshmen in the Academic Year 2018-2019 g. LEBMC No. 19-A – National Consultation and Workshop on Law Students Welfare h. LEBMC No. 19-B – Guidelines for the Limited Conditional Admission/Enrollment in the First Semester of the Academic Year 2018-2019 Allowed to those who have not taken the PhiLSAT i. LEBMC No. 20 – Updated Law Schools Authorized to Offer the Refresher Course in the Academic Year 2018-2019 j. LEBMC No. 21 – Adjustments/Corrections to the Requirements for Law Schools to be Qualified to Conditionally Admit/Enroll Freshmen Law Students in AY 2018-2019 k. LEBMC No. 22 – Advisory on Who Should Take the September 23, 2018 PhiLSAT l. LEBMC No. 23 – Collection of the PhiLSAT Certificate or Eligibility/Exemption by Law Schools from Applicants for Admission m. LEBMC No. 24 – Observance of the Philippine National Law Week n. LEBMC No. 25 – Competition Law

LEB Accomplishments

The LEBMOs covered more major and long-term concerns such as: standards setting for summer term classes, academic law libraries, the Master of Law requirements for faculty, the cancellation and suspension of classes during emergencies, as well as the ground-breaking migration of the basic law course to the Juris Doctor. Key LEBMCs were issued to implement PhiLSAT parameters, and to encourage and support the integration of Competition Law training in the curriculum.

In 2019, there were two (2) LEBMOs approved, namely:

a. LEBMO No. 20 – Discretionary Admission in the AY 2019 to 2020 of Examinees who Rated Below the Cut-Off Passing Score but not less than 45% in the Philippine Law School Admission Test Administered on April 07, 2019-2020 b. LEBMO No. 21 – Optional Fourth Year Curricular Subject Offerings in the Basic Law Course

In the same year, twenty-four (24) LEBMCs were also issued, as follows:

a. LEBMC No. 26 – Scholarship Opportunity for Graduate Studies for Law Deans, Faculty Members, and Law Graduates with the 2020 to 2021 Philippine Fulbright Graduate Student Program b. LEBMC No. 27 – Advisory on April 07, 2019 PhiLSAT Conditional Enrollment for Incoming Freshmen/First Year Law Students c. LEBMC No. 28 – April 25-26, 2019 Competition Law Training Program d. LEBMC No. 29 – Detailed Guidelines for Conditional Enrollment Permit Application e. LEBMC No. 30 – Law Schools Authorized to Offer the Refresher Course in the Academic Year 2019-2020 f. LEBMC No. 31– Law Schools Authorized to Offer the Refresher Course in the Academic Year 2019-2020 g. LEBMC No. 32 – Law Schools Authorize to Admit under Discretionary Admission h. LEBMC No. 33 – Law Schools Authorized to Offer the Refresher Course in the Academic Year 2019-2020 i. LEBMC No. 34 – Law Schools Authorize to Admit under Discretionary Admission j. LEBMC No. 35 – (no record) k. LEBMC No. 36 – The 30th National Convention of the Association of Law Students of the Philippines l. LEBMC No. 37 – Legal Research Seminar of the Philippine Group of Law Librarians on August 14-16, 2019 m. LEBMC No. 38 – Law Schools Authorize to Admit under Discretionary Admission n. LEBMC No. 39 – Law Schools Authorized to Offer the Refresher Course in the Academic Year 2019-2020 o. LEBMC No. 40 – Important Reminders concerning Conditionally enrolled Students in AY 2019-2020 p. LEBMC No. 41 – Law Schools Authorized to Offer the Refresher Course in the Academic Year 2019-2020


LEB Accomplishments

q. LEBMC No. 42 – Law Schools Authorize to Admit under Discretionary Admission r. LEBMC No. 43 – Law Schools Authorized to Offer the Refresher Course in the Academic Year 2019-2020 s. LEBMC No. 44 – Law Schools Authorize to Admit under Discretionary Admission t. LEBMC No. 45 – World Intellectual Property Office Summer School on Intellectual Property on September 2-13, 2019 u. LEBMC No. 46 – Reminder on Suspension of Classes in Law Schools due to Inclement Weather v. LEBMC No. 47 – Observance of Philippine National Law Week w. LEBMC No. 48 – Advisory on Conditionally Enrolled Students in the First Semester of AY 2019-2020 x. LEBMC No. 49 – Training Program on Intellectual Property and Arbitration (Full 36-unit MCLE Program)

Aside from fine-tuning the PhiLSAT, the LEBMOs also introduced the innovative optional 4th year curricular subject offerings in the basic law course designed to improve the preparedness of law students to take the bar examinations.

8. Programs, Linkages, and Major Activities

Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT)

The Philippine Law School Admission Test or PhiLSAT is an aptitude test designed to measure the academic potential of a prospective law student to pursue the study of law. It was established pursuant to LEBMO No. 7 series of 2016. It tests communication and language proficiency, critical thinking skills, and verbal and qualitative reasoning. LEB’s partner in this endeavor was the Center for Evaluation and Measurements, Inc. (CEM) which had been providing such critical and similar services to the CHED and other agencies requiring their expertise and modules.on test measurements.

The pilot Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT) was administered on 16 April 2017 with 8,397 examinees, followed by a second examination on September 24, 2017 with 6,358 examinees.

In 2018, the PhiLSAT had 10,645 passers out of 18,732 total takers with a passing rate of 70.94%. The test was administered in 11 venues in April and September of that year. In 2019, there were 10,976 passers from a total of 18,012 passers which is a 61% passing rate. The test had two schedules also (April and September) in 12 venues.

9. Other programs

In 2018, the LEB also organized activities during the National Law Week Celebration, particularly the awarding of the Top Ten Performing Law Schools in the 2017 Bar Examinations. Additionally, the agency supported and participated in the National Conventions of the Association of Law Students of the Philippines (ALSP), and the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS). It also hosted the National Law Students Congress.

LEB AccomplishmentsLEB Accomplishments

In 2019, the Board conducted new activities in addition to what it had accomplished in 2018. These include:

a. The National Training on Competition Law in partnership with the Philippine Competition Comission; b. The call for nominations for the 2nd Hall of Fame for Law Professors; c. Participation in the International Conference of the Global Alliance on Justice Education; d. The launching of the faculty development programs, co-chairing of the Technical Working Group in the drafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations for the Anti-Hazing Act; and e. Participation in the roll-out of the Revised Law Student Practice Rule of the Supreme Court.

10. Awards and Grants (2016-2020)

The top performing law schools based on the results of the Bar Examinations in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 as certified by the Office of the Bar Confidant of the Supreme Court were given due recognition and names were duly published.

III. Forging Through the Pandemic: Pursuing Landmark Programs After Chairperson Aquende unexpectedly left the LEB for the Philippine Competition Commission, Commissioner Zenaida N. Elepaño dutifully accepted her official designation as Officer-in-Charge of the LEB effective March 4, 2020. This coincided with the conflagration of health and life-threatening events worldwide during this period due to the Covid-19 virus. Despite the serious upheaval inflicted on government agencies, LEB continued performing its basic functions and tasks, ever mindful of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines and issuances in dealing with the pandemic. In this regard, OIC Elepaño also issued pertinent office guidelines to protect the well-being and physical integrity of LEB staff working under a skeletal force or work-from-home arrangement.

A. LEB Accomplishments in 2020-2021 (Commissioner Zenaida N. Elepaño as OIC, Commissioners Josefe Sorrera-Ty, Abelardo T. Domondon, and Catherine Pedrosa as Board Members, and the Executive Committee Members)

Mandate to Regulate, Supervise and Monitor the Law Schools

1. Issuance of Government Permits, Recognition

a. In 2020, the Board reviewed and approved applications for nine (9) government permits and four (4) government recognitions to thirteen (13) law schools.

a.1 In exercising its regulatory functions, the LEB had to adapt to the public health guidelines and protocols issued by the Department of Health (DOH) and the IATF. a.2 The LEB crafted and issued a National Comprehensive Plan for Legal Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic for the legal education sector.

b. For the refresher course, twenty-six (26) permits were granted in 2020, and the total number of accredited refresher course providers rose to forty-four (44).


2. Policy Development and Issuances

a. Policy Development

i. In 2020, the number of TWGs and TPs increased to 10. The additional focus areas included undergraduate allied law courses, deregulation of law schools, and non-bar graduate degree programs. ii. Committees were also set up for the 2nd Hall of Fame of Law Professors and the Revised Model Law Curriculum.

b. Policy Issuances

In 2020 two (2) LEBMOs were approved:

a. LEBMO No. 22 – Optional interim curriculum of the basic law program b. LEBMO No. 23 – Guidelines for the integration of Clinical Legal Education in the Basic Law Curriculum

In the same year, twenty-three (23) LEBMCs were issued, namely:

a. LEBMC No. 50 – First Advisory on PhiLSAT b. LEBMC No. 51 – Second Advisory on PhiLSAT c. LEBMC No. 52 – Third Advisory on PhiLSAT d. LEBMC No. 53 – Guidelines for the Conditional Admission in the 1st Semester of AY 2020-2021 e. LEBMC No. 54 – First Advisory on Suspension of Classes f. LEBMC No. 55 – Second Advisory on Suspension of Classes g. LEBMC No. 56 – COVID-19 Pandemic Guidelines for Law Schools h. LEBMC No. 57 – Special Guidelines on Admission to the Basic Law Program in AY 2020-2021 i. LEBMC No. 58 – Temporary Application Process for Government Authority to Operate the Law Program in AY 2020-2021 j. LEBMC No. 59 – Pandemic Guidelines for Returning Back to Work k. LEBMC No. 60 – Interim Guidelines for the Virtual Delivery of Public Services l. LEBMC No. 61 – Updated List of Accredited Refresher Course Providers for AY 2020-2021 m. LEBMC No. 62 – Guidelines for the Safe Return to School

LEB AccomplishmentsLEB Accomplishments

n. LEBMC No. 63 – Legal Information Webinar of Network of Academic Law Librarians (NALL) o. LEBMC No. 64 – NALL Webinar No. 2 p. LEBMC No. 65 – IPOPHIL BeIP Training q. LEBMC No. 66 – NALL Webinar No. 3 r. LEBMC No. 67 – Guidelines on Remote Classes s. LEBMC No. 68 – Association of Law Students of the Philippines National Convention t. LEBMC No. 69 – Retooling Engagement for Advancement in Library Services by the Philippine Group of Law Librarians u. LEBMC No. 70 – NALL Webinar No. 4 v. LEBMC No. 71 – IPOPHL Research Conference w. LEBMC No. 72 - Updated List of Accredited Refresher Course Providers for AY 2020-2021

To effectively address issues that arose during the pandemic, the LEBMOs in 2020 focused on responding to the grave health and safety threats and the limitations on movement, and operations of the legal education system.

The LEB allowed law schools to exercise increased flexibility in curricular design and instruction, as well as offered technical support in the integration of clinical legal learning.

The LEB also created a policy environment aimed at shielding the legal education sector from the worst effects of the crisis. These are embodied in special guidelines for admission, distance and flexible learning, and safety and health protocols.

As of August 31, 2021, the Board has issued 12 LEB Memorandum Circulars, namely:

a. LEBMC No. 73 – Online Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP) Training Program b. LEBMC No. 74 – 2021 National Women’s Month Celebration c. LEBMC No. 75 – IPOPHIL MCLE on Intellectual Property and Mediation d. LEBMC No. 76 – Special Guidelines on Admission to the Basic Law Programs AY 2021-2022 e. LEBMC No. 77 – Junior Scholars Symposium on Private International Law f. LEBMC No. 78 – TAF Survey of Law Clinics g. LEBMC No.79 – UP Labor Webinar h. LEBMC No. 80 – IPOPHIL BEIP Mastercourse i. LEBMC No. 81 – Junior Scholars Symposium j. LEBMC No. 82 – Education USA Virtual LL.M Fair 2021 k. LEBMC No. 83 – Refresher List as of August 04 l. LEBMC No. 84 – IPOPHIL Summer School

3. Programs, Linkages, and Major Activities

In 2020, programs were put on hold upon the onset of the pandemic in the country. But, in response to the threat, the Board:


LEB Accomplishments

a. Issued a National Comprehensive Plan for Legal Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, through Resolution No. 136-04. This Plan recommended programs and procedures to enable the law academic community sector to deal with the crisis;

b. Introduced innovations in the migration of its public services to virtual platforms to ensure a safe transacting environment for its stakeholders and safeguard the occupational health of its staff;

c. Prepared a Policy Paper after conducting relevant studies and surveys, namely, “Responding to a Pandemic: Refocusing on Welfare, Quality of Learning and Reducing Inequalities in Legal Education” released in April 2020; and

d. In close partnership with the PALS and ALSP, conducted primary training on online and remote learning, as well as mental health promotion; namely:

1. Online Learning Law Faculty Training in July 2020 with 463 participants; 2. Online Learning Survival Guide Law Faculty Training in July 2020 with 565 participants; 3. Online Learning Survival Guide for Law Students in July and August 2020 with 1,778 participants; 4. Mental Health and Wellness Training for Law Students in August 2020 with 1,425 participants; 5. Training for Law Professors on Competition Law from September to October 2020 with 146 participants; and, 6. Clinical Legal Education Program Training Program specifically: i. Basic CLEP Training Courses in January to March 2021 with 830 participants; ii. Visioning and Community Needs Assessment for Law Clinics in May 2021 with 150 participants; and, iii. Law Clinic Protocol and Manual, and Legal Aid Helpdesk and Hotline in June 2021 with 80 participants.

e. The LEB also supported the continued training of law librarians and law faculty, endorsing the following trainings organized by the Network of Academic Law Librarians (NALL) and the Philippine Group of Law Librarians (PGLL): 1. NALL Law School Librarians Webinar Sessions 1 to 4 from August to November 2020 with 330 participants on average; and, 2. PGLL’s Retooling Engagement for Advancement in Library Services in November 2020.

f. The LEB also made headway in drafting the Manual for Law Librarians to further strengthen the quality of library services and provide policy support for law librarians in the country.

By the end of 2020, the Board organized a Programs Section under its Regulatory Division to develop and implement key programs, such as:

a. Policy Development program, supporting the policy formulation needs of the LEB; b. Curriculum Development program focusing on the review and improvement of the model law curriculum;

LEB Accomplishments

c. Training Program providing stakeholders with seminars and workshops for skills and capacity building; d. Research Program which is the key knowledge generation and management effort of the agency to ensure evidence-based policy making and systems management; e. Clinical Legal Education Program focusing on the successful implementation of the Rule 138-A or the Revised Law Student Practice Rule in the aspect of legal education which itself partakes of both event-based and training activities; f. PhiLSAT Program currently on hold because of the uncertainties over the COVID-19 pandemic and the pending legal challenge currently faced by the LEB; g. Scholarship Program which envisions the provision of student loans and scholarships for law students as may be authorized by law; h. International Affairs Program which handles the efforts of the LEB to establish international linkages with development partners; and i. Special Projects Program which is the portfolio of non-programmatic and event-based activities that the LEB undertakes. j. Participated as member of the TWG in the drafting of the IRR of RA 11053 or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018 and the holding of a public consultation on the IRR signed by the parties.

These various programs are developmental initiatives designed to complement the LEB’s regulatory functions in effectively addressing and responding to the challenges of the times, and leading the legal education community towards contributing to national recovery and development.

IV. Promoting Excellence in Legal Education: Grant of Awards and Recognitions

The LEB began its thrust for quality performance and excellence in legal education in 2010 soon after it was duly constituted.

It formulated requisite policies and guidelines for the enhancement of the existing law program.

It gave due recognition to law schools that had shown excellence in offering the Law Program by the performance of its law graduates in the annual bar examinations.

It also paid tribute to law deans and law professors known and respected for their excellent methodologies in the teaching of law, and in the training of future law practitioners.

LEB conducted these activities to also inspire and motivate the legal academic community to continuously improve and innovate effective approaches in the teaching of law in their respective institutions.


LEB Accomplishments

A. Outstanding Law Schools and Law Deans for AY 2000 to 2010

The first LEB Recognition and Awards Night was held on 11 November 2011 at which event the top ten law schools of the Philippines and their Law Deans were given due recognition based on a ranking of the performance of their graduates in the 2000-2010 Bar Examinations culled from data of the Office of the Bar Confidant of the Supreme Court.

a. The Most Outstanding Law Schools were the Ateneo de Manila University, San Beda College - Manila, the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Davao University, the University of San Carlos, the University of Santo Tomas, Arellano University, Xavier University, Far Eastern University, and the University of San Agustin.

b. The Most Outstanding Law Deans whose administrative acumen contributed to the outstanding performance of their respective institutions in the Bar Examinations were Dean Sedfrey M. Candelaria and Dean Cesar L. Villanueva from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law; Dean Virgilio B. Jara of San Beda College; Dean Danilo L. Concepcion and Dean Marvic M.V.F. Leonen of the University of the Philippines College of Law; Dean Manuel P. Quibod of Ateneo de Davao University; Dean Alex L. Monteclar of the University of San Carlos; Dean Nilo T. Divina of the University of Santo Tomas; Dean Jose R. Sundiang of Arellano University School of Law; Dean Raul R. Villanueva of Xavier de Cagayan University; Dean Andres D. Bautista of the Far Eastern University; and Dean Juana Judita P. Nafarrete of the University of San Agustin.

B. Law schools recognized for having the highest passing percentage in the bar examinations for First-time and Repeat bar takers combined during these Academic Years were the following:

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN THE 2012, 2013, AND 2014 BAR EXAMINATIONS

1. University of the Philippines 2. Ateneo de Manila University 3. San Beda College-Manila 4. University of San Carlos 5. Ateneo de Davao University 6. University of Santo Tomas 7. University of Cebu 8. San Beda College-Alabang 9. Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila 10. Xavier de Cagayan University

LEB Accomplishments

C. Outstanding Performance in the Bar Examinations of 2019

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN THE 2015, 2016,2017, and 2018 BAR EXAMINATIONS 20151. University of the Philippines2. Ateneo de Manila University3. Ateneo de Davao University4. San Beda College-Manila5. University of Perpetual Help - Manila 6. University of San Carlos7. Centro Escolar University 8. University of Santo Tomas9. St. Thomas More School of Law and Business10. De La Salle - Lipa

20161. University of the Philippines2. Ateneo de Manila University3. San Beda University 4. University of Cebu5. University of San Carlos6. University of Santo Tomas7. Xavier University 8. Saint Louis University 9. University of San Agustin10. De La Salle University

20171. Ateneo de Davao University 2. Ateneo de Manila University3. University of Santo Tomas4. University of San Carlos 5. San Beda University 6. University of the Philippines7. University of San Agustin 8. University of the Cordilleras9. University of San Jose - Recoletos 10. San Beda College

2018 (with at least five first-time examinees)1. Ateneo de Manila University 2. University of the Philippines3. Ateneo de Davao University 4. University of San Carlos 5. Xavier University6. San Beda University 7. University of Santo Tomas8. University of the Cordilleras Angeles University Foundation Silliman University University of Asia and the Pacific9. University of San Agustin10. Mariano Marcos State University

(with fewer than 63 examinees)1. Ateneo de Davao University2. Ateneo de Zamboanga University3. Mariano Marcos State University4. Polytechnic University of the Philippines5. Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan6. Pamantansan ng Lungsod ng Maynila7. Palawan State University8. Angeles University Foundation9. University of St. La Salle10. Father Saturnino Urios University

(with at least 63 examinees)1. University of the Philippines2. Ateneo de Manila University3. San Beda University4. University of Santo Tomas5. University of San Carlos6. University of Cebu7. De La Salle University8. Saint Louis University9. University of the Cordilleras10. San Beda College – Alabang


LEB Accomplishments

D. Professors of Law Hall of Fame

In 2012, the LEB, with the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS) and the Ateneo Law School launched a “Professors of Law Hall of Fame” project which granted recognition to law professors, incumbent or retired, who are revered as icons in legal academe for their integrity, unquestionable competence and dedication to teaching law in the grand manner.

Thefirstawardeeswere:ChiefJusticeAndresR.Narvasa;SupremeCourt Justice Isagani A. Cruz; Supreme Court Justice Vicente V. Mendoza; Supreme Court Justice Florence Regalado; Supreme Court Justice Jose C. Vitug; Court of Appeals Justice Oscar M. Herrera, Jr; Court of Appeals Justice Ricardo C. Puno, Sr.; and, Rev. Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas, SJ.

Posthumous recognition was also given to these eminent legal educators:JusticeVicenteAbadSantos;JusticeIreneR.Cortes;JusticePompeyo Diaz; Justice Jose Y. Feria; Justice Desiderio P. Jurado; Dean Rodolfo C. Palma; Justice Edgardo L. Paras; Justice Jose Benedicto L. Reyes; Senator Lorenzo M. Tanada; and Justice Conrado M. Vasquez.

IN PHOTO: Chairperson Emeritus Justice Hilarion L. Aquino, Chief Justice (ret.) Reynato Puno, representative of Justice Jose B. L. Reyes, and Dean Sedfrey Candelaria

in LeadershipProfiles


Profiles in Leadership

He earned his spurs as a practicing lawyer in Tuguegarao, Cagayan for 26 years until he was appointed Regional Trial Court Judge in Tuguegarao City from 1987 until 1995. With his sterling record of performance as RTC judge, Chairperson Aquino was appointed to the Court of Appeals as Associate Justice in 1995 where he served with distinction until reaching mandatory retirement from the Judiciary in 2002.

His formal engagement with the legal education sector for approximately 16 years of his professional life is characterized by his being a devoted and most competent academi-cian, respected and appreciated by his students and colleagues alike throughout the years. He served in various capacities such as Dean of the College of Law of Cagayan Colleges, Tuguegarao (now the University of Cagayan Valley), as Professor and Chairholder at the Ate-neo de Manila University College of Law and Professor in the Graduate School of Law of the San Beda University, as a much sought after lecturer for Mandatory Continuing Legal Educa-tion (MCLE) programs and seminars, and as a lecturer and resource person of the Philippine Judicial Academy, serving as its Chairperson of the Department of Judicial Ethics.

Due to his proven expertise as a legal academician, he was designated by the Supreme Court as Bar Examiner on Remedial Law for the Bar Examinations in November 1997 and 2003.

Chairperson Aquino possesses the distinct honor of being conferred a status as Fellow of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute of Dalhousie University in Novo Scotia, Canada. He holds a Diplomate in Juridical Science from the San Beda Graduate School of Law which he obtained in 2005.

Born on October 21, 1932, he is a native of Camiling, Tarlac and was married to the late Dean Leticia Callangan-Aquino of the Cagayan State University College of Law. They are proud parents of three eminent professionals namely, Fr. Ranhilio C. Aquino, Dean of San Beda Graduate School of Law, RTC Tuguegarao City Judge Jezarene C. Aquino, and Prof. RosarioMielmiaC.Aquino,ProfessorandPublicRelationsOfficeroftheSanBedaCollegeAlabang.

Chairperson Aquino passed away quietly at his residence in Tuguegarao City on Novem-ber 10, 2020. He will be remembered as a sterling model of judicial uprightness and professional integrity, a profoundly inspiring mentor in the classroom, and a fatherly and well-respected pioneer Chair of the Legal Education Board.


Conscious of the need to properly re-ward and encourage good performance in the law schools, Chairperson Aquino led the Board in holding the 2011 Legal Education Awards Night where due recognition was awarded to law schools and deans with outstanding per-formance in the Bar Examinations from 2000 to 2010. During the 2015 Legal Education Awards, the Board awarded top ten law schools for their commendable performance based on the re-sults of the 2014 Bar examinations.

It was also during Chairperson Aquino’s watch that the Board established the Law Pro-fessors Hall of Fame Award giving due recog-nition to the pioneer group of eminent jurists and law professors. At this event also, ten (10) professors of law were posthumously awarded fortheiroutstandingserviceinthefieldoflegaleducation.

Chairperson Aquino’s eminent career as a lawyer, academician, jurist and leader in legal education administration in his senior years all started in 1955 upon obtaining the Bachelor of Laws degree from the Manuel Luis Quezon Uni-versity School of Law.

JUSTICE HILARION L. AQUINOChairperson (2009 to 2016)Chairperson Emeritus (2016 to 2020)

AsthefirstChairpersonoftheLegalEduca-tion Board (LEB), Justice Hilarion L. Aquino led in pioneering the operationalization of the LEB.

The years spanning the incumbency of Chairperson Aquino saw a surge in policy output and efforts formulating the requisite standards to cover academic and administrative matters in the operation of law programs by law schools. To set proper standards in administering law cours-es and improve compliances with benchmark re-quirements, the Board under his watch approved Resolutions on the declaration of a 3-year mora-torium in the opening of Law schools in AY 2011-2012 until 2013-2014 (Resolution No. 7, s. 2010), the Rules on Administrative Sanctions on Law Schools for Obtaining Zero Passing Score in the Bar Examinations (Resolution No. 8, series 2010), and the Ethical Standards of Conduct of Law Pro-fessors (Resolution No. 01, 2013).

Under Aquino’s wise guidance, the Board directed the crafting of LEB Memorandum Order No. 1, series 2011 entitled “Policies and Standards of Legal Education and Manual of Regulations for Law Schools”, and LEB Memorandum Order No. 2, series 2013 entitled “Additional Rules in the Operation of the Law Program”. These initial landmark regulationswere the first of issuancesby the LEB to guide all the law schools in their operations effective Academic Year 2012-2013.


EMERSON B. AQUENDEChairperson (2016-2020)


IN PHOTO: Chairperson Emerson B. Aquende, Comm. Zenaida N. Elepaño, Comm. Abelardo T. Domondon, Comm. Josefe C. Sorrera-Ty, Comm. Catherine P. Pedrosa, Atty. Aaron Marc M. Dimaano, and Atty. Jorell Kent N. Sto. Domingo

Finally, on student preparedness, Aquende led the LEB in embarking on innovations such as the Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT) designed to help students assess their prepared-ness for a graduate level study of law through a standardized national aptitude test similar to those taken for the medical program. Complementary to this, the Board also bolstered support for the development of academic law libraries which Aquende considered as the heart of a law school.

Chairperson Aquende was born in Legazpi City in Albay, and finished his elementary and secondary education in the same city graduating as high school class salutatorian. He has a degree in Commerce majoring in Management from the De La Salle University, and a law degree from the University of the Philippines. Chairperson Aquende is married to Professor Joan Elizabeth L. Aquende, a fellow lawyer, education leader, and former municipal Mayor of Castilla, Sorsogon. They are blessed with two children, Eimer and Eimee.

Chairperson Aquende’s stint at the Legal Edu-cation Board ended on March 3, 2020 upon his appointment as Commissioner of the Philippine Competition Commission.

As law educator, Chairperson Aquende sought to strengthen the corps of law faculty in the country with the launching of a faculty development pro-gram. Under his leadership, the LEB implement-ed the enhanced master of law requirements for law professors by incorporating additional cred-iting of experience and expertise to support a broader concept of teaching fitness. The LEB also advocated strongly for the improvement of the status of law professors and law graduates in terms of employment and promotion by de-termining the appropriate graduate-level equiv-alency of the Juris Doctor as a professional doc-torate degree.

The standards for school administration and management were also reinvigorated by the Board under the Aquende watch with a stricter and more rigorous inspection and applications processes. This resulted in a more consistent en-forcement of policies especially on poorly per-forming law schools. The LEB also introduced key reportorial requirements to improve man-agement techniques of legal education institu-tions. Initiatives such as the Law School Informa-tion Report allows for important data to help the LEB in the formulation of more evidence-based policies.

IN PHOTO: Chairperson Emerson B. Aquende, Comm. Abelardo T. Domondon, Comm. Fe B. Añonuevo, and Comm. Catherine P. Pedrosa



Dean Emerson B. Aquende of the Aquinas Universty of Legazpi College of Law (now the University of Santo Tomas – Legazpi College of Law) was the second Chairperson to lead the Legal Education Board serving as such from 2016 to 2020.

Prior to his appointment as Chair of the LEB, he served as the Vice President for the Professional Schools of USTL, President of the Forbes Academy, and Executive Vice-President of the Forbes College. As an academician, he has taught as assistant professor at the College of Arts and Sciences of the USTL. He currently lectures at the Mandatory Continuing Legal Ed-ucation programs, and teaches at the University of the Phil-ippines College of Law. As a member of the Philippine Bar, he was elected Deputy Governor, and then Governor for the Bicolandia Region of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and served from 2015 to 2017. During this period, he was actively involved with the Philippine Association of Law Schools, and was its Executive Vice President in 2014.

Dean Aquende approached his leadership of the LEB with the idealism and vision of a reformer developed from his experience as an educator, having been a law professor, a dean, a school vice president and school president. Despite the reality of LEB’s limited resources, he embarked on a plan to empower the LEB to accomplish fully its legal mandate and develop its potential in the administration of a healthy legal education syste. To realize this goal, he underpinned his reform initiatives at the LEB with a plan to strengthen what he deemed the four pillars of the legal education sector: curriculum and program design, faculty and instruction development, school management, and student preparedness.

On the law program, he pushed for the creation of appropriate standards for the law curriculum, including those for the refresher course, as well as in offering of electives, in allowing classes to be held during the summer term and de-termining the prerequisites of courses. During his term, the LEB engaged the University of the Philippines Law Center to conduct an empirical study on the state of legal education in the Philippines preparatory to the revision of the existing law curriculum. Aquende also led the Board in the change of the nomenclature of the basic law course from Bachelor of Laws to Juris Doctor, to establish the basic lawprogram as a graduate degree.

BudgetReport

LEB Comparative Report for 2009-2013

1. From Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 to 2015, the LEB received a budgetary allocation of Php 10,000,000 for each FY. The entire amount was apportioned to Maintenance and Other Op-erating Expenses (MOOE) with none allocated for Capital Outlay (CO).

2. In FY 2016, the LEB was given a reduced budget of Php 5,471,000 in the General Appropriation Act (GAA), the entire amount of which was allocated to MOOE. No amount was allocated for CO. The total budget for FY 2016 was reduced by 45.29% or the sum of Php 4,529,000.

3. In 2017, LEB was given a budgetary allocation of Php 10,305,700.00. The amount of P6,305,700 was allocated for MOOE, and the remainder of Php 4,000,000 was allocated for CO.

The total budget for FY 2017 increased by 88.37%.

4. For FY 2018, LEB had a budgetary allocation of Php 14,482,000.00. This meant a double-digit increase of 40.52% or the amount of Php 4,176,300 as compared to the previous year’s budget. The MOOE also increased by 40.37% or Php 2,545,300, while Php 5,361,000 was allocated for CO. CO increased by 41% or the amount of Php 1,631,000.

5. For FY 2019, LEB’s budget increased substantially to Php 102,610,000, with an in-crease of Php 88,128,000. The amount of MOOE increased to Php 88,759,000, while a congres-sional insertion of Php 5,000,000 was included for LEB’s CO that year.

The LEB received these additional budget categorized as congressional insertion through Congressman Fredenil H. Castro, former House Majority Floor Leader and currently, the District Representative of Capiz. Additionally, LEB also received financial assistance from Senator Pan-filo M. Lacson, Sr. The rest of the budget increase was obtained through the assistance of the Commission on Higher Education. From these insertions, the collated amount of P70 Million was earmarked and subsequently obligated to the U.P. Law Center in December 2020, for LEB’s first major landmark project called the Legal Education Advancement Program (LEAP) which is described in more detail in The Way Forward of this Report.

6. In FY 2020, the budget of LEB in the General Appropriations Act decreased by 77.84%. The budget amounted to only Php 22,739,000. The MOOE was reduced substantially from Php 97,610,000 in the previous fiscal year to Php 22,739,000. There was no allocation for CO.


LEB Comparative Report for 2014-2021

The Way Forward


The fluctuation in the LEB budget allocation through the years may be viewed as a prime factor that affected the administrative efficiency and operational stability of the office. Consequently, the LEB suffered constraints in the effective exercise of its legal mandate which affected the full implementation of its policies, guidelines and standards .

7. In FY 2021, the budget approved for the LEB is Php 29,114,000, which increased by 28% or the amount of Php 6,375,000. The MOOE decreased by Php 125,000. In contrast, CO increased by Php 6,500,000.

The Way Forward

A. National Comprehensive Plan for Legal Education

In response to the covid-19 pandemic, the National Government had laid down plans to manage the public health emergency and lessen its impact on the many sectors of the coun-try. It was therefore critical that coordinated plans be made in the legal education sector. The Legal Education Board (LEB) took up the challenge as the administrator of the legal education system, in close partnership with the different stakeholders.

In this respect, LEB formulated and issued the Pandemic Guidelines for Law Schools toprovide guidance and assistance to legal academic institutions in managing the impact of the health emergency on their schools for Academic Year (AY) 2019-2020. The Guidelines also laid out initial activities and processes for law schools in preparation for AY 2020-2021 by conducting research and coordinating with key stakeholder groups.

To make certain that the legal education sector zeroes in on the welfare of students, faculty and other stakeholders, maintain the desired quality of education and promote access to it in the context of a pandemic, a comprehensive national pandemic response plan was set in place by LEB to encourage close cooperation among stakeholders, mobilizing available re-sources towards developmental goals, and reviewing and strengthening policies to provide a responsive, relevant and conducive regulatory environment.

The Process

In crafting the national pandemic response plan, the legal education stakeholders had to be identified. Additionally, the initial impacts of the pandemic had to be assessed. Currently, the legal education system covers the whole country with 127 Legal Education Institutions (LEI) authorized to operate law programs.

Based on the demographic data gathered through the Law School Information Reportingsystem, a LEB study on the pandemic experiences of stakeholders revealed the following:

1. Profound disruption to learning. The disruption is not just seen quantitatively in the amount of the time left for studies, but also qualitatively on the impact on the strategies for teaching (on the side of the faculty), and strategies for learning (on the side of the students) in the face a wholly unfamiliar situation for education.

2. Lack of adaptability of instructional methods. A difficulty in translating traditional classroom setups and assessment methodologies as appropriate for remote learning raises questions as to the robustness and viability of the legal education system to adapt to changing circumstances.

3. Divides in legal education. There are existing inequalities in legal education that are threatened to be worsened by the pandemic. Factors such as technological access, economic condition, and gender present vulnerabilities within the academic community that cuts across the different geographical divisions.


The Way Forward

The Strategic Plan

At a Special En Banc Meeting held on February 5, 2021, the Legal Education Board issued Resolution No. 143-13 approving the Strategic Action Plan of the LEB for implementation in FYs 2021-2022. The Plan envisions LEB as a government agency ground-ed on quality internal organizational structure and operations that promote a more sustainable de-velopment for the legal education system and its stakeholders.

Internal Reforms

While the LEB is on its 10th year of operation, it is virtually still an infant, grappling with the throes and anxieties of taking its first steps and walking on its own considering its internal structure and the pru-dent exercise of its mandate caused principally by a minuscule budget.

The expansion of activities by the Board has ex-erted a tremendous pressure on its administrative and absorptive capacity. It is imperative that these structural, operational and related concerns be im-mediately addressed. This can be done by focusing on areas such as the review of its agency charter, the institutionalization of procedures and systems as well as investing in staff capacity building, among others, underpinned by a sufficient budget that will ensure the full implementation of these activities.

Adaptive Regulatory Environment

In 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic wrought hav-oc on all aspects of the lives of people, the LEB re-sponded to the national call for a comprehensive ef-fort towards more development-oriented activities. The LEB crafted a National Comprehensive Plan for Legal Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pan-demic. This Plan seeks to ensure the achievement of its goals by institutionalizing quality assurance mechanisms in its internal management systems and procedures. The ultimate objective is to ensure that the implementation of its programs laid out for FY 2021 and those projected for FY 2022 such as knowledge sharing and acquisition, trainings and seminars, online library and learning resources and stakeholder networking and coordination.

In approving these thrusts under the LEB’s Strate-gic Plan for 2021-2022, the Board emphasizes that these are aligned with the underlying frameworks:

first, of the UNDP Sustainable Development Goals particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequali-ties), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Insti-tutions); second, the goals and aspirations of the National Economic Development Authority as provided in its Ang Ambisyon Natin 2040 (Vision 2040 The Filipino); and third, with the goals and objectives of Re-public Act No. 10968 entitled “An Act Institution-alizing the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF), Establishing the PQF-National Coordinat-ing Council (NCC) and appropriating funds there-for.”

Complementary to these project-based activities are policy development initiatives, particularly on the aspect of the law curriculum, to ensure that the regulatory environment remains rooted in the institutionalization of proper standards and guidelines and is at all times responsive, relevant and conducive to legal pedagogy.

Sustainable Reforms

For FY 2021, funding and budgetary support for the LEB is sourced from the General Appropria-tions Act Budgets for 2020 and 2021 amounting to P46 Million. The sum of P70 Million from realigned funds of GAA 2019 was approved by the Board in Resolution No. 142-01B on December 11, 2020 to support the budgetary requirements of the Le-gal Education Advancement Program (LEAP) in a partnership collaboration with the University of the Philippines through the U.P. Law Center, after fully complying with the essential requirements under COA Circular 94-2013 for this kind of transaction utilizing government funds.

Moving forward, the LEB has focused on certain key areas of reform and the major strategic pro-grams that would provide a wholistic environment of progressive development, underpinned by stronger foundations both to the agency itself and to the key stakeholders of the legal education sec-tor. These programs and major policy initiatives are described in the succeeding pages.

4. Incredibly diversified concerns among law schools. Depending on their locality and the existing localized crisis conditions, the schools’ access to resource and ability to mobilize such, familiarity with alternative learning methodologies, and demographic background of faculty and students, to say the least, schools are affected differently.

5. Adapting to the new normal. As the world struggles to understand and survive these unprecedented times, there is a need to reimagine andreinvent learning and legal education in this new context.

While there is still a need for additional research to understand the impact of the pandemic better, the foregoing analyses contextualize the legal education response as encapsulated in the national pandemic response plan.

The Plan

The National Comprehensive Plan for Legal Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pan-demic maps out the strategies planned to be undertaken by the LEB in navigating the new normal for the legal education system. Included in the plan are six (6) programs that deal with occupa-tional safety, virtual public services, stakeholder coordination for monitoring, policy review to align with shifts and welfare initiatives to the most vulnerable segments of society.

Some of the key projects under the plan are an online services platform, easing of require-ments and regulatory deadlines to support policy compliance, roll out of regular survey instru-ments, curriculum review and review of policies, trainings and capacity building interventions, establishment of scholarships and other forms of aid, as well as accessibility of learning materials.

With efforts to maintain and sustain capacity building for the agency, and strengthened spaces for stakeholder participation, the plan serves as the roadmap for the LEB to fulfill its man-date of uplifting the standards of legal education in the country, and serving the public well in these critical times.

Status

The projects under the Occupational Safety, Virtual Platforms and Policy Easing have all been completed, paving the way for a safe and responsive transacting environment for the pub-lic. Key projects under the Comprehensive Review and Stakeholder Coordination have also either been achieved or are currently ongoing ensuring that existing policies and new ones are made more appropriate and conducive to the demands of the new normal. Finally, the projects under the Social Amelioration program have had some roadblocks primarily due to funding concerns, but efforts are being exerted to find alternative mechanisms to address this concern.

The Pandemic Response Plan also became the basis for the Board to approve the creation of the Programs Section under the Regulatory Section of the LEB. Currently, this unit is working towards institutionalizing the response initiatives for broader and more long-term impact. By mid 2020, in the midst of a raging pandemic, sustained efforts to establish a strategic and foreseeably productive institutional partnership with the University of the Philippines Law Center resulted to the approval by the Board of the Legal Education Advancement Program (LEAP). This landmark Program aims to initiate even more groundbreaking reform activities to strengthen the LEB itself as well as the other key components of the legal education sector during this crisis and beyond.

The Program and its objectives The Legal Education Advancement Program or LEAP is designed primarily to implement reforms in the teaching of law, provide capacity building through training and research for faculty and administra-tive staff of law schools, and to enhance the efficiency of and strengthen legal education administration in the country, in the Legal Education Board and all its accredited law schools.

Partnership with the U.P. Law Center

In 2020, discussions started between then U.P. College of Law Dean Fides Cordero-Tan as Direc-tor of the U.P. Law Center and representatives of the Legal Education Board. The meeting explored the possibility of a collaborative project between LEB as Source Agency and the U.P. through the U.P. Law Center as Implementing Agency for the National LEAP. The discussions resulted in the approval by the LEB of a joint project with the UP-Law Center to implement and achieve the goals of LEAP. The approval was embodied in LEB Resolution No. 142-01 and on December 14, 2020, a Memorandum of Agreement was executed between the parties under which the amount of P70 Million was allocated by LEB form its funds for this program.

The LEAP seeks to ensure that the legal education system is prepared and ready to adapt to the continuing pressures of present-day challenges facing society and to the rapid technological advance-ment and the evolving issues, trends and concerns in the teaching and study of law.

In effectuating LEAP, the LEB took into account all aspects of the collaboration, considering that the Program is specifically directed to benefit the 127 law schools nationwide. For this purpose, the Board decided to tap the technical and professional expertise of legal scholars and academicians, practitioners, and legal researchers with wide knowledge of the law.

B. Legal Education Advancement Program

IN PHOTO: LEB OIC Commissioner Zenaida N. Elepaño, Comm. Abelardo T. Domondon, Comm. Josefe C. Sorrera-Ty, Comm. Catherine P. Pedro-sa, UP College of Law Dean Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, Atty. Carmelita P. Yadao-Sison, Ph.D., Professor Jay Batongbacal, Atty. Glenda Litong, Chief Rodrigo C. Sagum, Atty. Aaron Marc M. Dimaano, Atty. Jorell Kent N. Sto.Domingo, Atty. Jerome Francisco Ll. Antonis II, and staff members of the UP Law Center

The Way Forward The Way Forward


The Way Forward

IN PHOTO: LEB OIC Commissioner Zenaida N. Elepaño turns over the Php 70 Million LEAP funds to Dean Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II of the UP College of Law.

The Board primarily considered a collaboration with the U.P. Law Center established under Republic Act No. 3870, in view of the Center’s legal mandate, its proven track record of invaluable output in all areas of law, and the available array of its legal and academic resources.

Specific Projects

The LEAP consists of six (6) well-defined and conceptualized Projects:

a. Model Law Curriculum Revision Project; b. Legal Education Policy Reform Project; c. Legal Education Knowledge Project; d. Legal Education Access Project; e. Stakeholder Conferences Project; and, f. Digital Adaptation of Legal Education Project.

These Projects are described in detail in the Memorandum of Agreement and the Program Concept Note of December 2020 signed by LEB OIC Commissioner Zenaida N. Elepaño and UP Dili-man Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo in December 2020. In view of the late release of the funds to the U.P. Law Center, a Supplemental Agreement is being prepared to embody all the necessary adjustments that will have to be undertaken in view of the unforeseen delay.

The LEAP Steering Committee

A Steering Committee composed of four (4) LEB designates, and three (3) U.P. Law Center representatives assisted by a Program Secretariat have already been constituted pursuant to the Agreement. The Committee is tasked to prepare the LEAP Implementing Guidelines that will define the operational framework with definite timelines for the Projects. It shall also delineate the specific duties, tasks and responsibilities of the Steering Committee members as well as the Program Secre-tariat, aside from the responsibilities of the full-time Program Executive Director and Deputy Execu-tive Director. Further, the guidelines will define the organizational and operational work structure of the Technical Working Groups (TWG) constituted for each of the six (6) major Projects.

As soon as the Project Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director shall have been iden-tified and recommended by the Program Secretariat to the Steering Committee, and upon appoint-ment of the best qualified candidates to the positions, the TWGs for the six Projects will be consti-tuted immediately. The Board will select members of the TWGs from the legal education sector with assistance of the Program Secretariat based at the UP Law Center who are known for and will apply their professional expertise, leadership and academic experience in achieving the goals, objectives and deliverables of the LEAP.

The Way ForwardThe Way Forward

C. Gender and Development ProgramBackgrounder and Significant Antecedent Events In 2014, serious discussions on gender and development ensued among the Board mem-bers in view of LEB’s mandate and its role as a Responsible Agency for Legal Education under Republic Act No. 9710, also known as the Magna Charta of Women. This piece of legislation, also popularly described as the “Philippine Bill of Rights of Women”, I complies with the mandate vest-ed on the Philippines as signatory to international treaties such as the UN Declaration of Human Rights, Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action during the Fourth Conference on Women in 1995, and more recently the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

After the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) was adopted in 1995, the Philippine government crafted a comprehensive action plan to address the issues mentioned in the BPfA. As a result, the Philippine Plan for Gender Development (PPGD), a 30-year Action Plan, was formulated and endorsed to the Office of the President for favorable action, which resulted in an Executive Order issued by then President Fidel V. Ramos. Like all government agencies, LEB is bound to align its GAD Program to the framework and objectives of the PPGD.

Complying with this Plan, LEB began setting up its own GAD Focal Point System to be able to fully harness the resources provided under its annual GAA Budget for the proposed projects and activities under its GAD Program. LEB was advised by the CHED Chairperson’s Representative who explained to the Board how CHED was able to prepare its landmark CHED Memorandum Order No. 1, series 2015 entitled “Establishing Policies and Guidelines on Gender and Development in CHED and in Higher Education Institutions” which effectively mainstreamed GAD in the more than 2,000 public and private higher education institutions in the country. Guided by this inclusive CMO No. 1, s.2015, public universities and colleges were able to properly utilize their GAD Bud-gets aligned to the thrusts and objectives of CHED for the higher education sector. The Board was convinced of the soundness of having its separate GAD Program as Responsible Agency under the Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710) for the legal education sector, which could be a potent tool for shaping gender sensitive law graduates and future lawyers in society. This could lead to the resur-gence of lawyers, prosecutors, arbiters, judges, justices and government functionaries and leaders who are sensitive of, and dedicated to, protecting the rights of women and children.

Inspired by the prospect that the GAD perspective could be similarly generated and mainstreamed in all the law schools registered with the LEB, the Board undertook activities to jumpstart its implementation of GAD for the law program.

In March 2021, the LEB was one of the first agencies that participated in the 2021 National Women’s Month Celebration with the issuance of LEB Memorandum Circular No. 74, Series of 2021 pursuant to Philippine Commission on Women Memorandum Circular No. 2021-02. In this Circular, the LEB motivated all the law schools to observe the National Women’s month with mean-ingful and appropriate activities that will heighten knowledge and appreciation of the role Filipino women have played in the history of the country. The LEB encouraged as well participation not only among law students but the general public in the movement for gender equality and women empowerment.


IN PHOTO: LEB OIC Commissioner Zenaida N. Elepaño, Comm. Abelardo T. Domo-ndon, Comm. Josefe C. Sorrera-Ty, Comm. Catherine P. Pedrosa, UP College of Law Dean Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, Atty. Carmelita P. Yadao-Sison, Ph.D., Professor Jay Batongbacal, Atty. Glenda Litong, and staff members of the UP Law Center

The Way ForwardThe Way Forward


The LEB Framework of Action on Gender and Development

In the LEB Strategic Plan for 2021-2022, the framework is underpinned by three significant factors, the first of which has relevance to the LEB Framework of Action on Gender and Development. This refers to the UNDP Sustainable Development Goals, with a timeframe spanning until 2030, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gen-der Equality).

The LEB Framework of Action espouses a more purposive, innovative and direct-ed goal of embedding in the Law Program the constitutional dictum of respect for basic human rights in general, yet focused on the principles of gender equality and respect for women’s and children’s rights in particular. The components of the LEB Framework are the faculty who teach the law, the law students who learn and in the process are expected to be sufficiently inspired to imbibe the concepts, theories and programs and to broaden their world view of what the concept of gender equality is all about. The other compo-nent are the law school administrators who actually serve as the lead GAD focal officers in their respective legal academic enclaves. Finally, to round off the equation, the fourth component are the local, regional or international institutions and agencies with long history of proven expertise and technical competence that may be commissioned to roll out capacity building and training programs to assist the LEB in effectively mainstreaming these concepts, rights and programs in Legal Education.

LEB has two basic international conventions underlying its new mandatory 2-unit non-core course in the Revised Model Law Curriculum of 2021. The first is the UN Con-vention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the other is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and in both of which the Philippines is a signatory. In the local scene, we have the Magna Carta of Women or RA 9710 promulgated in September 2009 and the implementing issuances of the tripartite agencies – the Philippine Commission on Women, the Commission on Audit and the Na-tional Economic Development Authority.

Among the initial partnership collaborations for capacity building and training of the Law faculty is the Concept Note proposed recently by the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative or ABA ROLI and is under consideration by the Board. The other lo-cal partner equally capable of delivering on their mandate of Gender Sensitivity seminars to incoming Freshmen law students is the U.P. College of Law Gender Law and Policy Pro-gram. Other similar programs for the law school administrators are being currently blue printed. The LEB will eventually prove that with prudent and proper utilization of its GAD Budget (Section 43, RA 9710), it will indeed show the Way Forward towards attaining the goals and objectives of the LEB Framework of Action on Gender and Development in compliance with the Magna Carta of Women of 2009.

D. Clinical Legal Education Program

A Backgrounder

The need for capacity and skills-building among law students to prepare them for practice has always been a central focus of legal education reform initiatives. With the issuance by the Su-preme Court of A.M. No. 19-03-24-SC or Rule 138-A Law Student Practice also known as The Revised Law Student Practice Rule, the Legal Education Board, with the support of the Supreme Court and The Asia Foundation (TAF), institutionalized a Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP) for law students and made it as an integral part of the Revised Model Law Curriculum.

The revised Rule for CLEP took effect at the beginning of Academic Year 2020-2021.

The CLEP: Its Nature and Concept

The CLEP is an experiential, interactive, and reflective credit-earning law course. It provides law students with practical knowledge, skills, and values necessary for the application of the law, the expeditious delivery of legal services and the promotion of social justice. It is designed also to instill in the students the values of ethical lawyering and public service and to provide access to justice, especially to the marginalized, through a limited practice of by the students.

The clinical legal education training program is designed with a view to establishing strong and robust legal aid clinic programs in the locality of the law school. The training also provides important information for local justice stakeholders such as the courts and lawyers. Currently, the project has 1,845 participants which includes students, faculty, deans, law practitioners, and judges.

CLEP is seen in many ways as a breakthrough advancement for legal education. Mainstream-ing clinical legal education has been long, arduous and challenging. As early as in the 1980s, discussions were rife about the importance of practical learning in legal studies considering the dearth of such kind of training in the curriculum. But this concern took a back seat because the main focus of legal pedagogy was doctrinal.

The Way Forward


CLEP Implementation

In 2015, responding to a mandate by the Supreme Court, the LEB issued Resolution No. 2015-08 prescribing rules and guidelines for the establishment of a legal clinic in law schools. This paved the way for the accreditation of legal aid clinics across the country. While enthusiasm for this activity was encouraging, only a handful of law schools participated in this voluntary undertaking, as the others shelved this project for the time being due to financial and other logistical concerns.

As a result of the discussion at the 1st National Summit on Legal Aid in Law Schools in 2017, and the Legal Education Summit in 2019, the Supreme Court issued Rule 138-A which structured a more ro-bust framework for the development of legal aid clinics, in that law schools were no longer required to undergo accreditation. The Supreme Court also mobilized the judicial branch from the collegiate courts down to the first level courts to effectively implement the practice of law before them by law students.

In 2019, the first Regional Rollout for the CLEP was launched by the LEB under the auspices of the Supreme Court and TAF at the Angeles University Foundation in Angeles City, Pampanga, and there-after, in Baguio City and Cebu City. While the initial phases proved successful, its nationwide imple-mentation was stalled when Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020.

Nonetheless, through the joint efforts of the Legal Education Board (LEB), the Supreme Court, The Asia Foundation, the Philippine Association of Law Schools and other stakeholders, the rollout of the CLEP was resumed in January 2021 providing trainings to law schools, professors and students, as well as other stakeholders, through online synchronous and asynchronous sessions.

The LEB-TAF partnership has also developed plans for creating a one-stop online resource center for all CLEP needs and inquiries. The CLEP Website is envisioned to help law deans, professors and student practitioners to fully participate in the program.

The LEB has released recently its Revised Model Law Curriculum (RMLC) that incorporates clinical legal education to respond to the needs, changes and challenges of the times. This has been accom-plished in close coordination with the Philippine Association of Law Schools with the inspirational guidance of the Supreme Court through its new Chief Justice, the Hon. Alexander Gesmundo, no less a renowned legal educator himself.

From a formal empirical study conducted in 2018 up to the organization of a LEB Curricu-lum Revision Committee in 2021, the efforts to revise the model law curriculum have gone through significant processes despite the constraints brought about by the COVID-19 pan-demic. This initiative of revising however began much earlier, benchmarked by the tireless and incessant efforts of the legal education community to continuously provide reforms in the legal education system, particularly in the area of the law curriculum.

At core, the Revised Model Law Curriculum targeted for implementation in Academic Year 2021-2022, is a major step toward modernizing the curriculum and keeping it in syn-chronized step with the rapid and fluid developments in science, information, communi-cation and technology. This program focuses on improving existing tested schemes and introducing innovations both in law course design and pedagogy. The Revised Model Law Curriculum aims to construct a balance between the ideals of upholding academic freedom on one hand, and proper government supervision on the other. Verily, public in-terest demands the development of competent, ethical and innovative legal professionals committed to uphold the rule of law that can only be achieved by a rational blending of these two ideals.

The key changes introduced in the Revised Model Law Curriculum are:

1. The total minimum academic load has been reduced to give the students room for reflective study, to address mental wellness, and to allow law schools sufficient flexibility in designing additional courses. From the current total load of 153 or 169 units, there will only be 135 units on the whole, averaging only 17 units per semester.

The mandated courses now total only 125 units giving schools and students maximum flexibility to design their curriculum of study based on their needs (through 10 units of electives). With the lower total academic load, the school may add institutionally required courses without overburdening the student.

The revised model law curriculum also has made three non-core subjects mandatory, namely, Gender Sensitivity, and Laws on Women’s and Children’s Rights; Environmental and Natural Resources Law; and, Medical Jurisprudence.

2. The mandated courses have also been rationalized and updated to consider the demands of law practice. The review courses are no longer focused on bar review alone but have been improved with the inclusion of integration coverage to ensure that prospective bar exam candidates are given important updates and coaching at their terminal year.

E. Revised Model Law Curriculum

The Way Forward


Procedural law subjects shall begin to be taught in the First Year alongside with the corresponding substantive courses so as to enhance the understanding of legal concepts and help prepare the students for the Clinical Legal Education program. These subjects also integrate student familiarity with legal forms to ensure their readiness for eventual law practice.

3. The entire curriculum is also designed to be implemented as a ladderized program, at the option of the school which may allow the grant of certificates and degrees subject to relevant guidelines. This is achieved by providing the first two years of study with foundational and essential law courses, while the third year of study comprises more specialized topics and electives.

4. The curriculum allows for specialization through academic tracking subject to the school’s discretion, and such guidelines as may be issued by the Board.

5. Finally, clinical legal education is fully integrated to maximize the benefits of experiential learning and to comply with Rules 138 and 138-A of the Rules of Court.

The Curriculum Revision Committee tasked by LEB to undertake this major project is composed of LEB Commissioner Abelardo T. Domondon as Committee Chairperson, LEB Commissioner Josefe C. Sorrera-Ty as Committee Vice Chairperson, with University of San Carlos Vice President for Academic Affairs Joan S. Largo, University of the Philippines Law Dean Fides Cordero-Tan, and De La Salle University Law Dean Virgilio De los Reyes, as Committee Members. Court of Appeals Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh served as the Committee’s Expert Resource Person. Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice and recently appointed Chancellor of PHILJA, Justice Arturo D. Brion also served as the Committee’s Chairperson for a short period in 2019.

Upon the conclusion of the work of the CRC and the public consultation, the draft was submitted to the LEB En Banc for its deliberations. The Board perspicaciously reviewed each section of the proposed RMLC in a number of Board meetings if only to ensure the best output. The resulting regulation was unanimously approved through Resolution No. 152-02 on June 29, 2021. Some of the key innovations introduced by the Board were the mandatory non-core subjects, namely:

a. Gender Sensitivity and Women’s and Children’s Rights proposed by Commissioner Elepaño;b. Environmental Law proposed jointly by Commissioners Elepaño and Sorrera-Ty; and,c. Medical Jurisprudence proposed by both Commissioners Domondon and Pedrosa.

After its formal launch in the next few weeks, the RMLC will be rolled out through a series of orientation seminars, and faculty trainings. These are aimed at a successful implementation of the RMLC. The orientation seminars will be scheduled virtually across the country. The faculty trainings, meanwhile, will reacquaint law professors with pedagogy and andragogy, and further build their capacities in legal education.

More information on the LEB...Directory of Law Schools


*Under Section 12 of RA 7662, the U.P. College of Law does not fall under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Legal Education Board

Former Commissioners

LEB Report 2009-202148

Immediate Past Board Membersfrom 04 March 2020 to 31 August 2021

from 04 March 2020 to 31 August 2021

from October 2014 to September 2021 from August 2019 to Present from June 2018 to Present from June 2018 to August 2021 from October 2018 to present

Board En Banc and Executive Committee

Office DirectoryOffice of Commissioner Zenaida N. ElepañoOfficer-in-ChargeRepresenting the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (02) 89629-6934 / (02) [email protected]

Office of Commissioner Abelardo T. DomondonRepresenting the Ranks of Active Law Practitioners(02) 89629-6934 / (02) [email protected]

Administrative DivisionRodrigo C. SagumChief Education Program Specialist(02) 89629-6934 / (02) [email protected]

Board and Communications DivisionAtty. Jorell Kent N. Sto. DomingoActing Board Secretary (02) 89629-6934 / (02) [email protected]

Office of Commissioner Josefe C. Sorrera-TyRepresenting the Philippine Association of Law Schools(02) 89629-6934 / (02) [email protected]

Office of Commissioner Catherine P. PedrosaRepresenting the Law Students’ Sector(02) 89629-6934 / (02) [email protected]

Regulatory DivisionAtty. Aaron Marc M. DimaanoExecutive Officer (02) 89629-6934 / (02) [email protected]

Legal DivisionAtty. Jerome Francisco Ll. Antonis IIILegal Officer(02) 89629-6934 / (02) [email protected]

Atty. Carmelita P. Yadao-Sison, Ph.D.Highly Technical Consultant (02) 89629-6934 / (02) [email protected]

CHED Chairperson J. Prospero E. de Vera IIIEx-Officio MemberTelefax: (+63 2) 441 1256 4/F HEDC Bldg, CP Garcia Avenue UP Campus,Diliman, Quezon City

Final-16-December-2021-LEB-Report - Legal Education Board

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