The impending enactment of the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) bill would help employees without a degree take a step up in their professional careers, the chair of the House committee on labor and employment said.
This was after the Senate recently passed on third and final reading its version of the measure, which would allow undergraduate professionals to earn a bachelor’s degree through an alternative college-level education program. The House of Representatives passed House Bill No. 9015 on September 2023.
“Dahil sa kahirapan at iba pang dahilan, marami sa mga kababayan natin ang pinipiling mag-trabaho na agad pagkatapos ng high school.”
“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa ating mga counterpart sa Senado sa pagpasa ng panukalang batas na ito. Umaasa tayo na sa lalong madaling panahon ay pipirmahan na ito ng Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., upang makinabang ang mga empleyadong walang diploma na makakuha nito at magkaroon ng pagkakataon na ma-promote sa trabaho,” Rizal 4th District Rep. Fidel Nograles said.
The bill seeks the institutionalization of the ETEEAP, which recognizes, accredits and grants equivalencies to knowledge, skills, attitudes and values gained by undergraduate employees from relevant work.
Nograles said that the ETEEAP would provide an alternate path to Filipinos who had to work instead of attend college.
“Dahil sa kahirapan at iba pang dahilan, marami sa mga kababayan natin ang pinipiling mag-trabaho na agad pagkatapos ng high school. Magbibigay ang ETEEAP ng daan tungo sa pagkamit ng naudlot na pangarap na magka-diploma, at para na rin makaalpas sa mga hadlang sa pagkaroon ng mas magandang posisyon sa kanilang trabaho dahil sa kawalan nito,” the lawmaker said.
To qualify for the ETEEAP, an applicant must be a Filipino citizen residing in the Philippines or abroad, at least 23 years of age, and with at least five years of aggregate work experience.
Applicant must also submit the following documentary requirements: duly-accomplished ETEEAP application form; certification of having passed the Accreditation and Equivalency Assessment conducted by the Department of Education; employment certificates; birth certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority; resume, curriculum vitae, or personal data sheet; service record or employment certificate signed by the employer; job description signed by the employer; and transcript of records.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) shall be the lead agency in the implementation of the ETEEAP, and shall accredit colleges and universities that seek to offer the ETEEAP as part of their academic program.
