Kimberly Capuyan

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. officially launched the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) Act on June 17, which enables qualified working Filipinos to earn a college degree based on their real-life work experience.


During the ceremonial signing at Malacañang Palace, Marcos stated that the law recognizes alternative paths to learning beyond traditional classroom education.

“Marami tayong kababayan na hindi nakapagtapos ng kolehiyo dahil kinailangan nilang magtrabaho para sa pamilya, para magpaaral ng kanilang mga kapatid, para tumayo bilang padre o madre de pamilya,” Marcos said.

“Ngunit hindi nawala ang kanilang talino, ang kanilang diskarte [at] determinasyon. Kaya naman, sa ilalim ng ETEEAP Act, maaari po nilang gamitin ang kanilang mga karanasan upang makamit ang kanilang diploma,” he added.

Signed by Marcos on March 3, RA 12124, or the ETEEAP Act, allows qualified Filipino working professionals to finish their college education for career advancement without going through traditional classroom education.

Marcos noted that the law affirms the principle that experience can be just as valuable as formal education.

“We reaffirm a crucial principle: experience is just as valuable as a formal education. That we trust the Filipinos’ ability to succeed regardless of where and how they acquired their skills,” he stated.

He further said that the law institutionalizes a comprehensive alternative learning program based on academic equivalency and accreditation of prior learning or from relevant work experiences.

“Through this act, we now have a clear and structured way to recognize the prior learning of individuals, be it from years of work or because they have taught themselves these skills, and match that with an academic equivalency,” Marcos expressed.


According to Marcos, the law also includes enrichment support to help learners meet the academic and professional standards of their chosen degree.

“By encouraging Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to adopt flexible approaches, such as online learning, we respond to various backgrounds, life experiences, and learning styles of the ETEEAP applicants,” Marcos said.

“This law gives our fellows who were not able to finish college a second chance,” he stressed.

He also emphasized that the ETEEAP law opens the “doors to higher positions, better income, and more professional opportunities.”

Marcos ordered the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to effectively implement the ETEEAP Act as its lead agency.

“To the CHED and its partner agencies: Let’s ensure the implementation of this act goes smoothly. Monitor our deputized HEIs and see to it that this law benefits those it was created for,” Marcos noted.

To qualify for the ETEEAP program, a Filipino citizen, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, must:
be at least twenty-three (23) years of age at the time of application;
have completed a secondary school program or passed the Philippine Educational Placement Test or Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency Assessment and Certification; and
have at least five (5) years of aggregate work experience in the industry related to the academic degree program or discipline where equivalency of learning is sought.