Qualified college graduates from poor families may soon be allowed to take professional board examinations and even the Bar exam for free under a proposed measure seeking to remove a major financial barrier to employment.
Senate Bill No. 2035, or the proposed Free Professional Examinations Act, aims to waive examination fees for indigent graduates who are seeking professional licenses after completing their degrees.
The measure covers qualified applicants certified as indigent by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The certification may be submitted to the Professional Regulation Commission, the Civil Service Commission, or the Supreme Court, depending on the examination being taken.
The proposed benefit may be availed of once a year.
Supporters of the measure said many graduates from low-income households manage to finish college but are unable to obtain professional licenses because they cannot afford the required examination fees.
Without licenses, some are forced to accept work outside their fields or settle for underemployment despite completing years of study.
The bill seeks to help indigent graduates fully enter their chosen professions, improve their earning potential, and expand the country’s pool of licensed professionals.
“Many of our young students even take on side hustles just to get through graduation. Let us help them fully realize their dreams of becoming licensed professionals,” Sen. Erwin Tulfo, the author of the measure, said.