SENATE Majority Leader Joel Villanueva urged his colleague to pass his bill that seeks to waive the fees for the Professional Regulations Commission and Civil Service Commission examinations to encourage those who cannot afford to pay to take licensure exams.

Villanueva said Senate Bill 1323 or the Free Professional Examinations Act will reduce the financial burden on graduates who need to undergo professional licensure exams.

“It saddens me to think that some of our graduates will not be able to apply what they studied for just because they cannot afford to pay for the examination fee to get their professional license or civil service eligibility,” he said.

Under the measure, a qualified indigent or a person who has no visible means of income or support or whose income is insufficient for the subsistence or basic needs of his/her family, as may be determined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, is entitled to a 100 percent exemption of the examination fee and 50% of the examination fee if the examinee needs to retake the exam.

The prescribed fees for PRC examination ranges from ₱400 to ₱1,300 depending on the degree and type of examination.

Meanwhile, the Career Service Examination for Professional and Sub-Professional Levels of the CSC requires an examination fee of ₱500.

On top of examination fees, applicants also incur additional expenses on review fees and other related expenses prior to taking the licensure examination.