Benilde Earns CHED Recognition for Its ETEEAP Program at 32nd Anniversary Celebration

During the Commission on Higher Education’s 32nd Anniversary Celebration at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, Benilde was named one of only nine private higher education institutions nationwide recognized for outstanding contributions to lifelong learning and inclusive education through the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program.

For a school that has been quietly running its ETEEAP center since 2004, this isn’t a sudden burst of attention. It’s more like a long-overdue spotlight on work that’s been happening for over two decades.

What’s in This Article

A Two-Decade Head Start

Benilde represented at the awarding ceremony were Vice Chancellor for Academics Angelo Marco Lacson and Melbourne Piccio, Head of the Center for Lifelong Learning and Innovative Programs and the school’s ETEEAP Coordinator. Their presence at PICC wasn’t a one-off appearance for a photo opportunity. It capped off twenty-two years of building, refining, and defending a program that exists specifically for people the traditional college pipeline tends to leave behind.

Working adults who never finished a degree, supervisors who learned their craft on the floor rather than in a lecture hall, creatives who built careers through portfolios instead of transcripts: these are the people ETEEAP was designed for. Running that kind of program well, year after year, requires a level of institutional commitment that’s easy to underestimate from the outside. Assessors need to be trained and retrained. Assessment tools need constant review. And every credential awarded has to hold up to the same scrutiny as one earned through four years of regular classes.

That’s the track record CHED was acknowledging at PICC.

What the CHED Recognition Actually Covers

According to the announcement, the citation reflects Benilde’s capability to deliver outcomes-based education, maintain qualified faculty members and assessors, establish robust quality assurance mechanisms, and provide comprehensive learner support services necessary for effective ETEEAP implementation. None of those four pillars sound flashy on paper, but together they’re essentially the entire skeleton of what makes an equivalency program trustworthy.

Outcomes-based education means a candidate’s prior learning is measured against the same learning outcomes a regular student would have to demonstrate, not a watered-down version of them. Qualified faculty and assessors means the panel evaluating a candidate’s portfolio, written exams, and practical demonstrations actually has the expertise to judge whether real mastery is there. Quality assurance mechanisms cover everything from how applications are screened to how credits are awarded and tracked. And learner support services are what keep a working adult from drowning while juggling a job, a family, and an accreditation process all at once.

Being cited on all four counts, in front of CHED leadership and a room full of peer institutions, is not a small thing.

The New Bar Set by CMO No. 11, Series of 2025

What makes this recognition land with even more weight is the timing. Benilde’s status is now recognized under CHED Memorandum Order No. 11, Series of 2025, the freshly issued Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 12124, otherwise known as the ETEEAP Act.

Before RA 12124, ETEEAP ran on the strength of a 1996 executive order. It worked, but it lacked the kind of statutory teeth that make a program permanent rather than perpetually provisional. The new law, signed in March 2025 and given its detailed IRR through CMO No. 11 in June of that same year, changed that. It locked in stricter eligibility requirements for deputized schools, more rigorous assessment standards, and tighter reporting obligations to CHED.

In practical terms, this means schools can’t simply coast on a deputization they earned years ago. They have to keep proving, through documented manuals of operations, structured rubrics, and annual reports on enrollment and graduation, that the program is still being run the way it’s supposed to be. Benilde clearing that bar under the new, stricter regime says something different than clearing it under the old one. The standard got harder, and the recognition still came.

If you want to see exactly how demanding these requirements are, our breakdown of the ETEEAP framework walks through what CHED now expects from every deputized institution.

Benilde’s Seven ETEEAP-Deputized Programs

Benilde currently offers seven ETEEAP-deputized degree programs, a number that reflects just how far the school has expanded beyond a single flagship offering. The list includes:

  • Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Luxury Management (BS-HLM)
  • Bachelor of Science in Information Systems (BS-IS)
  • Bachelor of Arts in Music Production (ABMP)
  • Bachelor of Arts in Production Design (ABPRD)
  • Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance (BPAD)
  • Bachelor of Arts in Photography (AB-PHOTO)
  • Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts (AB-THA)

What stands out here is the range. Most ETEEAP directories nationwide skew heavily toward business administration, criminology, and education, which makes sense given how many working professionals come from those fields. Benilde’s lineup leans hard into creative and hospitality disciplines instead, fields where years of hands-on, project-based experience often translate into genuine mastery that simply never got formalized on paper. A working photographer with a decade of client work, or a dancer who’s spent years performing and choreographing professionally, has a real shot at having that experience recognized here.

You can browse the full range of degrees available across the country, including Benilde’s, on our ETEEAP Programs Directory.

Why This Matters If You’re Considering ETEEAP

If you’re a working professional weighing whether to pursue a degree through ETEEAP, a school’s reputation and consistency matter just as much as the program list itself. CHED recognition like this is one of the clearest external signals you can use to judge whether an institution treats equivalency assessment as a genuine academic process rather than a shortcut.

It’s also a reminder that ETEEAP deputization isn’t permanent or automatic. Schools have to keep meeting the standard, especially now that RA 12124 and CMO No. 11 have raised it. Before approaching any institution, it’s worth confirming where things stand. Our Accredited Schools directory tracks current deputization status, and our eligibility guide walks through the basic requirements every applicant needs to meet, regardless of which school they choose.

Years of experience in a field you’ve already mastered shouldn’t have to stay invisible on a resume. Recognitions like Benilde’s are a sign that the system meant to formalize that experience is still being held to a real standard.

Curious whether your own work history could translate into a degree? Check your ETEEAP eligibility or explore accredited schools near you to start mapping out your next step.

Photo Credit: De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde