ETEEAP on GMA's 24 Oras: What the New Law Means for Filipino Workers Without a Diploma

Hindi college graduate pero may work experience? Pwedeng makakuha ng college degree gamit ang inyong karanasan at mga training, salamat sa isang programang pinalawig pa ng isang bagong lagdang batas. That was the hook GMA’s 24 Oras used to introduce millions of viewers to a program a lot of working Filipinos have quietly wondered about for years: can real-world experience actually become a diploma?

The short answer is yes. The longer, more interesting answer involves a decades-old executive order, a brand new law, and thousands of Filipinos who are already living proof that it works. Since the segment sent a wave of new visitors searching for answers, we thought it was worth breaking down exactly what got featured, what the law says, and how you can actually start the process yourself.

In This Article

• The Story That Got the Nation Talking
• Watch the Segment
• What Exactly Is ETEEAP?
• The Law Behind the Feature: Republic Act No. 12124
• Do You Qualify? The Basic Requirements
• The Documents You Will Need to Prepare
• Why This Story Hit Home for So Many Filipinos

The Story That Got the Nation Talking

Public affairs and news programs don’t usually spend airtime on education policy unless there’s a human story attached to it, and that’s exactly what made this feature land. 24 Oras framed the report around a simple, relatable question. What happens to the electrician who never finished college but has spent fifteen years wiring buildings? What about the call center supervisor managing a team of thirty people with only two years of undergraduate units to her name?

For both of them, and for a huge portion of the Filipino workforce, a diploma has always felt like the missing piece. Not because they lack the knowledge or the skill, but because life, finances, or family obligations got in the way of finishing school. The segment’s core message was that this gap can now be closed, and that the legal foundation for doing so has just gotten stronger.

Watch the Segment

🎥 Open feature directly on GMA’s 24 Oras Facebook Reel

And if you want to follow more of GMA’s public affairs coverage, their news page is here: 24 Oras on Facebook.

What Exactly Is ETEEAP?

ETEEAP stands for the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program. Strip away the acronym and it’s really a straightforward idea. Instead of measuring learning by the number of years spent inside a classroom, ETEEAP measures it through what a person can actually demonstrate: skills, judgment, decision-making, and technical competence built through work.

The program isn’t new. It traces back to Executive Order No. 330, signed by then President Fidel V. Ramos on May 10, 1996, following recommendations from the First Philippine Employment Summit. For nearly three decades, it operated as a policy tool rather than a full-fledged law, which meant its funding and institutional support could shift depending on administration priorities.

That changed with the passage of Republic Act No. 12124, which we’ll get into next. If you want the fuller picture of how the program actually works from application to graduation, our guide on what ETEEAP is walks through it in more detail.

The Law Behind the Feature: Republic Act No. 12124

Signed into law and approved on March 3, 2025, Republic Act No. 12124 is what elevated ETEEAP from an executive policy into a permanent, funded government program. Congress passed it as a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2568 and House Bill No. 9015, and it officially carries the title “An Act Institutionalizing the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program and Appropriating Funds Therefor.”

A few things stand out about what this law actually does.

First, it names the Commission on Higher Education, or CHED, as the lead agency responsible for running the program nationwide. CHED now has the authority to deputize higher education institutions, set standard assessment tools, monitor how schools implement the program, and revoke that authority if a school fails to comply.

Second, the law appropriates actual government funds for the program going forward, which had been one of ETEEAP’s biggest limitations under the old executive order. Section 13 of the Act states that funding shall be charged against CHED’s current appropriations initially, and thereafter included in the annual General Appropriations Act. That’s a meaningful shift for an initiative that used to depend heavily on individual school budgets.

Third, and this is the part a lot of graduates find interesting, the law formally allows a bachelor’s degree holder to pursue equivalency and accreditation toward a second degree, as long as the prior learning and work experience are related to the new degree being sought. So this isn’t strictly a program for people with zero college background. Career shifters with an existing degree can use it too.

To carry out the law’s details, CHED released CHED Memorandum Order No. 11, Series of 2025, the official Implementing Rules and Regulations. Among its additions are clearer processes for currently unemployed applicants, expanded provisions for Open Distance Learning and e-learning modalities, and a five-year validity period for a deputized school’s authority to offer ETEEAP, renewable after evaluation in its fourth year of operation.

Do You Qualify? The Basic Requirements

The eligibility rules featured on 24 Oras follow directly from Section 5 of RA 12124, and they haven’t changed much from the original EO 330 framework, aside from being written into permanent law. To apply, a candidate generally needs to meet these baseline requirements.

You need to be a Filipino citizen, whether you currently live in the Philippines or abroad. Age matters too. Applicants must be at least 23 years old at the time they apply, since the law assumes that by that age, a person has had enough time to accumulate genuine, demonstrable work experience.

On the academic side, you’ll need proof that you finished secondary education, whether that’s an actual high school diploma, a passing result from the Philippine Educational Placement Test, or an Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency certificate showing you’re qualified to enter college.

Then there’s the heart of the whole program: work experience. Applicants need at least five aggregate years of employment in an industry that’s related to the degree program they’re seeking equivalency for. That word “aggregate” matters. Your experience doesn’t need to be continuous with one employer. Years spent across different companies or roles can be combined, as long as they connect to the discipline you’re applying under.

Individual deputized schools are also allowed to layer on their own additional criteria, so requirements can vary slightly depending on where you apply. Our full breakdown on who may apply and the eligibility checklist goes deeper into each of these points, including special scenarios for unemployed applicants and OFWs.

The Documents You Will Need to Prepare

Before you get anywhere near a panel assessment, you’ll need to build a paper trail that proves your work history and learning. Based on both the law’s IRR and standard practice among deputized schools, applicants are typically asked to prepare the following.

A PSA-authenticated birth certificate to confirm your age. Your most recent academic record or high school diploma. A notarized service record or certificate of employment covering your years of relevant work. A comprehensive resume that lays out your responsibilities and achievements clearly. Certificates from any relevant training programs, seminars, or workshops you’ve completed. And if you hold any, certificates of proficiency such as TESDA National Certificates or Certificates of Competency, since these count as straightforward evidence of your skill level.

You’ll also need to fill out the official ETEEAP Application Form, which deputized schools provide, and CHED itself makes available for download. We put together a step-by-step walkthrough of that form in our guide, ETEEAP Application Form: Gabay sa mga Applicants, if you want to see exactly what’s being asked of you before you start collecting paperwork.

Once your documents are in, the deputized school assembles a panel of internal and external assessors, people from both the academic world and your actual industry, who evaluate your portfolio, may ask you to sit for written exams, and typically conduct an oral interview or defense. From there, the panel determines how many academic credits your experience is worth and what gaps still need to be filled through additional coursework.

Why This Story Hit Home for So Many Filipinos

There’s a reason a segment about an education policy law managed to get people talking online. For a huge number of Filipino households, the missing diploma isn’t about a lack of ability. It’s about circumstance. A parent who had to stop schooling to support siblings. An OFW who spent two decades abroad building a career but never got the chance to walk the stage. A promising employee stuck at the same rank because HR policy requires a degree for the next title, regardless of how capable that person actually is.

ETEEAP was built for exactly these situations, and Republic Act No. 12124 makes the promise a little more permanent and a little better funded. It won’t make the process effortless. Building a portfolio, sitting through assessments, and completing any remaining coursework still takes real commitment. But for people who’ve already put in the years of hard-earned experience, the path to a recognized degree is no longer just a policy footnote. It’s law.

Seeing your own story in this feature? You’re not alone, and there’s a clear next step waiting for you.

Check if you qualify using our quick eligibility check, or browse the list of CHED-accredited schools currently offering ETEEAP programs near you. You can also catch up on more program news and updates on our News & Updates page.