A proposed measure seeking to provide free access to quality legal education was filed by Senator Raffy Tulfo on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 1610, he said, will address the shortage of legal professionals in the country.

The bill promotes easy access to quality legal education by providing free tuition and other school fees to "deserving students" in various state universities and colleges, he said.

"One of the reasons for the lack of access to justice in the Philippines is the shortage of practicing lawyers," Tulfo wrote in his bill's explanatory note.

"As such, SB 1610 seeks to contribute to access to justice of the marginalized sectors," he added.

Tulfo said the present ratio of lawyer-clients is now at 1:2500, which he described as "very far" from the ideal proportion of one lawyer for every 250 persons.

While the country has an existing "Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017" which provides free tertiary education to bonafide students in state universities and colleges, Tulfo lamented that law students are ineligible to avail of the program.

He stressed many law aspirants, especially those coming from poor families, cannot afford to enroll themselves in law schools considering the tuition fee reaching from around P75,000 to P98,000 per semester in top private legal educational institutions. Tuition fees in state universities range from P24,000 to P30,000 — excluding all living expenses and other requirements.

Under SB 1610, the Free Legal Education Program shall cover the tuition fees at the rate approved by the SUC governing board, as well as government-mandated bar examination and licensure fees and other school fees including but not limited to library fees and fees for prescribed books.

All SUCs with a Law Program duly accredited by the LEB shall be qualified to implement this Act in so far as beneficial to their bonafide law students, it added.