MINDANAO State University (MSU) has sought the intervention of the Supreme Court (SC) in its battle with the Legal Education Board (LEB) after the latter cancelled the accreditation of its College of Law and directed it to close down its law programs in all campuses beginning academic year 2025-2026.
In its petition filed on September 25, the MSU, acting through its Board of Regents (BOR), challenged the LEB’s “regulatory authority over state-owned, chartered law schools.”
It likewise asked the High Court to issue a temporary restraining order and an injunction against the cease-and-desist and closure orders issued by the LEB on its law degree offering.
In its petition, MSU argued that Republic Act 1387, as amended in 1955, specifically mandated the creation of its College of Law, which the BOR established in 1981.
It added that “MSU’s autonomy as a state-owned university renders it exempt from LEB’s oversight.”
“LEB cannot act as the Congress of the Philippines and amend the MSU Charter by ordering the closure of MSU’s law program. LEB’s own charter under RA 7662 exempts MSU College of Law from LEB’s coverage under Section 12 thereof. This is clear from the legislative intent of Congress of the Philippines, particularly the Senate, as appearing in its journal. LEB knows this but it refuses to abide by its own charter,” it told the High Court.
It added that “the university’s legal action, sanctioned by its highest governing body, represents a significant challenge to LEB’s authority and a courageous defense of academic freedom.”
In its 268th meeting last September 16, the MSU-BOR ordered the continuance of the operation of its College of Law despite the LEB order.
The Legal Education Board cancelled the accreditation of MSU’s College of Law, after the university rejected its regulatory jurisdiction and supervisory authority and refused to be bound by the LEB’s regulatory issuances pertaining to policies and standards on legal education.
It likewise said that MSU’s law extension programs in its Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi Tawi campuses were offered without authorizations.
The LEB is an independent government agency responsible for the regulation of legal education in the country. It was created on December 23, 1993 under RA 7662 or the Legal Education Act of 1993.
