The Law that made "Criminologist" as a profession in the Philippines (RA 6506 )

An Act Creating the Board of Examiners for Criminologists in the Philippines and for Other Purposes

Republic Act No. 6506

Congress of the Philippines

1 July 1972

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Creation and Composition of the Board.— There shall be created a Board of Examiners for Criminologists in the Philippines to be composed of a Chairman and two members possessing the qualifications prescribed in Section three of this Act, who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines upon the recommendation of the Commissioner of Civil Service from among the registered criminologists, if any, or from known criminologists of recognized standing in the profession, with the consent of the Commission on Appointments: Provided, That the first Board of Examiners for Criminologists to be created pursuant to this Act shall be issued a certificate of registration as criminologists without prior examination in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

Section 2. Powers Vested in the Board.— The Board of Examiners for Criminologists is vested with authority conformably with the provisions of this Act, to administer the provisions thereof, to issue, suspend or revoke certificate of registration for the practice of criminology and to administer oaths.

Section 3. Qualifications of Board Members.— The members of the Board shall at the time of their appointment be:

(1) Natural-born citizens of the Philippines;

(2) Holders of the degree of Bachelor of Science in Criminology (B.S. Crim.) or Master of Criminology (M. Crim.), conferred by a reputable and legally constituted College or Institute of Criminology recognized by the Government;

(3) At least thirty years of age;

(4) Registered criminologists with at least ten years experience in the profession: Provided, That the requirements of registration shall not apply to appointments to the first Board;

(5) Non-members of the Faculty of any school, college or institute where a regular course in Criminology is taught, nor have any pecuniary interest in such institution; and

(6) Not connected with any government agency which operate an academy, training school or institute for the education or training of peace officers or law enforcement agents.

Section 4. Term of Office.— The members of the Board shall hold office for a term of three years after their appointments unless sooner removed for any of the causes enumerated in Section six of this Act. In which case their successors shall be appointed immediately and duly qualified, who shall serve the unexpired term only. Each member of the Board shall qualify by taking the proper oath of office prior to entering upon the performance of his duties.

Section 5. Executive Officer and Secretary of the Board.— The Commissioner of Civil Service shall be the executive officer of the Board and shall conduct the examination given by the Board. The Secretary of all the Boards of Examiners appointed under Republic Act Numbered Five hundred forty-six shall also be the Secretary of the Board of Examiners for Criminologist. All records and minutes of the deliberations of the Board, including examination papers, shall be kept by the Civil Service Commission under the direct custody of the Secretary.

Section 6. Removal of Board Members.— The President of the Philippines may remove any member of the Board for neglect of duty or incompetency or for unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, after having given the member concerned an opportunity to defend himself in the proper administrative investigation.

Section 7. Compensation of Board Members.— The members of the Board shall each receive a compensation of not exceeding ten pesos for each applicant examined. All fees shall be received by the officer designated by competent authority as collecting officer for the Civil Service Commission, and such officer shall pay all authorized expenses of the Board, including the compensation provided for by this Act for the members of the Board.

Section 8. Annual Report.— The Board shall submit an annual report to the President of the Philippines after the close of each fiscal year, giving detailed account of its proceedings, during the year and making such recommendation as it may deem necessary and proper.

Section 9. Inhibition Against the Practice of Criminology.— No person shall practice or offer to practice as a criminologist in the Philippines without having previously obtained a certificate of registration from the Board.

Section 10. Exemption from Registration.— Registration shall not be required of the following classes of persons:

(a) Criminologists from other countries called in for consultations or for a special project related to Criminology not requiring more than five months’ residence in the Philippines in any twelve months’ period: Provided, That such criminologists are legally qualified to practice as such in their own State or country.

(b) Foreigners employed as technical officers, professors or consultants in such special branches of Criminology or may, in the judgment of the President of the Philippines be necessary and indispensable for the country: Provided, However, That they are internationally recognized experts and that they do not engage in private practice during their stay in the Philippines.

Section 11. Examination Required.— Except as otherwise specifically allowed under this Act, all applicants for registration as criminologists shall be required to undergo an examination as provided in this Act.

Section 12. Qualifications for Examination.— Any person applying for examination and for a certificate, shall, prior to admission to examination, establish to the satisfaction of the Board that:

(a) He is at least eighteen years of age and a citizen of the Philippines;

(b) He must be a person of good moral character, as certified to by at least three persons of good standing in the community wherein he resides;

(c) He must not have been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude; and

(d) He has graduated in Criminology from a school, college or institute recognized by the Government after completing a four-year resident collegiate course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Criminology (B.S. Crim.): Provided, That holders of Bachelor of Laws degree may, within five years after the approval of this Act, take this examination after completing at least ninety-four (94) units Criminology, Law Enforcement, Police Science and Penology subjects.

Section 13. Holding of Examination.— The Board is hereby authorized to conduct examinations in the Cities of Manila, Baguio, Legaspi, Cebu and Davao whenever practicable at least once a year and on such working days and place as the Board may fix with the approval of the Commissioner of Civil Service. Written or printed notice of examination shall be published in newspapers and copies nailed to each candidate who has filed his name and address with the Secretary of the Board, at least thirty days prior to the date of examinations.

Section 14. Scope of Examination.— The examination shall be writing and shall cover the following subjects with their respective relative weights:
SubjectRelative WeightCriminal Jurisprudence and Procedure 20%
Law Enforcement Administration 20%
Correctional Administration 15%
Criminalistics 20%
Criminal Sociology 15%
Ethics and Human Relations 10%


However, the Board may change or revise any of the above subjects in the event the Department of Education shall correspondingly change the curriculum prescribed for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Criminology.

In the conduct of the examination, the Board, in its discretion, may give practical and field examinations in each subjects, as it may deem fit.

Section 15. Ratings in the Examination.— In order to pass the examination, a candidate must obtain a general average of at least seventy-five percent with no rating below fifty percent in any of the subjects.

Section 16. Report of Ratings.— The Board shall within ninety days after the date of the completion of the examination, report the ratings obtained by each candidate to the Commissioner of Civil Service.

Section 17. Oath-taking.— All successful candidates shall be required to take a professional oath before the Board ore before any person authorized to administer oaths prior to entering upon the practice of criminology in the Philippines.

Section 18. Issuance of Certificate.— Upon payment of the registration fee as provided in this Act, the Board shall issue a certificate of registration as criminologists to any applicant who, in the opinion of the Board has satisfactorily met all the requirements specified in this Act.

All certificates of registration issued under this Act shall show the full name of the registrant; shall have serial numbers, shall be signed by all the members of the Board, shall be attested by the Secretary of the Board; and shall be authenticated by the official seal of the Board: Provided, That upon application filed within six months after the approval of this Act, the Board shall issue a certificate of registration without examination to persons who have been graduated with the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Criminology (B.S. Crim.) and who have been in the practice of criminology for at least ten years prior to the enactment of this Act.

Section 19. Fee for Examination and Registration.— All applicants for examination shall pay an application fee or fifty pesos and every applicant for registration shall pay a registration fee of thirty pesos.

Section 20. Revocation of Certificate of Registration.— The Board may, after giving due notice and hearing to the party concerned, revoke or suspend his certificate of registration if found guilty of malpractice, incompetency, unprofessional conduct, serious ignorance or gross negligence in the practice of criminology. He shall be required to surrender his certificate of registration to the Board. The decision of the Board, however, may be appealed within thirty days to the President of the Philippines whose decision shall be final.

Section 21. Reissue of Revoked Certificate and Replacement of Lost Certificate.— After the expiration of one year from the date of revocation of a certificate of registration, and after payment of the required fee, the Board may, for reasons it may deem sufficient, entertain an application for new certificate of registration from a person whose certificate has been revoked.

A new certificate of registration to replace a certificate lost, destroyed or mutilated may be issued, subject to the rules of the Board and upon payment of a fee of thirty pesos.

Section 22. Criminologist Defined.— A criminologist is any person who is a graduate of the Degree of Criminology, who has passed the examination for criminologists and is registered as such by the Board.

Section 23. Practice of Criminology Defined.— A person is deemed to be engaged in the practice of Criminology if he holds himself out to the public in any of the following capacities:

1. As a professor, instructor or teacher in Criminology in any university, college or school duly recognized by the government and teaches any of the following subjects: (a) Law Enforcement Administration, (b) Criminalistics, (c) Correctional Administration, (d) Criminal Sociology and allied subjects, and (e) other technical and specialized subjects in the Criminology curriculum provided by the Department of Education.

2. As law enforcement administrator, executive, adviser, consultant or agent in any government or private agency.

3. As technician in dactyloscopy, ballistics, questioned documents, police photography, lie detection, forensic chemistry and other scientific aspects of crime detection.

4. As correctional administrator, executive supervisor, worker or officer in any correctional and penal institution.

5. As counselor, expert, adviser, researcher in any government or private agency on any aspects of criminal research or project involving the causes of crime, juvenile delinquency, treatment of offenders, police operations, law enforcement administration, scientific criminal investigation or public welfare administration.

Section 24. Privileges of Certified Criminologists.— All certified criminologist shall be exempt from taking any other entrance or qualifying government or civil service examinations and shall be considered civil service eligibles to the following government positions: (1) dactylographer, (2) ballistician, (3) questioned document examiner, (4) correctional officer, (5) law enforcement photographer (6) lie detection examiner, (7) probation officer, (8) agents in any law enforcement agency, (9) security officer, (10) criminal investigator, or (11) police laboratory technician.

Certificated criminologists shall also be eligible for appointment as Patrolman in chartered cities and municipalities, provided they possess the general qualifications for appointment provided in Section nine, Republic Act Numbered Forty-eight hundred and sixty-four.

Section 25. Penal Provisions.— Any person who shall hold himself out as a criminologist without being duly registered and certified in accordance with the provisions of this Act, or who shall give any false or fraudulent evidence of any kind to the Board in connection with any examination, or who shall violate any of the rules and regulations promulgated by the Board in connection with the practice of Criminology in the Philippines, shall upon conviction be sentenced to a fine of not less than two thousand pesos nor more than ten thousand pesos or to suffer imprisonment for a period of not less than one year but not exceeding three years or both, at the discretion of the court.

Section 26. Repealing Clause.— All laws, executive orders, administrative orders or ordinance inconsistent with any provision of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 27. Effectivity.— This Act shall take effect upon its approval.


Approved: July 1, 1972.