THE Professional Regulation Commission in Davao Region (PRC-Davao) assured the public that the alleged leakage of test questions in the September 2025 Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) will not compromise the exam’s integrity or future teacher ratings.
The controversy centers on a contracted watcher, a senior high school teacher at a well-known academic institution in Davao City, accused of taking photos of examination questions and sending them to unidentified review centers in exchange for ₱10,000. The National Bureau of Investigation-Southeastern Mindanao (NBI-Semro) arrested the suspect at Davao City National High School, where the LET examination was being conducted, on Sunday, September 21.
PRC-Davao Regional Director Raquel Abrantes said the commission immediately sought NBI’s help, leading to the arrest.
“Hopefully, hindi naman, wag naman sana kase that’s not fair doon sa mga honest at nag-aaral ng mabuti (Hopefully this won’t happen again, because it’s unfair to those who are honest and study hard)," she said in a press briefing on Monday, September 22.
Abrantes also voiced concern that the questions may have been leaked before the exam ended.
“Ang worry ko lang sa kanya is baka na-send nya even before natapos ang examination, and someone got it and made an answer. Hindi natin alam eh, yun lang yung worry natin (That’s really our worry, someone could have received the items and used them to answer),” she said, adding that security protocols will be tightened further despite already strict rules.
PRC sources said the suspect admitted to sending exam photos to a review center for payment. He surrendered one phone before the exam, but another phone, used to take photos, was later found and confiscated.
Regional intelligence later confirmed that the suspect is a senior high school teacher at Ateneo de Davao University, an aggravating factor given his duty to uphold professional ethics. Still, in an ambush interview with local media, the teacher denied both the allegations and his employment details.
PRC, in coordination with the Philippine National Police and NBI, is preparing administrative charges against the suspect, who may also face criminal inquest for violating the PRC Modernization Act of 2000 (RA 8981), as amended by RA 9416. Penalties include six to 12 years in prison, fines of ₱50,000 to ₱100,000, and a lifetime ban from taking government examinations.
Investigators are also looking into possible accomplices and whether review centers were involved.
Abrantes said this may be the first case in Davao Region involving a contracted LET watcher accused of leaking exam items. She emphasized, however, that there is no risk of repetition.
“Walang test question na ginawa ngayon na uulitin sa next exam (No test question from this exam will be reused)," she said.
Results of the September 2025 LET are expected in December. In March 2025, national passing rates were 46.77 percent for the elementary level and 62.27 percent for secondary.
In September 2024, passing rates were 45.51 percent (elementary) and 56.88 percent (secondary). DEF