DAVAO CITY (September 23) – The Professional Regulation Commission in Davao Region (PRC-Davao) assured the public that the alleged leakage of test questions during the September 2025 Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) will not undermine the integrity of the exam or affect future teacher ratings.
The controversy stemmed from the arrest of a contracted watcher, a senior high school teacher in Davao City, accused of photographing exam items and sending them to review centers for ₱10,000. The National Bureau of Investigation-Southeastern Mindanao (NBI-Semro) apprehended the suspect on September 21 at Davao City National High School, one of the exam venues.
PRC-Davao Regional Director Raquel Abrantes said the commission immediately coordinated with the NBI, leading to the arrest. She acknowledged concerns that some questions might have been leaked before the exam concluded, but stressed that no test questions will ever be reused in future LETs.
Investigators later recovered a second phone used to capture the exam items. The suspect allegedly admitted to sending photos in exchange for payment, though he denied the allegations in media interviews. He may face administrative and criminal charges under the PRC Modernization Act of 2000 (RA 8981), with penalties including imprisonment, fines, and a lifetime ban from government exams.
Authorities are also probing possible accomplices and the involvement of review centers. Abrantes noted this is the first reported case of its kind in Davao Region, adding that tighter security measures will be enforced moving forward.
The results of the September 2025 LET are expected in December. In the March 2025 exams, the national passing rate was 46.77% for elementary and 62.27% for secondary, while the September 2024 exams recorded 45.51% and 56.88%, respectively.
