SC Issues 60-Day TRO Halting MSU Law Closure

By Gerome M. Dalipe IV

The Supreme Court has issued a 60-day temporary restraining order blocking the Legal Education Board’s directive to revoke the accreditation of the Mindanao State University College of Law and halt its operations starting Academic Year 2025–2026.

The TRO also suspends the LEB’s orders preventing MSU from opening new programs in Tawi-Tawi, Sulu and Maguindanao.

The ruling stemmed from two separate petitions for certiorari—one filed by the MSU Board of Regents and another by private petitioner Abdul Rahman Ltiph Nasser—challenging the LEB’s authority over state-chartered law schools.

The petitioners argued that MSU’s founding charter, created under Republic Act No. 1387 and amended in 1955, granted it academic autonomy and exempted it from LEB oversight under Republic Act No. 7662, also known as the Legal Education Reform Act of 1993.

During oral arguments, MSU’s counsel cited Section 12 of RA 7662, which they said explicitly excludes state-chartered law schools from the LEB’s regulatory scope.

They argued the LEB had no authority to amend MSU’s charter by ordering its closure.

On September 16, during its 268th meeting, the MSU Board of Regents passed a resolution affirming its decision to continue operating the College of Law despite the LEB’s actions.

The LEB sought to cancel MSU’s accreditation after the university launched extension programs in Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi without prior board approval.

The LEB also cited MSU’s refusal to acknowledge its regulatory and supervisory authority.

In granting the TRO, the Supreme Court directed both the LEB and MSU to submit memoranda within 15 days focusing on the impact of Article IX, Section 16 of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

That provision guarantees autonomy for educational institutions within the Bangsamoro region and may affect the LEB’s jurisdiction over MSU’s regional law programs.

The LEB, created under RA 7662 in 1993, serves as the country’s independent legal education regulator.

It sets academic standards and accredits all law schools nationwide.

Founded in 1981, the MSU College of Law is one of the Philippines’ oldest state-chartered law schools.

The Supreme Court’s TRO allows the law college to continue operations for at least the next two months while the jurisdictional dispute is resolved.