Return Service Agreement

The University of the Philippines (UP) is devoted toward providing the highest quality of education in the country and is serving as an effective tool of inculcating patriotism and the great responsibility of service to the community. Guided with the vision of continuous national development, the mission of the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) is to produce outstanding practitioners and leaders in the fields of health, the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities.

Implemented in the year 2011, the Return Service Agreement (RSA) has become an absolute admission requirement for several programs offered by UPM – which includes the baccalaureate programs offered by the College of Pharmacy. The return service program requires the students of the seven health colleges of the university to sign a contract signifying their commitment to work and to serve the Filipino community after graduation. The RSA is now a requirement for admission to both Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BSP) and Bachelor of Science in Industrial Pharmacy (BSIP) programs – covering all students (including shiftees and transferees) with student number 2011- onwards.

The origin of RSA is traced back to the establishment of the Philippine Medical School by the Commonwealth Act No. 1415 on December 1, 1905 to address the critical lack of physicians in the country. However, at the present time, most of the health professions graduates of the university have immigrated to other countries. The RSA program is the response of the university to meet the increasing demands for health professionals who practice in their respective fields of expertise in service of the Filipino people.

Through the program, the UP College of Pharmacy envisions its graduates to contribute to the increasing number of Filipino pharmacists working in the Philippines and to serve in various disciplines of pharmacy (i.e. Academe, Research, Community Pharmacy, Hospital Pharmacy, Industrial Pharmacy, Regulatory Pharmacy, and Public Health Pharmacy among others). Students who are enrolled under BSP and BSIP programs are expected to work in the Philippines for 2 years within 5 years after graduation. Failure to comply will result to the breach of contract and will entail a corresponding penalty. This provision is subject to revisions by the university officials and is subject to approval by the UP Board of Regents.

Prior to admission, each student is given the “Handbook on Return Service Agreement.” The handbook contains the program’s complete details on the implementing rules and regulations. Attached on this page is the one-page summary of the RSA program provided by UPM – Filename: “UPM One Page Summary for RSA.” Attached also is a document containing a summary of the guidelines on pre-termination and the corresponding penalties – Filename: “RSA Briefer.” These guidelines are approved as of 2014.

UPCP – RSA Contract Process
Step 1: Download the contract from: bit.ly/RSAContract

Step 2: Fill in all required fields (blanks).

Step 3: Print four copies (legal size) of the completed contract.

Step 4: Obtain signatures from both students and parents/spouse/legal guardians on ALL PAGES

Step 5: Notarize the contract with a Notary Public.

Step 6: Scan the notarized contract as a PDF and upload it to bit.ly/RSAContractFolder

Step 7: Submit 3 original documents to the CP College secretary via the UPCP Admin Office, and retain a receiving copy.

Step 8: Proceed to the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) for enrollment 

Step 9: You will receive a copy of the notarized contract with signatures from the chancellor and dean after 3 months. 

RSA Orientation and Information:
bit.ly/RSOrient

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
bit.ly/RSA_FAQ

RSA Reporting:
bit.ly/RSA_Tracer

The graduate must submit the following documents to the RSA coordinator:

1.  A cover letter addressed to the Dean, including the student’s number, year of graduation, and a description of their completion of the Return of Service Agreement (RSA). The letter should explicitly state that the graduate has fulfilled the requirement of completing 2 years of RSA within 5 years as a pharmacist, as stated in the contract.
2. A Notarized Certificate of Employment to validate the fulfillment of the RSA commitment.
3. A certified true copy of the Income Tax Return.

Please send the soft copy by email at mmgutierrez2@up.edu.ph and the hard copy at the UP College of Pharmacy admin office

1. The student/graduate must submit a request letter via email addressed to the College Secretary, through the RSA Coordinator, for the computation request of RSA Monetary Penalty. 
2. The Office of the College Secretary prepares the RSA Monetary Penalty computation request for submission to the Budget Office.
3. The Budget Office computes the RSA monetary penalty for forwarding to the Office of the College Secretary.
4. The College Secretary sends the RSA Notice of Amount for the monetary penalty to the student/graduate.
5. The student/graduate must submit a letter of intent to pay via email addressed to the Dean of the UP College of Pharmacy, through the RSA Coordinator, for the Office of the College Secretary to request for issuance of Order of Payment from the Accounting Office.
6. The student deposits the payment using the following bank details:
   
   *For check payment, Cashier’s and Manager’s Check are accepted, and must be paid to the order of “University of the Philippines Manila”
7.  Once payment is made, the student provides the Cash Office and Budget Office with the validated bank deposit slip for verification.
8. The student sends the scanned copy of the Official Receipt to the RSA Coordinator for processing of the RSA clearance.

1. The student/graduate must submit a request letter via email addressed to the College Secretary, through the RSA Coordinator, for the certification of RSA units taken for the purpose of RSA penalty exemption.
2. The Office of the College Secretary issues the RSA Units Certificate for Exemption to the student.
3. The student/graduate must submit via email the RSA Units Certificate for Exemption, together with a cover letter addressed to the Dean of the UP College of Pharmacy, to the RSA Coordinator.

*If the student will be shifting/transferring, a separate letter must be submitted via email to the Dean of the UP College of Pharmacy, through the College Secretary, regarding your intent to shift or transfer. The letter must be signed by the student and parent/guardian, and noted by the program adviser. The necessary clearance should also be accomplished accordingly. Please refer to the College Website online procedures for further details: https://cp.upm.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Guidelines-and-Procedure-for-Student-Document-Requests-and-Transactions-UPDATED-AS-OF-SEPT2023.pdf

The graduate must submit the following documents to the RSA coordinator:

1. A cover letter addressed to the Dean, including the student’s number, and a description of their appeal related to the Return of Service Agreement (RSA). The letter should explicitly state grounds of the appeal and the supporting documents. 
2. Notarized Supporting documents/evidences to substantiate the grounds of the appeal   

Please send the soft copy by email at mmgutierrez2@up.edu.ph and the hard copy at the UP College of Pharmacy admin office.

The UP College of Pharmacy has constituted the Return Service Agreement (RSA) Committee, who is responsible for coordinating all updates and proceedings regarding the implementation of RSA to the students and for the monitoring of its graduates. Any student or graduate covered under RSA may approach the committee regarding any concerns related to the program.

RSA Coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Margarita M. Gutierrez

Tel.: 8525-4434

E-mail: mmgutierrez2@up.edu.ph

Any RSA-related Questions or Inquiries
Send and email to upm-cp@up.edu.ph cc mmgutierrez2@alum.up.edu.ph 

To facilitate quick response use as Subject: RSA INQUIRY_[SURNAME] 

Return Service Agreement (RSA) Online Monitoring Form (for Batch 2011 and up)

Survey (for Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences program)

RSA Briefer

UPM One Page Summary for RSA