When a school says it has lost your Form 137, the problem is serious—but it is usually fixable. Form 137, now officially called School Form 10 or SF10, is the learner’s permanent academic record. The school should not simply tell you to “look for your old report cards” and leave the problem with you. It must conduct a proper records search, coordinate with the Schools Division Office, and, when necessary, reconstruct the record from reliable official sources.

What Is Form 137 or SF10?

Form 137 is the former name of the learner’s permanent academic record. DepEd now uses the term School Form 10, with separate formats for elementary, junior high school, and senior high school.

It normally contains:

The learner’s full name and personal details
Learner Reference Number or LRN
Schools attended
Grade levels and school years completed
Subjects and final grades
Promotion, retention, or completion status
Attendance and other required academic information

Form 137 or SF10 is different from the report card:

Document	Current name	Main purpose
Form 137	SF10	Permanent historical academic record
Form 138	SF9	Report card for a particular school year
Form 5	SF5	School-level report on promotion and learning progress

The DepEd Learner Information System support page identifies SF10 as the learner’s permanent academic record and provides the official school forms used by authorized school personnel. (Department of Education)

For an ordinary school transfer, the learner or parent generally should not hand-carry the original permanent record. Under DepEd Order No. 54, series of 2016, the receiving school requests the record from the originating school, normally through the Learner Information System or LIS.

Your Legal Rights When a School Loses Your F137

You have a right to access your school records

Section 9 of the Education Act of 1982, Batas Pambansa Blg. 232, gives students:

The right to access their own school records
The right to have those records kept confidential
The right to receive official certificates, grades, transfer credentials, diplomas, and similar documents within 30 days from request

Parents also have the right to access official records directly relating to children under their parental responsibility. (Lawphil)

The 30-day rule is important. It does not necessarily mean that a badly damaged decades-old record can always be fully reconstructed within 30 days. However, the school should at least act on the request, explain what records are available, identify what additional evidence is needed, and give a reasonable written timetable.

The school must protect and properly manage permanent records

DepEd Order No. 54 requires school-record procedures to observe:

Accessibility and timely release
Transparency and accountability
Security and confidentiality
Efficient school-to-school transfer

The same order states that when Form 137 is unavailable because of circumstances beyond the school’s control, School Form 5 may be used as a substitute, subject to verification through the Schools Division Office.

A school’s loss of the record does not erase the learner’s academic history. The proper response is to recover or reconstruct the record from other reliable records—not to treat the learner as if the schooling never happened.

School records are protected personal data

Information about a person’s education is classified as sensitive personal information under the Data Privacy Act of 2012, Republic Act No. 10173. Schools must use reasonable organizational, physical, and technical safeguards to protect student records. (Lawphil)

The National Privacy Commission has also recognized that students have data-subject rights over academic records, including the right of access, subject to lawful limitations and proper identity verification. (National Privacy Commission)

A missing record is not automatically proof that someone unlawfully accessed it. The school should investigate whether the incident was:

A filing or retrieval error
Accidental destruction or physical loss
An availability breach, meaning the data can no longer be accessed
A confidentiality breach involving unauthorized access or disclosure

If the record may have been obtained by an unauthorized person and the legal conditions for mandatory notification are present, the school may have obligations to notify the affected learner and the National Privacy Commission. (National Privacy Commission)

What to Do If the School Lost Your F137

1. Ask for written confirmation of the problem

Do not rely only on a verbal statement such as “Hindi namin makita” or “Nawala na.”

Ask the registrar or school head to confirm in writing:

Whether the original SF10 or Form 137 is missing
When it was last seen or used
Whether the school searched its active files, archives, transfer files, and electronic records
Whether the record may have been transmitted to another school
Whether the learner’s LRN and enrollment history appear in the LIS
What steps the school will take to recover or reconstruct the record

A written acknowledgment creates a clear paper trail and prevents repeated explanations each time a different employee handles the request.

2. Submit a formal written request

Address the request to the school head, principal, registrar, or records custodian. Include:

Learner’s complete name used while enrolled
Date and place of birth
LRN, if known
Grade levels and school years attended
Former section, adviser, or class information, if remembered
Date of graduation or last attendance
Purpose of the request
Deadline imposed by a receiving school, employer, embassy, or foreign institution
Current contact details

Request the following specific action:

Please conduct a documented search for my SF10/Form 137, coordinate with the Schools Division Office, reconstruct the permanent record from available official and secondary records if necessary, and issue either the completed SF10 or an appropriate official certification explaining my academic status.

Bring two copies and have one stamped “received.” For an email request, save the sent email, attachments, acknowledgment, and any reference number.

3. If you are transferring, involve the receiving school

For a regular transfer, the receiving school should initiate or follow up the school-to-school records request. DepEd policy treats the transfer as a transaction between the receiving and originating schools.

Under DepEd Order No. 54:

Records of incoming learners should generally be secured before the end of the first grading period.
For learners who transfer during the school year, the records should be secured within 30 days from the first day of attendance.
If the record is still not received, the receiving school should follow up through the LIS and refer unresolved cases to the School Governance and Operations Division or SGOD of the Schools Division Office.

Ask the receiving school for proof that it initiated the LIS or written request. This helps determine whether the problem is an actual lost record, an unprocessed transfer, or a record sent to the wrong school.

4. Request reconstruction from official records

The school should first search for primary or official supporting records, including:

SF5 reports on promotion
SF6 or lists of promoted learners and graduates
Class records and electronic class records
Enrollment registers
Previous SF9 or Form 138 report cards
Graduation lists
Diploma and certificate records
LIS enrollment history
Copies previously sent to another school
Certified copies held by a college, university, employer, licensing body, or government office

DepEd Order No. 54 specifically permits the use of SF5 when Form 137 is unavailable due to circumstances beyond control. The request may also be lodged through a nearby Schools Division Office, which can coordinate with the SDO covering the learner’s last school.

5. Gather secondary evidence when official files are incomplete

DepEd’s certification and reconstruction guidelines recognize secondary evidence for lost, damaged, or destroyed academic records. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Certified copies of Form 137, Form 138, a diploma, or transcript previously submitted to a college, employer, or government office
Old original report cards
Graduation photographs, yearbooks, souvenir programs, or graduation programs
Official lists of graduates or reports on promotion
Sworn statements from two persons with personal knowledge, such as former classmates, teachers, advisers, principals, or other disinterested witnesses

Recent DepEd regional issuances reiterating DepEd Order No. 48, series of 2017 identify these documents as possible bases for reconstruction. Some offices require sworn statements to be notarized.

An affidavit alone ordinarily cannot establish exact grades if no reliable academic record supports them. It is evidence of attendance or completion, not permission to estimate or invent academic ratings.

6. Escalate the matter to the Schools Division Office

If the school does not act, proceed to the Schools Division Office covering the school’s location, not necessarily the SDO nearest your present residence.

Go to or contact:

Records Unit
School Governance and Operations Division or SGOD
Office of the Schools Division Superintendent
Private Education unit, when the school is private

Submit:

Your written request to the school
Proof that the school received it
The school’s written acknowledgment that the record is missing, if available
Copies of report cards, diploma, certificates, and other supporting records
Valid identification
Authorization documents if someone is representing you
Proof of an urgent deadline

Ask the SDO to:

Check SF5, SF6, graduation, and archived records
Verify the learner’s LRN and LIS history
Direct the school to reconstruct the SF10
Issue a certificate of completion or non-completion based on official records when appropriate
Endorse the matter to the Regional Office if CAV or further verification is needed

The official DepEd website provides access to regional and division-office directories and local contact information. (Department of Education)

7. Ask for an interim certification when there is an urgent deadline

Reconstruction can take time, particularly when:

The record is decades old
The school suffered a fire, flood, typhoon, or relocation
The school changed its name, merged, or closed
Several former schools must be contacted
Paper records were never fully encoded in the LIS
Grades must be verified from individual class records

Ask whether the school or SDO can issue an interim document, such as:

Certification of enrollment
Certification of completion or graduation
Certified SF5-based certification
Certification that reconstruction is in progress
Certified copy of available report cards or graduation records
Transmittal or endorsement addressed to the institution waiting for the record

Whether the receiving institution accepts an interim certification depends on its own rules, but a formal DepEd certification is generally more useful than a verbal explanation.

Documents You Should Prepare

Not every office will require every item, but bringing a complete file reduces delays.

Document	Why it helps
Valid government-issued ID	Confirms the identity of the record owner
PSA birth certificate	Resolves spelling, birth-date, or identity discrepancies
LRN or old school ID	Helps locate the learner in the LIS and school files
SF9/Form 138 report cards	Supports subjects, grades, and promotion status
Diploma or certificate of graduation	Supports completion or graduation
Yearbook or graduation program	Supports enrollment and graduation history
Records from a college or employer	May contain a certified copy previously submitted
Written request and receiving copy	Proves when the request was formally made
Authorization letter or SPA	Allows a representative to transact
Proof of deadline	Supports a request for urgent or interim certification
Sworn witness statements	May support reconstruction when primary records are unavailable

Keep the originals unless the office specifically requires submission. When surrendering an original document, obtain a detailed acknowledgment receipt.

Public, Private, Closed, and Merged Schools

Public school

The school should coordinate directly with the SDO and use LIS, promotion reports, class records, and other official DepEd records. Public-school record-transfer costs are generally handled through school or SDO funds under DepEd Order No. 54 rather than being imposed as an unofficial processing charge on the learner.

Private school that is still operating

Submit the request to the registrar and school head, then copy or escalate it to the SDO if the school does not act. Private basic education institutions remain subject to DepEd supervision concerning official academic records and CAV procedures.

For graduates of private secondary schools, a Special Order number may be relevant, particularly for older records and CAV applications. The exact requirement depends on the learner’s graduation year and the school’s authority to graduate students.

School that has closed

Start with the SDO that supervised the school when it operated. Records of a properly closed private school should ordinarily have been inventoried and transferred or placed under an authorized custodian.

The Division or Regional Office may handle:

Records surrendered by the closed school
Verification against archived graduation lists
Certification based on official reports
Reconstruction from secondary evidence
Referral to another office that received custody of the records

Recent DepEd procedures expressly assign division offices a role in complex cases and documents from closed schools.

School that changed its name or merged

Give the SDO both the old and current school names. Also provide the former campus address and approximate years attended. A record may be stored under the old school ID, mother school, annex, or successor institution.

Fees and Realistic Timelines

Process	General expectation
Issuance of ordinary official school documents	Within 30 days from request under B.P. Blg. 232
Normal school-to-school transfer at the start of the year	Before the end of the first grading period
Midyear school-to-school transfer	Within 30 days from first attendance
SDO or Regional Office service	Follow the office’s current Citizen’s Charter
Reconstruction of a lost record	Depends on the age, completeness, and location of supporting records
CAV	Processing time and appointment procedures vary by region

There should be no unofficial “facilitation” or fixer fee. Legitimate expenses may include:

Photocopying
Courier or registered mail
Documentary stamps
Notarization of affidavits or an SPA
Apostille fees
Overseas mailing costs

Ask for an official receipt for every government or school charge.

If You Are Abroad or Need the Record for Foreign Use

A learner abroad may authorize a trusted person in the Philippines. Depending on the school or SDO, the representative may need:

An authorization letter
Copies of the learner’s and representative’s IDs
A Special Power of Attorney or SPA
Proof of relationship for a minor
The original or authenticated SPA

An SPA executed abroad may be acknowledged before a Philippine embassy or consulate. It may also be locally notarized and apostilled when executed in a country that is a party to the Apostille Convention. Requirements can differ by country and by the Philippine office receiving the document. (Philippine Embassy in New Delhi)

For a Philippine school record intended for use abroad, the usual sequence may involve:

Issuance or reconstruction by the school
Certification, Authentication, and Verification or CAV through DepEd
DFA Apostille, when required by the destination country
Translation or further destination-country procedures, if required

Check the receiving institution’s requirements before paying for CAV or apostille services. Some institutions accept a sealed school record, while others require full DepEd CAV and DFA authentication. Current DFA procedures are available through the official Apostille documentary requirements page. (Apostille.gov.ph)

What to Do If the School Still Refuses or Ignores You

Use a gradual written escalation:

Registrar or records custodian
School head or principal
Schools Division Office Records Unit and SGOD
Schools Division Superintendent
DepEd Regional Office
DepEd public assistance or administrative complaint channel

Attach a chronological summary showing:

When you first requested the record
Who received the request
What the school admitted
What evidence you supplied
What deadlines you are facing
What specific remedy you are requesting

If the problem involves possible unauthorized disclosure, refusal to allow lawful access, or failure to respond properly to a privacy incident, first raise the concern with the school’s Data Protection Officer. An unresolved data-privacy complaint may then be brought to the National Privacy Commission, which has authority to receive and investigate complaints involving personal information. (National Privacy Commission)

Court action is usually a last resort. Depending on the facts, possible remedies may include an administrative case, an action to compel performance of a clear official duty, or a civil claim for proven losses caused by wrongful or negligent conduct. Liability is not automatic: the claimant must establish the applicable duty, breach, actual injury, and causal connection.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Accepting only a verbal “record lost” response. Always obtain a written acknowledgment.
Waiting until an enrollment or employment deadline is only days away. Start the process as early as possible.
Trying to create a replacement Form 137 yourself. Only authorized school or DepEd personnel may prepare and certify an official SF10.
Submitting your only original report cards without a receipt. Make clear copies and obtain an itemized acknowledgment.
Posting your LRN, grades, or LIS screenshots publicly. DepEd warns that learner names, LRNs, enrollment histories, and related information must not be posted on public social-media channels. (Department of Education)
Paying a fixer who promises a newly encoded F137. An unofficially generated school form may be rejected and could expose the learner to allegations of falsification.
Requesting only a “duplicate.” Ask for recovery, reconstruction, certification, and SDO verification so the request covers all available remedies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Form 137 the same as SF10?

Yes. SF10 is the current name and standardized format for the learner’s permanent academic record formerly called Form 137.

Can I personally carry my original Form 137 to my new school?

For normal school transfers, DepEd policy states that learners and parents should not hand-carry the permanent record. The receiving and originating schools should transfer it directly.

Can my report card replace a lost Form 137?

A report card can help reconstruct the record, but it is not automatically a full substitute. DepEd Order No. 54 specifically identifies SF5 as a possible substitute when Form 137 is unavailable because of circumstances beyond control.

What if I no longer have any report cards?

Ask the school and SDO to check SF5, SF6, class records, graduation lists, LIS history, and copies previously submitted to another institution. Secondary evidence may also be considered.

How long should reconstruction take?

There is no single nationwide reconstruction period applicable to every lost-record case. The learner has a statutory right to official school documents within 30 days from request, but complex reconstruction may require additional verification. The school should provide written progress updates rather than leave the request unanswered.

Can two affidavits prove that I graduated?

Affidavits can support reconstruction, particularly when made by persons with personal knowledge. They normally should be combined with objective evidence such as graduation programs, yearbooks, certified college files, SF5 reports, or official lists of graduates.

What if the school says the record was destroyed by a typhoon or fire?

Request a written certification of the destruction and ask the SDO to reconstruct the record from reports on promotion, graduation lists, electronic data, and secondary evidence. Destruction of the physical copy does not automatically eliminate the learner’s right to seek verified proof of schooling.

What if the school has permanently closed?

Contact the SDO that supervised the school. The SDO or Regional Office may hold the surrendered records, identify their authorized custodian, or reconstruct the record from archived reports.

Can someone in the Philippines process the request for me?

Yes, subject to the school or DepEd office’s authorization requirements. The representative will normally need an authorization letter or SPA and copies of valid IDs.

Can I demand compensation because the school lost my record?

Compensation is not automatic. A legal claim generally requires proof of wrongful or negligent conduct, actual damage, and a direct connection between the loss and the damage suffered. Administrative correction and reconstruction should usually be pursued first.

Key Takeaways

Form 137 is now called SF10, the learner’s permanent academic record.
A school cannot reasonably end the matter by saying the document is lost; it should search, coordinate, and reconstruct.
Submit a written request and keep proof that the school received it.
For transfers, the receiving school should request the record directly from the originating school.
SF5, class records, LIS history, report cards, graduation lists, and certified copies held by other institutions may support reconstruction.
Escalate unresolved cases to the Schools Division Office, especially its Records Unit and SGOD.
Protect your LRN, grades, and copies of school records because educational information is sensitive personal information.
For overseas use, reconstruction may be followed by DepEd CAV and DFA apostille procedures.