Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO.
Introduced by Representative Divina Grace C. Yu
1st District, Zamboanga del Sur
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This bill seeks to strengthen the governance and management of the
Philippine Science High School System by expanding its scope through
establishment of additional campuses in the different provinces in the country
including the Province of Zamboanga del Sur, particularly in the Municipality
of Labangan.
The
establishment
of
Philippine Science
High School
(PSHS)
–
Labangan Campus will help the Department of Science and Technology to
stimulate optimistic drive among students who have interest in the field of
science and technology. Likewise, this will be a tool to give more awareness in
Mindanao that the nation is in dire need of Filipino Scientists, regardless of
their social status and affiliations, which will help our nation in the future.
The undersigned desires to give the best and equal opportunities to
deserving students who excel in the field of science, technology, and
mathematics in the province. The Philippine Science High School is an avenue
for them to mold their talents equipped with facilities and support through
scholarship grants.
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
DIVINA GRACE C. YU
4:39 pm
March 6, 2023
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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO.
Introduced by Representative Divina Grace C. Yu
1st District, Zamboanga del Sur
AN ACT
STRENGTHENING THE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE
PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND
APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the "Expanded Philippine
Science High School (PSHS) System Act."
SEC 2. Declaration of Policy. — The State shall give priority to Research and
Development, invention, innovation, and their utilization; and to Science and
Technology education, training and services. It shall support appropriate, and self-
reliant scientific and technological capabilities, and their application to the country's
productive systems and national life. To achieve these, the State hereby establishes a
PSHS System that will assume a leadership role in secondary Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education.
The State shall support the admission process of the PSHS System by establishing
test centers all over the regions, to enhance equitable admissions and access for
deserving pupils.
The State shall also ensure that every region is given equal opportunity to benefit
from the establishment of the PSHS System. Towards this end, not more than three
(3)PSHS campuses inclusive of the existing PSHS Campuses shall be established in
each of the administrative regions of the country outside NCR where PSHS Main
Campus is located. Provided that, all establishment of PSHS Campuses shall be in
accordance with the guidelines/criteria set by the PSHS System Board of Trustees.
After 10 years upon implementation of this law, the PSHS System Board of Trustees
(BOT) may consider establishment of more than three (3) PSHS campuses per region.
SEC. 3. Objectives. — In implementing the foregoing policy, the State shall pursue
the following objectives:
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(a)
Establish a science high school that offers on a free scholarship basis a
secondary course with special emphasis on subjects pertaining to each student for a
Science and Technology, Engineering and Mathematics;
(b)
Establish campuses that are geographically-accessible to the public;
(c)
Ensure uniformity in quality standards and systematic operations of schools
under the PSHS system;
(d)
Rationalize the establishment of science high schools as defined in this Act;
(e)
Integrate the existing and future campuses into one system of governance
and management;
(f)
Ensure that students with high aptitude in science and mathematics are
given equal scholarship opportunities to enroll in the Philippine Science High School
System; and
(g)
Increase the pool of high school graduates who will pursue undergraduate
courses to conduct researches and to become leaders in the field of science, technology,
engineering and mathematics.
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms.
a)
Philippine Science High School System (PSHS) are secondary schools
offering scholarships to deserving students who shall be admitted and trained under a
curriculum specially designed to prepare them for careers in Science and Technology,
Engineering & Mathematics.
b)
Philippine Science High School (PSHS System) — comprise the Office of the
Executive Director and the PSHS campuses under its supervision.
c)
Term — refers to the "term of office " with a duration of five (5) years in each
term.
SEC. 5. Scope. — The Philippine Science High School System shall be composed of the
existing PSHS campuses herein mentioned and future campuses which shall be
established under this Act. The existing sixteen (16) campuses shall be known as follows:
(l) Philippine Science High School - Main Campus in Diliman, Quezon City
(2) Philippine Science High School - Davao Region Campus in Davao City, formerly
PSHS - Southern Mindanao Campus
(3) Philippine Science High School - Western Visayas Campus in Iloilo City,
formerly Philippine Science High School - Western Visayas Campus
(4) Philippine Science High School - Eastern Visayas Campus in Leyte, formerly
Philippine Science High School - Eastern Visayas Campus
(5) Philippine Science High School - Cagayan Valley Campus in Nueva Vizcaya,
formerly PSHS - Cagayan Valley Campus
(6) PSHS - Northern Mindanao Campus in Lanao del Norte, formerly Philippine
Science High School - Central Mindanao Campus
(7) Philippine Science High School - Bicol Region Campus in Camarines Sur,
formerly Philippine Science High School - Bicol Region Campus
(8) Philippine Science High School - Ilocos Region Campus in Ilocos Sur, formerly
Philippine Science High School - Ilocos Region Campus
(9) Philippine Science High School - Central Visayas Campus in Cebu, formerly,
Philippine Science High School - Central Visayas Campus


(10)
Philippine Science High School - Central Luzon Campus in Clark Freeport
Zone, formerly Philippine Science High School - Central Luzon Campus
(11)
Philippine Science High School - Cordillera Administrative Region Campus
in
Baguio
City,
formerly
Philippine
Science
High
School
-
Cordillera
Administrative Region Campus
(12)
Philippine Science High School SOCCSKSARGEN Region Campus in
Koronadal City, formerly Philippine Science High School - SOCCSKSARGEN
Region Campus
(13)
Philippine Science High School - CARAGA Region Campus in Butuan City,
formerly Philippine Science High School - CARAGA Region Campus
(14)
Philippine Science High School - CALABARZON Region Campus in
Batangas City, formerly Philippine Science High School - CALABARZON
Region Campus
(15)
Philippine Science High School - MIMAROPA Region Campus in Romblon,
formerly Philippine Science High School - MIMAROPA Region Campus
(16)
Philippine Science High School - Zamboanga Peninsula Region Campus in
Dipolog City, formerly Philippine Science High School - Zamboanga Peninsula
Region Campus"
In the establishment of future PSHS campuses, the Board of Trustees shall set up in
Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur provided that, there shall only be one (l) campus to be
established in a province and shall pass the guidelines/criteria set by the Board of
Trustees;
New campuses established under this act shall be integrated in their respective regions as
provided under this Act.
SEC. 6. Restriction on the Conversion of High Schools into a Philippine Science High
School System. — In addition to the guidelines/criteria that may be established by the
PSHS Board of Trustees in the establishment and operation of Philippine Science High
School Systems, the conversion and inclusion of existing high schools into the PSHS
system shall not be allowed in order to maintain the quality and uniform standard
inherent of a bona fide PSHS.
SEC. 7. Overall Coordinating Authority. — The PSHS System shall be under the
administrative supervision of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). The
Board of Trustees shall be the Governing Board of all the PSHS campus wherever situated.
SEC. 8. PSHS Board of Trustees. — There shall be a Board of Trustees composed of the
Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology as ex officio Chairperson, the
Secretary of Department of Education as ex officio Vice Chairperson and the following
members: the President of the University of the Philippines, The Executive Director of
PSHS, the Director of Science Education Institute (SEI), the President from the PSHS
National Alumni Association, and the Chairpersons of the Committees on Science and
Technology of the Senate and the House of Representatives as ex officio members; and
one (l) representative each from the private sector representing higher education,
education for the gifted, industry, agriculture and new emerging technologies. The private
sector representatives shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees upon recommendation
of a duly constituted search committee. As much as practicable, the private sector
representatives shall come from various geographic regions. For the first set of
appointments, three (3) of them shall serve for four (4) years, while the other two (2) for
two (2) years, thereafter, succeeding appointments shall a fixed term of four (4) years.
The Board shall exercise the following powers:
(a)
Ensure that the provisions of the Laws pertaining to the creation and
operation of the PSHS System are enforced/ implemented;


(b)
Approve policies and guidelines necessary in the establishment and
operation of science high schools under the PSHS System in order to maintain the quality
and uniform standard in all PSHS Campuses;
(c)
Approve the curricula submitted by the Executive Director;
(d)
Approve policies for the expansion of enrollment in the campuses under the
PSHS System;
(e)
Approve the criteria for the selection and admission of students;
(f)
Approve the grant and termination of PSHS scholarships including stipend
and such allowances for students;
(g)
Approve the graduation of successful candidates from the various PSHS
campuses;
(h)
Recommend to the DOST Secretary the appointment of Executive Director,
Deputy Executive Director(s) and Campus Director(s);
(i)
Approve
appointment,
promotion,
retention,
renewal,
rewards
and
incentives for faculty, fix their compensation and other conditions of employment, and
remove them for cause after proper investigation and hearing;
(j)
Appoint professional lecturers up to 70 years of age;
(k)
Draw up a position classification and compensation plan for its faculty and
staff, and, any law to the contrary notwithstanding, to create positions and fix and adjust
salaries and benefits of the faculty members and other employees and to determine the
minimum hours of service of faculty and such other terms and conditions of employment
as it may deem proper;
(l)
Receive grants whether cash, land, buildings and improvements thereof;
donations, contributions, bequests, gifts, and to formulate policies for the administration
thereof in accordance with applicable internal revenue laws;
(m)
Approve the use of income generated by the PSHS System in the pursuit of
its functions and donations received in trust by individual campuses, according to the
purpose of the donor and intention of the donation. In cases where income/donation
received is not intended for a particular campus, the Board shall likewise appropriate the
same for the benefit of the System or any part thereof;
(n)
Approve policies and rules of discipline for students, faculty and staff;
(o)
Approve partnership of PSHS System with international institutions; and
(p)
Approve policies and criteria to rationalize the establishment and operation
of science high schools under the System, for its assessment, evaluation and approval
including the naming or renaming of existing or future PSHS Campuses;
SEC. 9. Executive Director (ED). — There shall be an Executive Director for PSHS
System who shall be appointed by the DOST Secretary upon the recommendation ofthe
Board of Trustees and shall have the rank of an Executive Director V, with a Salary Grade
of 30 and with a fixed term of five (5) years, renewable for another term but with a
maximum of three (3) terms at the option of the PSHS System Board of Trustees.
The ED shall exercise academic and administrative supervision within the Philippine
Science High School System and shall be the Chief Executive Officer and primary
implementor of policies and guidelines set by the Board of Trustees. As a member of the
Board of Trustees, they shall articulate to the Board the concerns of the PSHS System.
The ED shall act as the head of the procuring entity in the Office of the Executive Director.


In view of the expansion of the PSHS System, the ED office shall be provided with
additional plantilla positions to be determine by the Executive Director and approved by
the BoT.
SEC. 10. Deputy Executive Director. — There shall be three (3) Deputy Executive
Directors with the rank of Deputy Executive Director IV and with Salary Grade (28) who
shall be appointed by the DOST Secretary upon the recommendation of the Board of
Trustees on the basis of a search process. They shall serve for a fixed term of five (5) years,
renewable for another term but with a maximum of three (3) terms at the discretion of the
Board. The DED shall perform duties assigned by the Executive Director.
SEC. 11. Campus Director. — There shall be a Campus Director for each PSHS campus in
the region who shall be appointed by the PSHS System BOT with the rank of Director IV
with a Salary Grade 28 on the basis of a search process. He/She shall serve for a fixed
term of five (5) years, renewable for another term but with a maximum of three (3) terms.
The Campus Director shall be given the option to occupy a Special Science Teacher VI
with the Salary Grade of 26 upon the end of his/her term. The CD shall implement the
academic programs, plans and activities of the PSHS Campus. The CD shall act as the
Head of the Procuring Entity in the campus.
SEC. 12. Executive Committee. — There shall be an Executive Committee in the PSHS
System composed of the Executive Director as ex officio chairperson and the Campus
Directors as members.
SEC. 13. Extension of Tenure. PSHS faculty members shall be considered as scientists
under the provisions of RA 8439 as amended by RA. No. 11312 otherwise known as
"Magna Carta for Scientists, Engineers, Researchers and other Science and Technology
Personnel in the Government".
SEC. 14. Exemption from Tax. — Gifts and donations of real and personal properties of all
kinds shall be exempt from the donor's tax and the same shall be considered as allowable
deductions from the gross income of the donor, in accordance with applicable internal
revenue laws;"
SEC. 15. Teacher 's Qualification. — Appointment to Special Science Teacher I shall be
exempt from CSC Eligibility and can stay in the said rank for a maximum of three (3)
years.
Appointments to Special Science Teacher Il and above shall require CSC eligibility or
professional license recognized by the Philippine Regulatory Commission.
Said professors, instructors and faculty members, as well as the school's administrative
staff, shall be exempt from the provisions of laws, rules and regulations on wage and
position classification.
SEC. 16. Patriot Formation Program. — To foster nationalism and patriotism, accelerate
social progress and promote total human liberation and development, PSHS personnel
and scholars shall undergo patriot formation program to instill the core values of
professional excellence, social responsibility and servant leadership to recognize their vital
role in nation building and contribute to inclusive development.
SEC. 17. Appropriations. The amount necessary to carry out the initial implementation of
this Act shall be provided for in the General Appropriations Act with a minimum
allocation of 200 Million pesos per additional campus, to be adjusted for inflation, for one
academic building and one dormitory building. Thereafter, sufficient appropriation as
may be needed for the continuous operation of the Philippine Science High School System
shall be included in the Annual General Appropriations Act for the continuous offering of
secondary STEM education on scholarship basis."
SEC. 18. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The BOT shall formulate, within ninety
(90) days from effectivity of this Act, and issue the necessary Implementing Rules and
Regulations to carry out the implementation of this Act.
SEC. 19. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part of this Act is declared invalid or
unconstitutional, the other provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue
to be in full force and effect.


SEC. 20. Repealing Clause. — Republic Act Nos. 3661, 8436 and 9036 are hereby repealed.
All laws, proclamations, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof, which are
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby amended, repealed or modified
accordingly.
SEC. 21. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at
least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,