FIFTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
FIRST REGULAR SESSION )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

House Bill No_ 1412

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Since the creation of what is known as the Department of Education
(DepEd), the procurement of textbooks for elementary and secondary public
schools has been highly centralized and was entrusted to one single office,
ie. The Property and Procurement Division.

This highly centralized procurement of books has resulted in the delay
Of delivery of books to the provinces, cities or municipalities, particularly those
in the far-flung areas. Also, there are reports that books and other
educational materials were left stocked in warehouses to deteriorate instead
of being used by our elementary and secondary students. Moreover,
centralized procurement has resulted in the purchase of books not adaptable
Or Suited to the region or province.

It must be stressed that a centralized procurement of textbooks and
other educational materials is highly susceptible to abuse by scrupulous
publishers. This in turn could result in a monopoly to the detriment of small
and medium publishers particularly those in the regions, provinces, cities, or
municipalities.

R.A. No. 8047 or the Book Publishing Industry Development Act was
enacted on June 7, 1995. This law intended the provisions on the
regionalization of the printing of public, elementary and secondary school
textbooks. Unfortunately, eleven (11) years after the passage of the law, the
DepEd failed to implement the same for reasons of lack of clear enabling law
and mechanisms.

Along this light, this bill seeks among others to:

a) Decentralize the textbook procurement program of the DepEd by
creating a Division Textbook Procurement Services Unit (DTPSU)
in all provincial and city division offices including those in the
Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

b) Decentralize Textbook Printing


With the enactment of this bill the desired ratio of 1:1 or 1 book per
student per subject area will be achieved, and that books as well as other
required instructional materials would reach the elementary and secondary
students on time.

Finally, with the immediate enactment of this bill, it is also hoped that
the required textbooks would not only be delivered without delay but will
likewise meet the standard of quality required and pertinent to each region

In view thereof, approval of this bill is urgently sought.

RUFUS B. RODRIGUEZ

“Wy:

MAXIMO B. RODRIGUEZ, JR.


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES —)
FIRST REGULAR SESSION )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

House Bill No. 1412
AN ACT
DECENTRALIZING THE TEXTBOOK PROCUREMENT PROGRAM OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DepEd) BY CREATING A DIVISION
CALLED TEXTBOOK PROCUREMENT SERVICES UNIT (DTPSU) IN ALL
PROVINCIAL AND CITY DIVISION OFFICES INCLUDING THOSE IN THE
AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO (ARMM) REPEALING
FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 10 OF R.A. NO. 8047 OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS THE BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT ACT

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
Philippines in Congress Assembled:

SECTION 1. Decentralization of the Textbook Procurement Program.-
The Textbook Procurement Program of the Department of Education (DepED)
shall be decentralized by establishing Division Textbook Procurement
Services Unit (DTPSU) in every provincial and/or city division office of the
department including those in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM).

SEC. 2. Pre-Procurement Procedures- Textbook Development, Evaluation
and Selection.

The Offices/Bureaus concerned shall exercise the following duties and
responsibilities

A The Bureau Of Elementary and Secondary Education,
(BEE/BSE) shall, in coordination and with the assistance of the National Book
Development Board (NBDB) and the IMCS, perform the following:

i. Preparation of the minimum learning competencies and
writing briefs;

ii, The BEE shall prepare the Philippine Elementary Learning
Competencies (PELC) and the Philippine Secondary School
Learning Competencies (PSSLC); and


ili, The NBDB/MCS shall disseminate copies of the PELC and
PSSLC to all provincial and city division offices, as well as to
publishers/companies duly registered with that agency.

B. The Provincial/City Division Offices shall undertake the
following:

a. Guided by the PELC/PSSLC, evaluate and select the most
adequate and relevant textbooks among those submitted by
interested publishers/companies;

b. Dissemination to each school of the list of duly evaluated
textbooks and instructional materials from among which the
end-user school may select the titles to be requisitioned;

c. Provision of funds for the purpose and effect payment of
textbooks and other books procured

SEC. 3. The Procurement Procedures.- The Provincial Division Offices
(PDOs) and/or City Division Offices CDOs through the respective DTPSUs
shall:

i. Gather Requisition and Issue Slips (RIS) from the schools
and consolidated the titles needed;

ii. Preparation of purchase orders to effect the procurement of
the titles mostly requested/requisitioned by District
Supervisors or School Heads.

iii, Accomplishment of the Purchase Order (PO) up to
availability of funds.

iv. Preparation of allocation and assistance in the delivery of the
textbooks to schools.

SEC. 4. Decentralization of Textbook Printing.- The printing of public
elementary and secondary textbooks shall be done on a regional basis and
whenever economically feasible by congressional district or province.

SEC. 5. Multiple Adoption.- The DepEd shall ensure that the policy of
multiple adoption of textbooks be implemented to encourage the free flow of
information and the deregulation of book publishing,

SEC. 6. Composition of the DTPSU.- The DTPSU shall be headed by the
Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) or his/her authorized representative
with the following as members; Supply Officer, Area Supervisor Concerned,

Fiscal/Finance Chief, Representative District Supervisor or Head of biggest
‘school.


SEC. 7. Appropriations.- The Secretary of Education and the Regional
Secretary of Education of the ARMM shall immediately include in their
respective agency's programs the establishment and operation of the
DTPSUs, the initial funding of which shall be charged against their current
year's appropriations and thereafter in the annual General Appropriations Act.

Likewise, the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the ARMM
shall include in their respective agency's Annual Budget Appropriations the
amount for the procurement of textbooks and other instructional materials
based on the annual textbook procurement program/s submitted by each
division

SEC. 8, Function of the Office of the Secretary of the DepEd.- The Office
of the Secretary of the DepEd shall monitor the operation of the DTPSUs with
respect to the quality of services of participating private publishers as well as
the utilization of funds allocated to the respective DTPSUs

SEC. 9. Functions of the Regional Office and the Office of the Secretary
of DepEd.-

A. The Regional Office shall see to it that there is equality in the
implementation of education for all through the proper distribution
and utilization of textbooks in schools.

B. The Office of the Secretary shall:

a. Work for the inclusion of appropriations for textbooks and
other instructional materials in the General Appropriations
Act (GAA) and their release to Division Office concerned.

b. Monitor the submission of liquidation reports for amounts
spent for textbooks.

SEC. 10. Penal Clause. Any person who willfully violates or cause the
violation of any provision of this Act shall, upon conviction, be penalized with a
fine of Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00) and/or imprisonment of not less
than three months but not more than one year or both depending upon the
discretion of the court

SEC. 11. Repealing Clause. Section of 10 R.A. No. 8047, otherwise known
as the “Book Publishing Industry Development Act’ is hereby repealed. All
other laws, decrees, rules, regulatory and other administrative issuances or
provisions thereof, which are contrary to or inconsistent herewith are hereby
repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 12. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,