EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
S E N A T E
s. No. 1121
o( rljf ji'i f>-i t/i'i»
■19 
OCT 14 P3 58
RSC-l' , ')  5'
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
PROVIDING 
FOR THE 
MANDATORY 
INCLUSION 
OF ANTI-OBESITY 
EDUCATION 
PROGRAM 
AND 
EXERCISE 
INCLUDING 
PLAY 
AND 
TRADITIONAL GAMES, IN THE PRE-SCHOOL, ELEMENTARY AND HIGH 
SCHOOL CURRICULA, BOTH IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND 
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article II, Section 15 of the Constitution provides that, "The State shall protect 
and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among 
them."
TTie awareness, appreciation and responsibility of a person to his own health 
should start at a young age to build a strong foundation of healthy lifestyle and to 
encourage prevention of illnesses.
According to the 8th National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and 
Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology 
(DOST) from June 2013 to April 2014, 5% of children aged 0-5 years old were 
overweight. For older children in the age of 5.08 to 10 years old, 9.1% are overweight 
while for children 10.08 to 19 years old, 8.3% are overweight. The most alarming 
rate is for adults 20 years old and above where 31.1% are overweight or obese.


The study further reveals that, "overweight and obese prevalence among the 
0-5 year-old is going up at an average of 0.17%-points per year for the past 24 years" 
and "among the schooi-age and adolescent groups, overweight prevaience increases 
at an average of 0.33%-points and 0.34%-points per year, respectiveiy for the past 
10 years."
This measure seeks to promote heaith and weiiness of Fiiipino students by 
making it mandatory to inciude anti-obesity education program and exercise including 
piay and traditionai Fiiipino games in the educationai curricula.
Similar measures were filed during the previous Congresses but were not 
enacted into law.
In this iight, the immediate passage of this biii is highiy recommended.
RAMO^'
NG REVILLA, 3R.


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
(v '.'T
-p-' ‘V«‘ -
c( lljr ^'.'vivt.irii
S E N A T E
•19 
OCT 14 P3 58
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
PROVIDING 
FOR THE 
MANDATORY 
INCLUSION 
OF ANTI-OBESITY 
EDUCATION 
PROGRAM 
AND 
EXERCISE 
INCLUDING 
PLAY 
AND 
TRADITIONAL GAMES, IN THE PRE-SCHOOL, ELEMENTARY AND HIGH 
SCHOOL CURRICULA, BOTH IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND 
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representative o f the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title.-lW \s Act shall be known as the "Anti-Obesity Education
2 
Program Act o f 2019".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  It is the policy of the State to protect and
4 
promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.
5 
The State likewise recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall
6 
promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being.
7 
In view of this, physical education and sports programs are promoted and
8 
encourages, not only to foster self-discipline, teamwork, and excellence, but also for
9 
the development of a healthy and alert citizenry.
10 
Sec. 3. Definition o f Term s.- The following terms, when used in this Act, shall
11 
mean:
12 
(a) "C hild"- a human between the stages of birth and puberty and below
13 
eighteen (18) years of age;
14 
(b) "Department"- the Department of Education (DepEd);


1 
{q) Institution" -  school or leaming/educational facility whether public or
2 
private;
3 
(d) "Secretary" - the Secretary of the Department of Education;
4 
(e) "Special Physical Education"- specially designed instruction, at no cost to
5 
the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability; and,
6 
(f) "Student"- minor duly enrolled in a learning/educational institution.
7 
Sec. 4. Exercise and Physicai Activities and Programs. -  Exercise and physical
8 
activities and programs shall include, but are not limited to:
9 
(a) Fitness education and assessment to help students understand, improve
10 
and maintain their physical well-being;
11 
(b) Instruction in a variety of motor skills and physical activities designed to
12 
enhance the physical, mental, social and emotional development of every
13 
student;
14 
(c) Development of, and instruction in, cognitive concepts about motor skill and
15 
physical fitness that support a lifelong healthy lifestyle;
16 
(d) Opportunities to develop positive and social cooperative skills through
17 
physical activity participation;
18 
(e) Instruction in healthy eating habits and good nutrition;
19 
(f) Opportunities for social development for teachers of physical education to
20 
stay abreast of the latest research, issues and trends in the field of physical
21 
education.
22 
Sec. 5. Department o f Education as Impiementing Agency. -  The Department
23 
of Education (DepEd) shall be the lead agency to provide rules and regulations in
24 
relation to this Act and ensure the implementation of the same. 
The physical
25 
education and sports in pre-school institutions, grade school and high school are an
26 
integral part of the educational process and will be carried out by programs of the
27 
Department, in coordination with the appropriate agencies, consisting of groups from
28 
the government and non-government organizations.
29 
Sec. 6. 
Physical Education Requirements. -  The following shall be the
30 
requirements for Physical Education programs with respect to each educational level:
31 
(a) Pre-School and Kindergarten -  The program shall be designed to help
32 
children to work and play with others, to express themselves, to learn to


1 
use and manage their bodies, and to extend their interests and
2 
understanding of the world around them. It shall also protect and increase
3 
the physical well-being of students with attention given to experiences
4 
relating to the development of life skills and human growth and
5 
development.
6 
(b) Elementary -  Physical Education instruction shall include movement
7 
experiences and body mechanics, fitness and rhythmic activities, increased
8 
cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and sports and games.
9 
(c) High School -  Physical Education shall include activities that increase
10 
cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength and flexibility, and sports and
11 
games.
12 
Sec. 7. Hours o f Physical Activity. -  Hours of mandatory physical activity shall
13 
be implemented in the following manner:
14 
(a) For Pre-School, Kindergarten and Elementary students -  Two hundred (200)
15 
minutes each ten (10) 
days;
16 
(b) For High School students -  Four hundred (400) minutes each ten (10) days
17 
or one hundred fifty (150) hours of physical activity weekly with the
18 
equivalent of thirty (30) minutes of physical activity daily.
19 
Sec. 8. 
Exrtracurricuiar Sports Activities. -  The schools and educational
20 
institutions shall provide programs for continuation of sport classes after completion
21 
of mandatory physical education.
22 
The extracurricular sports activities of the students are voluntary and shall be
23 
organized through the sports department as supervised by the designated department
24 
head as appointed by the school principal or director, and shall be conducted by
25 
professionally trained teachers and coaches.
26 
The extracurricular training and competition activities of the students is
27 
voluntary and shall be organized by the school sports clubs, school sports departments
28 
and teams.
29 
Sec. 9. The Sports Director, Sports Department Faculty and their Qualifications.
30 
-  A Sports Director shall be appointed by the school or educational institution's
31 
principal or director. 
The Sports Director shall possess the skills, knowledge,
32 
understanding and competence necessary to effectively and safely plan, deliver, and


1 
evaluate a programme of activities to a class or group of young people in methods
2 
approved through regular and accepted good practice. His faculty shall be composed
3 
of qualified individuals having the experience and training, and likewise assessed,
4 
accredited and certified to a level at which planning and delivery of activities being
5 
undertaken may reasonably be expected to have successful outcomes.
6 
Some aspects of physical education have a high level or risk and required
7 
awareness and a higher duty of care is expected and should be exercised by the
8 
physical education teachers. The standard of care required of a teacher has been as
9 
that of a reasonably prudent parent, judged not in the context of the home but that
10 
of a school.
11 
All teachers of physical education shall be adequately prepared and shall
12 
regularly participate in professional development activities to effectively deliver the
13 
physical education program.
14 
Sec. 10. Sports Infrastructure. -  The schools and educational institutions shall
15 
create, maintain and develop necessary and suitable sport facilities and equipment for
16 
practicing and engaging in physical activities and sports and shall provide conditions
17 
for their adequate use within the frames of the curriculum and other extracurricular
18 
activities of physical education and sports.
19 
Sec. 11. Physical Education Exemptions. -  Students who are already engaged
20 
in extracurricular physical activities sanctioned by the school or institution are
21 
exempted from participating in the required hours of physical activity under this Act:
22 
Provided, That they obtain authorization / documentation from the instructors or
23 
coaches of their respective extracurricular activities and as approved by the school
24 
principal / director.
25 
Students who do not fall under the criteria set in the preceding paragraph must
26 
take at least one (1) remedial course, as provided by the Sports Director of the school
27 
or institution.
28 
Sec. 12. 
Special Physical Education. -  Children with specific disabilities or
29 
developmental delay shall also participate in Special Physical Education. This specially-
30 
designed physical education program shall be outlined in the child's Individual
31 
Education Program (lEP).
32 
Individual Education Program (lEP).


1 
Special physical education will develop;
2 
(a) Physical and motor fitness;
3 
(b) Fundamental motor skills and patterns;
4 
(c) Skills in aquatics and dance;
5 
(d) Individual and group games; and,
6 
(e) Sports.
7 
Sec. 13. Physical Education Program Assessment -  All schools and educational
8 
institutions under the jurisdiction of the Department shall administer a Physical
9 
Education Program Assessment as approved by the Secretary. Assessment of students
10 
in pre-school, kindergarten, elementary and high school must be used to assess the
11 
effectiveness of the school or institution's physical education program and its
12 
adherence to the rules, regulations and standards issued by the Department. The
13 
Department shall develop a procedure of calculating a school or institution's physical
14 
education program effectiveness score. 
This score shall be submitted to the
15 
Department through the Secretary, and the same to be published in a newspaper of
16 
general circulation.
17 
Physical education teachers who receive an unsatisfactory score pursuant to
18 
the immediately preceding paragraph, will be provided with professional development
19 
activities designed to assist the school or institution in improving its programs'
20 
effectiveness.
21 
Sec. 14. Separability Clause. -  If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
22 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise
23 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting.
24 
Sec. 15. 
Repealing Clause. -  Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
25 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary
26 
to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or
27 
amended accordingly.
28 
Sec. 16. 
Effectivity. -  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
29 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
30
31 
Approved,