Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by HON. JORGE DANIEL BOCOBO 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and 
when he is old he will not depart from it.” 
Education is one of the greatest responsibilities entrusted to us as a people. It is the foundation 
upon which every Filipino child can build a better future, and it is the duty of the State to ensure 
that this foundation is strong, inclusive, and accessible to all. 
In fulfilling this mandate, the Constitution recognizes that public and private educational 
institutions are not rivals but partners. Together, they form a complementary system that 
allows the nation to maximize limited resources and expand opportunities for learning. 
We have already seen this principle of complementarity at work in Taguig City. For years, the 
local government has implemented education assistance programs that allow students from 
public schools to enroll in private schools through scholarship vouchers. The Taguig Learner’s 
Certificate Scholarship Program, in partnership with private schools within the city, provides 
tuition subsidies along with educational assistance. It serves as an extension of similar 
programs from the national government, giving thousands of families the dignity of choice, 
reducing classroom congestion, and showing that public funds, when channeled through both 
public and private institutions, can directly improve learning outcomes. This experience 
demonstrates that when the public and private sectors work together, the benefits to learners 
multiply. 
This bill, The Learner’s Choice (TLC) in Private Basic Education Act of 2025, seeks 
institutionalize a unified and learner-centered voucher system nationwide. It empowers 
families—especially those from low-income households and overcrowded public schools—by 
giving them the means to choose the school that best suits their children’s needs. More than 
a financial grant, it is an affirmation that every child, regardless of circumstance, deserves the 
dignity of choice and the promise of quality education. 
The measure also strengthens the role of teachers by providing salary subsidies and 
professional development support for those serving in private schools. In addition, it urges 
local government units and communities to establish, expand, or adapt their scholarship and 
educational assistance programs so that these may be made portable, enabling learners to 
use such financial aid in any qualified private basic education institution, whether inside or 
outside the LGU’s jurisdiction. Through this Act, we recognize anew the truth that education 
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is not the task of one sector alone. Public and private institutions, working hand in hand, can 
lift our children out of overcrowded classrooms, nurture them with quality teaching, and give 
them hope for a brighter future. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is earnestly sought. 
JORGE DANIEL S. BOCOBO 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by HON. JORGE DANIEL BOCOBO 
AN ACT  
INSTITUTIONALIZING A UNIFIED AND LEARNER-CENTERED VOUCHER SYSTEM FOR 
BASIC EDUCATION TO RATIONALIZE GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES TO LEARNERS AND 
TEACHERS IN PRIVATE EDUCATION AND STRENGTHEN COMPLEMENTARITY 
BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES 
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 “The Learner’s Choice (TLC) in 
Private Basic Education Act of 2025.” 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the State to promote the 
right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and take appropriate steps to make such 
education accessible to all. The State recognizes the indispensable and complementary roles 
of public and private educational institutions in the education system. 
Toward this end, the State shall operationalize the principle of complementarity by 
institutionalizing a unified, rationalized, and learner-centered framework for government 
assistance to learners and teachers in private basic education. This framework shall be 
anchored on the principles of learner choice and funding portability, empowering families to 
select from a diverse range of quality educational institutions. To ensure equity and social 
justice, this assistance shall be targeted, prioritizing the underprivileged and most vulnerable 
learners. The entire system shall be governed by the highest standards of accountability and 
linked to a strong quality assurance framework to guarantee that public funds contribute 
directly to improved learning outcomes and to help address the learning crisis in the country. 
The State shall likewise recognize and affirm its international obligations under the Convention 
on the Rights of the Child and commit to advancing Sustainable Development Goal 4 on 
ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all. 
Sec. 3. Objectives. – The objectives of this Act are as follows: 
1. Institutionalize a unified, learner-centered voucher system covering all basic
education levels, including Kindergarten, that enables learner choice and
funding portability across eligible private basic education institutions;
2. Promote equitable access to quality basic education by providing targeted
financial assistance to disadvantaged learners from low-income households
and congested public schools; and
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3. Strengthen the delivery and governance of education subsidies through 
improved quality assurance, performance monitoring, and accountability 
mechanisms in both government and participating private institutions. 
 
Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean: 
 
(a) Alternative Learning System (ALS) refers to a parallel learning system that 
provides a practical option to the existing formal instruction, encompassing both 
the non-formal and informal sources of knowledge and skills;  
 
(b) Complementarity refers to the principle that both public and private education are 
structurally indispensable to maximizing the opportunities for all Filipinos to get the 
best education that the country can provide given its limited resources, such that 
the collective, balanced and sustained use of public and private education through 
healthy competition guided by the protection of the public interest will lead to better 
learning outcomes for Filipinos, compared to what either of them working alone 
can achieve; 
 
(c) Portability  refers to the features of the grant, subsidy, voucher, learner loan, or 
similar instrument, whether in cash or in kind, to be (i) awarded directly to the 
learner beneficiary, (ii) used to fully or partially cover the educational costs of the 
same learner beneficiary, at the educational institution he or she is enrolled in, and 
(iii) allows the learner beneficiary to apply the grant, subsidy, voucher, learner loan 
or similar instrument across a wide selection of eligible public and private 
educational institutions;  
 
(d) Learner Choice refers to a policy that encourages quality as the main reason 
behind a family or learner’s decision on which educational institution to enroll in, 
and aims to reduce the weight of tuition and other school fees from the learner’s 
viewpoint as a reason for enrollment decisions; 
 
(e) Learning Materials refers to any resource – including print and non-print materials 
and online/open-access resources – which supports and enhances, directly or 
indirectly, learning and teaching; and 
 
(f) Voucher refers to a modality of subsidy which is primarily focused on eligible and qualified 
learners, who as beneficiaries may avail of the amount of subsidy covered by such an 
instrument in any government-recognized public or private educational institution of their 
choice. 
 
Sec. 5. Coverage and Eligibility; Tiered Priority System. – This Act shall cover all basic 
education learners, including those in Kindergarten, enrolled or intending to enroll in eligible 
private basic education institutions recognized by the Department of Education (DepEd), 
including ALS completers seeking to enroll in formal basic education, learners enrolled in 
DepEd and non-DepEd public schools, and learners with disabilities, subject to the following 
tiered priority system: 
(a) First Priority – Learners from low-income households who are enrolled in or 
transferring from public basic education schools officially identified by the DepEd 
as congested. 
 
(b) Second Priority – This tier shall cover the following groups: 
(1) Learners, regardless of household income, who are enrolled in or transferring from public 
schools officially identified as congested.  
 


(2) Learners from low-income households who are not from congested schools but require 
financial assistance to access or remain in private education. 
 
(b) Third Priority – All other basic education learners not falling under the above 
priority tiers may apply and be granted vouchers, subject to the availability of funds 
after the higher-priority tiers have been served.  
 
 
Notwithstanding the tiered system, ALS completers seeking to enroll in formal basic 
education shall be considered automatic voucher recipients and shall be classified under the 
First Priority tier.  
 
The DepEd shall, in coordination with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the 
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), establish and maintain a clear and 
transparent system for identifying low-income households, which may include the use of the 
National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (Listahanan). Furthermore, the 
DepEd is mandated to regularly map, update, and publicly release the list of congested public 
basic education schools, which shall serve as the official basis for voucher prioritization and 
allocation under this Act. 
 
Sec. 6. Learner-Based Voucher System; Learner Choice. – To operationalize the 
constitutional mandate on complementarity in education and to empower learners’ choice in 
their selection of a quality private basic education institution, a learner-based voucher system 
is hereby institutionalized. 
 
The voucher shall be a portable, learner-held financial grant that enables an eligible learner to 
enroll in a DepEd-recognized private basic education institution of their choice, subject to the 
private basic education institution’s participation in the program and availability of slots. 
 
Learners, their parents, parent-substitutes, or guardians shall have the freedom to select 
among participating private basic education institutions based on factors such as program 
offerings, quality of instruction, school culture, location, and affordability. 
 
The DepEd shall maintain and regularly update a publicly accessible database of all 
participating private basic education institutions, indicating tuition rates, program tracks, 
accreditation status, and performance indicators to support informed decision-making of 
learners, their parents, parent-substitutes, or guardians. 
 
Sec. 7. Forms of Assistance; Voucher Amount. – Assistance to learners in private basic 
education institutions under this Act shall be in the form of a voucher to cover tuition fees and 
learning materials, and school allowance of not less than Five Thousand Pesos (PhP 5,000) 
per school year, to cover education-related expenses, such as school supplies, uniforms, 
transportation, and other related needs of the learners. This assistance may be supplemented 
by a Top-up or Co-Fund Assistance from local government units (LGUs), private sponsors, or 
other scholarship providers to cover any difference between the voucher amount and the total 
cost of schooling. 
 
The amount of education voucher shall be determined by the DepEd based on the average 
per-learner cost of public education in the locality where the learner resides, adjusted for 
prevailing private school tuition and other fees, and shall consider the minimum criteria stated 
in Section 5 of this Act. The said amount shall be reviewed every three (3) years by the DepEd, 
in accordance with the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) in Section 17 of this Act. 
 
Sec. 8. Voucher System Management and Quality Assurance Framework. – The DepEd 
shall have primary responsibility for the administration, supervision, and quality assurance of 
the Voucher System established under this Act. It shall formulate policy directions, set 


implementation standards, and conduct regular monitoring and evaluation of all programs and 
activities related to the voucher system. 
 
To support effective coordination with private education stakeholders, a dedicated Bureau of 
Private Education shall be created within DepEd to address the operational needs, concerns, 
and development goals of participating private basic education institutions. It shall also act as 
permanent secretariat for the implementation of the Voucher System program under this Act. 
 
The DepEd may contract the services of qualified private entities, including education service 
providers and civil society partners, to assist in the implementation, capacity-building, 
information systems management, and monitoring of the voucher program: Provided, That 
such engagements shall comply with applicable procurement laws and regulations, and all 
private entities receiving public funds pursuant to this Act shall be subject to the oversight 
authority of the Commission on Audit (COA). 
 
In relation to the immediately preceding paragraph, the DepEd shall ensure that the contracted 
entity has met the following minimum qualifications: 
 
(1) Sufficient manpower and qualified personnel to support the regional and national 
operations, in the verification of eligible learners, validation of school compliance, 
and monitoring of fund disbursement, among others; and 
 
(2) Automated systems for real-time tracking of voucher beneficiaries and school 
performance. 
 
The DepEd shall ensure that all aspects of voucher administration are governed by a 
comprehensive quality assurance framework, which includes accreditation, learner outcome 
tracking, financial accountability, and continuous program improvement.  
 
Sec. 9. Complementarity in Teachers and Faculty in All Sectors; Teacher’s Salary 
Subsidy Fund and In-Service Training Fund. – To uphold the principle of complementarity 
in education and to promote equity in the treatment of teachers and faculty across public and 
private sectors, the Teacher’s Salary Subsidy (TSS) Fund is hereby enhanced. 
 
The TSS shall be granted to licensed teachers employed in DepEd-recognized private basic 
education institutions participating in the voucher system, in order to align their compensation 
with prevailing market conditions. Priority shall be given to high-performing teachers, as 
determined by the DepEd through a merit system based on standards-based assessments, 
performance evaluations, and other objective measures of teaching competence and 
effectiveness. 
 
In addition to the salary subsidy, an In-Service Training (INSET) Fund shall be enhanced for 
the continuous professional development of teachers and school administrators. All training 
programs supported by the INSET Fund shall be subject to a rigorous quality assurance 
framework, which must include pre- and post-training assessments to measure their 
effectiveness and impact on teacher competence and student learning outcomes. The INSET 
Fund shall be directly paid to eligible teachers in accordance with guidelines to be issued by 
the DepEd. 
 
The DepEd shall, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, regularly review the subsidy 
amounts and program guidelines to ensure their responsiveness, fairness, and alignment with 
national education standards and goals. 
 
Sec. 10. Inclusion of Private School Teachers in DepEd Training Programs. – In addition 
to the immediately preceding Section, school divisions of the Department of Education are 


encouraged to include teachers from participating private basic education institutions in their 
training, learning action cells, and capacity-building programs. DepEd shall issue additional 
guidelines on the integration and resource sharing between DepEd and the concerned private 
basic education institutions. 
 
Sec. 11. Portable Local Scholarships; Alignment with the Learner-Based Voucher 
System. – LGUs are hereby encouraged to create, expand, or modify their existing 
scholarship and education assistance programs to be portable, allowing learners to use such 
financial assistance in any eligible private basic education institution, whether within or outside 
the LGU’s territorial jurisdiction. 
 
LGUs shall align their local scholarship systems with the learner-based voucher framework 
under this Act, and are further encouraged to: 
 
(a) Provide top-ups to augment national voucher amounts for learners in private basic 
education institutions with higher tuition fees; 
 
(b) Coordinate with the DepEd for data sharing, program monitoring, and learner 
validation; and 
 
(c) Adopt performance and equity-based criteria in designing portable local assistance, 
consistent with national education policy goals. 
 
Sec. 12. Seal of Good Local Governance. – In recognition of the role of LGUs in supporting 
access to quality education, LGUs that create, expand, or align their local education 
assistance programs with the objectives and standards of this Act shall be accorded 
recognition under the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) administered by the 
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The DILG, in coordination with 
DepEd, shall issue the necessary guidelines to integrate these criteria into the SGLG 
evaluation framework. 
 
Sec. 13. Penalties. – Any person, institution, or entity that is found to have committed 
fraudulent practices, including but not limited to misrepresentation of student eligibility or the 
submission of falsified documents, act or omission that results in the exclusion of eligible 
learners or unjustified delays in voucher processing, shall, after due process, be subject to the 
following penalties: 
 
(a) Immediate suspension or revocation of its participation in the voucher program; 
(b) Refund of all improperly received government funds, with interest; and 
 
(b) Blacklisting from future government education contracts. 
 
The penalties herein imposed shall be without prejudice to the filing of appropriate 
administrative, civil, or criminal charges against the responsible person or school officials. 
  
Sec. 14. Annual Report. – Three (3) years after the effectivity of this Act, the DepEd shall 
commence the submission of annual reports on the status of its implementation to the 
Committee on Basic Education of the Senate and the Committee on Basic Education and 
Culture of the House of Representatives. 
 
Sec. 15. Transitory Provisions. – Upon the effectivity of this Act, all existing recipients of the 
Educational Service Contracting scheme shall be automatically transferred to the voucher 
system, subject to the eligibility and prioritization criteria established herein. All forms of 
government assistance for post-secondary and tertiary education under Republic Act No. 


8545, as amended, are hereby transferred to the jurisdiction of the Unified Student Financial 
Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) Board. 
 
Sec. 16. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this Act 
shall be charged against the current appropriations of the Department of Education (DepEd) 
under the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Thereafter, the funds necessary for the 
continued implementation of the programs under this Act shall be appropriated annually in the 
GAA as a separate budget item under the DepEd. 
 
LGUs are likewise authorized to appropriate funds from their respective local budgets, 
including the Special Education Fund, to support portable local scholarship programs aligned 
with this Act. 
 
All appropriations and disbursements made pursuant to this Act shall be subject to the usual 
budgeting, accounting, auditing, and procurement laws, rules, and regulations, and shall be 
subject to oversight by the Commission on Audit (COA). 
 
Sec. 17. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The DepEd, DILG and other relevant 
stakeholders shall promulgate not later than ninety (90) days upon the effectivity of this Act, 
the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act: Provided, That 
the failure to promulgate the rules and regulations shall not prevent the implementation of this 
Act upon its effectivity. 
 
Sec. 18. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act is declared invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remaining parts not affected shall remain in full force and effect. 
 
Sec. 19. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, presidential decrees, administrative 
orders, rules and regulations, issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with or contrary to the 
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly. 
 
Sec. 20. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,