EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodrigu
1839

House Bill No.
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, i.e. 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 alll 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,

Mi
RUFUS basi


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

~ Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez =
1839

House Bill No.

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
andior 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;

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

iii, The NBDB/IMCS 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;

ji, 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 Concemed, 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. Separability Clause. If any provision, or part hereof is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
remain valid and subsisting.

SEC. 12. 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. 13. 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,