REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

~ 808

House Bill No.

Introduced by Kabataan Party-List Rep. Raymond V. Palatino

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Republic Act No. 7743, otherwise known as “An Act Providing for the Establishment of
Congressional, City and Municipal Libraries and Barangay Reading Centers throughout the
Philippines, Appropriating the Necessary Funds Thereof and for Other Purposes” was
enacted into law in 1993, RA No. 7743 mandated the National Library, in coordination with
the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), to “undertake the establishment
of additional public libraries to serve all congressional districts cities and municipalities in
the Philippines and reading centers in every barangay except in cities or municipalities
where there are existing public libraries or in barangays where there are existing reading

centers.”

However, the National Library’s report for the second quarter of 2009 - fifteen years after
the enactment of RA No. 7743 - reveals that only a total of 1,231 public libraries have so far
been established in the country. This figure is broken down as follows: one (1) regional
library out of a possible 17; four (4) congressional district libraries out of a possible 219;
101 city libraries out of a possible 136; 576 municipal libraries out of a possible 1,495; and
500 barangay reading centers out of a possible 42,008. Such proportions clearly illustrate
the inaccessibility of public libraries and the need to step up efforts to meet the objectives of
RA No. 7743.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of libraries and reading centers, most especially
given the fact that the country’s Department of Education has consistently fallen short in
terms of providing adequate textbooks and reading materials for millions of children and
youth in public schools. Also, the many exposes regarding the factually erroneous contents
of the textbooks being distributed in public schools only contribute to the disappointing
state of education and learning be made available by the State to young Filipinos.


Another issue on library services that needs to be addressed is censorship that comes in
the form of exclusion of reading materials for general circulation based on the origin,
background and views of the creator or author of a book or any other kind of publication.
Although the reported cases of library censorship in the country have been few so far, it
pays for RA No. 7743, as amended, to ensure that covert practices which violate the public’s

rights to information and freedom of expression are explicitly prohibited by law.

Given these points, this bill seeks to amend RA No. 7743 to achieve the following goals:
ensure the speedy establishment of additional libraries in the remaining regions, districts,

cities, municipalities, provinces and barangays in the country; equip all public libraries

with the latest electronic library facilities to enable users to have easy access to the relevant
and timely resource materials; stress the central role of the National Library in providing
adequate resource materials, including textbooks being used in schools, to all libraries
nation-wide; and to uphold the public’s right to information and freedom of expression by
prohibiting the exclusion of reading materials based on the origin, background and views of
the creator or author.

14 ond V. Palatino
Representative; Kabataan Party-List


REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

“ 808
House Bill No.

Introduced by KABATAAN Party-list Rep. Raymond V. Palatino

AN ACT
AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7743, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CONGRESSIONAL, CITY AND
MUNICIPAL LIBRARIES AND BARANGAY READING CENTERS
THROUGHOUT THE PHILIPPINES,” AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in

Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Establishment of Public Libraries and Reading Centers. -Section 2 of
Republic Act No. 7743 is hereby amended to read as follows:

SECTION 2. Establishment of Public Libraries and Reading Centers. - The
National Library in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local
Government (DILG) shall undertake the establishment of additional public
libraries to serve all congressional districts, cities and municipalities in the
Philippines and reading centers in every barangay except in cities or
municipalities where there are existing public libraries or in barangays where
there are existing reading centers: Provided, That the establishment of such
libraries and reading centers shall be based on the development program of the
National Library BASED ON THE LATEST AVAILABLE COMPUTER AND
ELECTRONIC LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY in coordination with the development
council of each city or municipality under Sec. 106 of the Local Government
Code and in the case of the barangay reading centers, in coordination with the
respective barangay councils AND SANGGUNIAN KABATAAN: Provided, further,
‘That where these public libraries and reading centers already exist, the National
Library shall continue to upgrade the facilities thereof [.] WITH COMPLETE
STANDARD SETS OF BOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS AS PROVIDED UNDER
SEC. 3 OF THIS ACT AS WELL AS THE LATEST ELECTRONIC LIBRARY
SYSTEM USING COMPUTERS FOR STORING, CATALOGING, AND FILING OF


DATA AND MATERIAL: PROVIDED, FINALLY, THAT BY THE YEAR 2011, ALL
THE CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES WILL BE PROVIDED
WITH ELECTRONICALLY-OPERATED LIBRARY SYSTEM.

SECTION 2. Role of the National Library. ~ Sec. 3 of Republic Act No. 7743 is hereby

amended to read as follows:

SECTION 3. Role of the National Library. — The National Library shall provide
the standard set of reference books and other materials such as but not limited
to encyclopedias, dictionaries, maps and globes upon the establishment of the
libraries. The National Library shall continue to supply the public libraries with
the other books, non-book materials, equipment supplies and other appropriate
and relevant reference and reading materials taking into consideration the
needs of the community concerned. THE NATIONAL LIBRARY SHALL ENSURE
THE ACCESIBILITY OF ALL KINDS OF READING MATERIALS AND
CHALLENGE CENSORSHIP IN LIBRARIES IN FULFILLMENT OF ITS
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE
PUBLIC.

SECTION 3. Functions of the Public Libraries and Barangay Reading Centers. ~ Sec. 6
of Republic Act No. 7743 is hereby amended to read as follows:

SECTION 6. Functions of the Public Libraries and Barangay Reading Centers. —
‘The public libraries and barangay reading centers shall have the following
functions:

(a) to. make available to the members of the community reading
materials of wide array SUCH AS BUT NOT LIMITED TO reading materials
prescribed by the Department of Education Culture and Sports and national
newspapers of general circulation and others;

(b) to be used as a venue for audio-visual presentation in the community
and other kinds of exhibitions and activities aimed at increasing the literacy
rate by government agencies, non-governmental organizations or private entities
in the dissemination of information of general interest; [and]

(c) to offer such other related services in the furtherance of this Act[.|;
AND

(D) TO UPHOLD THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO INFORMATION BY
PROHIBITING THE EXCLUSION OF READING MATERIALS BECAUSE OF THE
ORIGIN, BACKGROUND OR VIEWS OF THOSE CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR
CREATION.


SECTION 4. Appropriations. —Sec. 7 of Republic Act No. 7743 is hereby amended to

read as follows:

SECTION 7. Appropriations. ~ ‘The amount necessary to carry out the provisions
of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year
following its enactment into law and for the next five (5) years: thereafter, the
local government units shall undertake the maintenance of public libraries and
reading centers while the National Library shall continue to provide reading
materials and supplies to said libraries and reading centers]. IN ORDER TO
PROVIDE FUNDS NECESSARY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
ELECTRONIC LIBRARY SYSTEM, THE BUDGET OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY
SHALL BE INCREASED IN THE AMOUNT OF TWENTY MILLION PESOS
(P20,000,000.00) PER YEAR UNTIL ALL CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES IN THE
PHILIPPINES ARE PROVIDED FOR AND HAVE ACCESS TO FULLY
ELECTRONIC LIBRARY FACILITIES.

SECTION 5. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended
accordingly.

SECTION 6. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,