FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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SENATE 
S. No. 203.9 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 15, Section 1, provides: 
The State recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation of the 
nation. Accordingly, it shall strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its 
total development. 
Fundamental changes in the demographics and economics of family life in the 
country over the past 20 years have had a profound effect on children and their parents. As 
the number of women working outside the home and the number of two-earner families have 
been steadily increasing, there is a need to support community-based family resource and 
support programs that promote healthy child development and increase parental competency. 
Investment in promoting the development of family resource and support programs will reap 
long-term benefits for individual families and the nation as a whole. 
Hence. this bill seeks to establish a national center for information and technical 
assistance relating to all types of family resource and support programs. 
&fj!J 
EFE 
ORSANTIA 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL CENTER FOR INFORMATION AND TECHNICAL 
ASSISTANCE RELATING TO ALL TYPES OF FAMILY RESOURCE AND SUPPORT 
PROGRAMS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Family Resource Act of 
2008.” 
SECTION 2. Purpose. -It is the purpose of this Act to - 
(A) stimulate the development and expansion of family resource and support 
programs that are prevention-oriented; 
(B) encourage early intervention of such programs with families to ameliorate 
problem situations before such situations become crises; and 
(C) assist parents in enhancing their children’s development to assure that their 
children enter school prepared and ready to learn. 
SECTION 3. DeJinition. - As used in this Act, the phrase “family resource and 
support programs” means community-based services that offer sustained assistance to 
families at various stages in their development. Such services shall promote parental 
competencies and behaviors that will lead to the healthy and positive personal development 
of parents and children through - 
(A) the provision of assistance to build family skills and assist parents in improving 
their capabilities lo be supportive and nurturing parents; 
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(B) the provision of assistance to families to enable such families to use other formal 
and informal resources and opportunities for assistance that are available within the 
communities of such families; and 
(C) the creation of supportive networks to enhance the childrearing capacity of 
parents and assist in compensating for the increased social isolation and vulnerability of 
families. 
SECTION 4. Establishment of a National Center on Family Resource and Support 
Programs. - The Secretary of Health shall establish, through grant or contract, a national 
center for the collection and provision of programmatic information and technical assistance 
that relates to all types of family resource and support programs. Such center shall - 
(A) establish a clearing-house to develop and maintain a database on all types of 
family resource and support programs; 
(B) develop and maintain a system for disseminating information on all types of 
family resource and support programs and on the state of family resource and support 
program development, including information concerning the most effective model programs; 
(C) develop and sponsor a variety o f training institutes and curricula for family 
resource and support program staff; 
(D) identify several model programs representing the various types o€ family resource 
and support programs to develop technical assistance materials and activities to assist other 
agencies in establishing family resource and support programs; and 
(E) develop nationwide networks of family resource and support programs for the 
purpose of sharing and disseminating information. 
SECTION 5 .  Evaluation. - The Secretary of Health shall, through grants or contracts 
awarded or entered into with independent auditors, conduct evaluations and related activities, 
of family resource and support programs, including - 
(A) evaluations of ongoing programs; 
(B) process evaluations focusing on implementation strategies; and 
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(C) the development of simple evaluation models for use by local family resource and 
support programs. 
SECTION 6. Authorization of Appropriations. - To cany out the provisions of this 
Act, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal 
year. 
SECTION 7. 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. 
SECTION 8. 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 9. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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