SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. .1301 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
'13 
AUG 15 AS:45 
Article 2 Section 17 of the Constitution provides that, "The State shall give priority 
to education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism 
and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation 
and development." 
The quality of education depends primarily on the quality of our teachers. Hence, 
the government must expend efforts to encourage talented individuals interested 
in teaching to maintain their interest. This can be done by raising the status of 
the teaching profession; through increased recognition and professional 
opportunities for teachers, so that the best teachers remain in the classroom and 
talented individuals are attracted to teaching. 
The purpose of this bill is to establish a teacher corps program to strengthen the 
teaching profession. 
Immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
Senator 


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
£>l'tlt.lir 
,lOti,;. uf Ill' jij,mbr, 
First Regular Session 
) 
'13 Am 15 AS:45 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No, 13 0 1 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING 
A 
TEACHER 
CORPS 
PROGRAM 
IN 
ORDER 
TO 
STRENGTHEN THE TEACHING PROFESSION 
13e it enacted by the Senate and the House of ~epresentatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "National Teachers' 
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Act'. 
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SEC. 2. Teacher Corps Programs Authorized. -
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(a) Program Authorized - The Commission on Higher Education, hereinafter 
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referred to as "the Commission" shall make grants in accordance with the 
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provisions of this Act, to state colleges and universities (SCUs) to conduct 
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Teacher Corps activities; 
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(b) De$ignation - a $cholar$hip awarded under thi$ Act shall be referred to as 
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a "Teacher Corps scholarship"; 
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(c) A recipient of a scholarship under this Act shall be referred to as a 
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"Teachers Corps member". 
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SEC. 3. Use of Funds. - The Commission on Higher Education shall use funds 
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provided pursuant to this Act to: 
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(1) disseminate information nationally about the availability of scholarships; 
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(2) conduct activities which foster communication among and bring together 
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members of the Teacher Corps including activities such as written 
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communications, meetings or training session; 
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(3) provide technical assistance to education institutions in establishing and 
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operating Teacher Corps programs; 
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(4) provide guidelines in the evaluation of applications for Teacher Corps 
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membership and award scholarships to Teacher Corps members; 
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(5) make Teacher Corps awards to individuals in training to become a school 
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psychologist, school social workers, or a school counselor; 
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(6) ensure that Teacher Corps members understand the obligation to repay 
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such scholarships upon failure to comply with the conditions of the 
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scholarship; 
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(7) assist in the employment placement of Teacher Corps members; and, 
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(8) establish, operate, and expand programs for new Teacher Corps 
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members and other new teachers, including: 
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a. orientation; 
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b. using mentor teachers to work with new teachers; 
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c. curriculum guidance; and, 
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d. increasing the preparedness of all classroom teachers for the 
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participation of particular populations of students, such as 
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disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and stUdents 
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from diverse cultural backgrounds, in the classrooms of such 
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teachers. 
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In carrying out the provisions of subsection (a)(1), the Commission shall give 
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priority in awarding grants to state colleges and universities with the greatest 
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proportion of disadvantaged students. 
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SEC. 4. Teacher Corps. -
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(a) Selection - the respective state colleges and universities, in cooperation 
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with the Commissioner on Higher Education, shall select Teacher Corps 
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members; 
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(b) Criteria - the Commission shall establish criteria to select Teacher Corps 
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members intended to attract highly qualified individuals to teaching, and to 
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meet the needs of the country in addressing teacher shortages, including: 
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(1) in the case of students or recent graduates, strong academic promise, 
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or in other cases contributions which can be made by individuals 
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working in other careers; and, 
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(2) a demonstrated interest in teaching, or skill or professional experience 
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in substantive fields of expertise in which the country is experiencing 
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teacher shortages. 
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(c) Special consideration - the Commission shall give special consideration in 
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the selection of Teacher Corps members to individuals who - (1) intend to 
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teach or provide related services to students with disabilities; (2) intend to 
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teOlch preschool OIge children; 
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(d) Priority consideration - the Commission shall give priority consideration in 
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the 
selection 
of Teacher Corps 
members to 
individuals from 
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disadvantaged backgrounds, including minorities and individuals with 
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disabilities who are underrepresented in the teaching profession or in the 
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curricular areas In which they are preparing to teaCFl. 
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SEC. 5. State Application. - Each state college or university desiring a grant 
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under this Act shall submit an application to the Commission at such time, in 
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such manner, and containing such information as the Commission may 
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reasonably require. 
Each application shall describe teacher shortages in the 
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region including shortages in specific substantive fields of expertise and 
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geographic areas, and shall describe steps to be taken to place Teacher Corps 
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member in areas experiencing teacher shortages. 
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SEC. 6. Scholarship.-
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(A) Eligibility -
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(1) An individual is eligible to receive Teacher Corps scholarship for a 
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maximum of four (4) years during enrollment in any program of study 
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leading to a baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate degree; 
IV 
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(2) An indiVidual pursuing a program of study ieading to a post-
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baccalaureate degree is eligible to receive a Teacher Corps 
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scholarship during any of the first four (4) years that such individual is 
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employed as a teacher to defray the costs of pursuing such post-
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baccalaureate instruction; 
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(3) An individual in possession of bachelor's degree, who wishes to enter 
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teacher from another profession, is eligible to receive a Teacher Corps 
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scholarship to enable such individual to receive the instruction 
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necessary to enter the teaching profession, as determined by the state 
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college or university in which the individual wishes to teach. 
Such 
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instruction may be provided while the individual is employed as a 
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provisional teacher, at the discretion of such state college or university. 
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(8) Limitations on Amount and Duration - subject to subsection (c), each 
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Teacher Corps member shall receive a Twenty Five Thousand Pesos 
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(P25,OOO.OO) scholarship for each academic year of post-secondary 
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education, except that no individual shall receive scholarship assistance 
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for more than four (4) years of post-secondary education (including post-
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bacc<llaure<lte), <IS determined by the Commissioner of the CommiS$iQn 
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on Higher Education. 
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(C)Continued Eligibility -
each individual who receives a Teacher Corps 
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scholarship shall continue to receive such scholarship payments only 
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during such periods that the state college or university finds that such 
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indiVidUal is: 
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(1) enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited post-secondary 
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institution; and, 
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(2) maintaining satisfactory progress as defined by such state college or 
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university. 
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SEC. 7. Scholarship Conditions. -
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(1) Scholarship Agreement - each individual receiving a scholarship under 
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this Act shall enter into a written agreement with the state college or 
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university where such individual is enrolled, which shall provide 
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assurances that each such individual will: 
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a, pursue a course of study which meets requirements for teacher 
preparation; 
b. maintain satisfactory academic progress and participate in 
teaching-related 
activities while 
in 
undergraduate or post-
baccalaureate programs; 
c, work as a teacher upon completion of such individual's education 
for five (5) years in public educational institutions' 
d, repay all or part of a Teacher Corps scholarship received, plus 
interest and, if applicable, reasonable collection fees, in the event 
that the conditions of this Section are not complied with; and, 
e. will participate in an induction program for new teachers during the 
fifth (5th) year of employment, by serving as mentor to new Teacher 
Corp members, or to other new teachers, or by making some other 
contribution to the induction program, 
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(2) Scholarship Repayment -
individu~IS found to be in non-compliance with 
the agreement entered into under tithe preceding Section shall be required 
to repay to the state college or university from which such individual 
graduated a pro rata amount of Jhe scholarship awards received, plus 
interest and where applicable, rea,onable collection fees. 
(3) Each individual found by the st.te to be in non-compliance with the 
agreement entered into under thelpreceding Section shall be required to 
repay-
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a, one hundred percent (100%) of the total amount of scholarshIps 
awarded under this Act if sub 
I h individual does not teach pursuant to 
the agreement described in the preceding section or teaches 
pursuant to such agreemen~ for less than one (1) year; 
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b, ninety percent (90%) of th$ total amount of scholarship awarded 
under this Act if such irdividual teaches pursuant to such 
agreement for at least one (~) year but not less than two (2) years; 
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c, eighty percent (80%) of thr total amount of scholarship awarded 
under this Act if such i dividual teaches pursuant to such 
agreement for at least two (2) years but not less than three (3) 
years; 
. 
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d. sixty percent (60%) of thel total amou~t of scholarship awarded 
under this Act if such 
i~dividual teaches pursuant to such 
agreement for at least thre,e (3) years but not less than four (4) 
years; 
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e, thirty percent (30%) of thel total amount of scholarship awarded 
under this Act if such ipdividual teaches pursuant to such 
agreement for at least four (f) years but not less than five (5) years, 
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(4) If a portion of a scholarship Is repaid under this subsection in any year, the 
entire amount of interest on su~h portion of such scholarship which 
accrues for such year shall be rePjid; 
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(5) Any repayments of scholarship made to the appropriate state college or 
2 
university pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall be used by such 
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institutions to award additional scholarships in accordance with the 
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provisions of this Act; 
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(6) Waiver - the Secretary of Education may provide for the partial or total 
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waiver or suspension of any service obligation or repayment by an 
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individual who received a 
Teach~r Corps scholarship whenever 
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compliance by such individual is impossible or would involve extreme 
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hardship to such individual, or if enforcement of such obligation with 
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respect to such individual would be unconscionable. 
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SEC. 8. 
Publication and Recruitment. - The Commission shall publicize the 
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availability of, and procedure to apply for Teacher Corps scholarships, 
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particularly among students participating in teaching-related activities through 
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summer teaching institutes, future teaching clubs, and other teaching-related 
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activities, at institutions of higher education throughout the country. 
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SEC. 9. Authorization of Appropriations. - The amount necessary to effectively 
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implement the provisions of this Act is hereby authorized to be appropriated from 
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the National Treasury. 
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SEC. 10. 
Repealing Clause. -
Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
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executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation 
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contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, 
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modified or amended accordingly. 
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SEC. 11. Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act is declared 
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invalid or unconstitutional, the other parts thereof not affected thereby shall 
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remain valid. 
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SEC. 12. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days upon 
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completion of its publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general 
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circulation. 
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Approved, 
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