FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
"-
" 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S.NO. 401 
Introduced by Senator Antonio "Sonny" F. TriIIanes IV 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article XIV, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution provides that the State shall protect and 
promote the right of all the citizens of our country to quality education at all levels. 
However, despite this provision and numerous other laws that seek to promote good 
quality education, our country still lags behind our neighbors in Asia when it comes to 
providing good quality education. 
Recent surveys indicate that there has been a decline in the academic performance of 
Filipino schoolchildren particularly in the field of science and mathematics. This decline 
may be due to the high teacher-student ratio, poor facilities, lack of textbooks, or that 
teachers who teach such as those in Physics, Chemistry, or Math lack the expertise or the 
knowledge to teach these subjects effectively. 
In line with our Constitutional provision on good quality education, this bill seeks to 
create an Academic Excellence Foundation which shall promote academic excellence in 
public and private schools allover the country through public-private entity partnerships. 
The Foundation shall develop programs that shall push for the advancement of the 
concept of academic excellence. 
In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this measure is earnestly sought. 
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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S.'NO. 401 
Introduced by Senator Antonio "Sonny" F. Trillanes IV 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING 
THE 
ACADEMIC 
EXCELLENCE 
FOUNDATION 
TO 
PROMOTE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS 
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives o/the Philippines in Congress 
assembled , 
. SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Academic Excellence Act 
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0/2010." 
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SEC. 2. The Academic Excellence Foundation. - There is hereby created the 
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Philippine Academic Excellence Foundation whose purpose shall be to promote 
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academic excellence in public and private schools allover the country through public-
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private entity partnerships. The foundation shall be a nonprofit organization. The board of 
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directors of the foundation and foundation activities shall be under the direction of the 
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Department of Education (DepEd). 
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SEC. 3. Board of Directors of the Foundation. - The board of directors of the 
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foundation shall consist of the Secretary of DepEd and twenty (20) other members to be 
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appointed by the President. Of the twenty (20) members appointed by the President, eight 
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(8) shall represent a variety of education groups and twelve (12) shall represent a variety 
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of business groups. The members of the board of directors shall select one member to 
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serve as chair. The DepEd Secretary shall serve as secretary for the board of directors and 
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provide administrative support to the foundation. An executive committee of the 
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foundation board composed of the board officers and chairs of board committees, may 
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only advise and make recommendations to the foundation board. 


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SEC. 4. Programs of the Foundation. - The foundation may develop programs 
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that advance the concept of educational excellence. These may include, but are not 
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limited to: 
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(a) recognition programs and awards for students demonstrating academic 
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excellence; 
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(b) summer institute programs for students with special talents; 
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(c) recognition programs for teachers, administrators, and others who contribute 
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to academic excellence; 
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(d) summer mentorship programs with business and industry for students with 
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special career interests and high academic achievements; 
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(e) President's awards ceremonies and special campaigns to promote awareness 
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and expectation for academic achievement; 
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(t) an academic league to provide organized challenges requiring cooperation and 
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competition for public and private pupils in elementary and secondary 
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schools; 
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(g) systemic transformation initiatives and assistance and training to community 
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teams to increase school performance in the country's education institutions 
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through strategic quality planning for continuous improvement, empowerment 
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of multiple stakeholders, validation of results via customer-supplier 
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relationships, and a total system approach based on best practices in key 
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process areas; and 
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(h) activities to measure customer satisfaction for delivery of services to 
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education institutions in order to plan for and implement continuous 
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improvement. 
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T() the extent possible, the foundation shall make these programs available to 
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students in all parts of the country. 
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SEC. 5. Powers and Duties of the Foundation. - The foundation may: 
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(I) establish and collect membership fees; 
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(2) publish brochures or booklets relating to the purposes of the foundation and 
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collect reasonable fees for the publications thereof; 
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(3) receive money, grants, and in-kind goods or services from non-governmental 
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sources for the purposes of the foundation; 
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(4) contract with consultants; 
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(5) expend money for awards and other forms of recognition and appreciation; 
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and 
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(6) determine procedures and expenditures for awards and recognitions to 
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teachers, students, donors, and other people who are not employees of the executive 
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branch. 
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SEC 6. Contracts. - The foundation board shall review and approve each contract 
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of the board. Each contract of the foundation board shall be subject to the same review 
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and approval procedures as a contract of the Department of Education. 
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S~C. 7. Foundation Staff. - (a) The foundation board with review by the DepED 
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Secretary shall appoint the executive director and other staff who shall perform duties 
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and have responsibilities solely related to the foundation. 
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(b) As part of the annual plan of work, the foundation, with review by the DepEd 
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Secretary, may appoint up to three (3) employees. The employees appointed under this 
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paragraph shall not be considered an employee of the government. The employees shall 
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be supervised by the executive director. 
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SEC. 8. Private Sources of Funds. - The foundation shall seek private resources 
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to supplement the available public money. Individuals, businesses, and other 
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organizations may contribute to the foundation in any mauner specified by the board of 
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directors. All money received shall be administered by the board of directors. 
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SEC. 9. Report. - The board of directors of the foundation shall submit an annual 
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report to the Secretary of the Department of Education on the progress of its activities. 
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The annual report shall contain a financial report for the preceding year, including all 
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receipts and expenditures of the foundation. 
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SEC. 10. Separability Clause. - If any provisions, or part hereof, is held invalid 
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or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law of the provision not otherwise affected shall 
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remain valid and subsisting. 
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SEC. 11. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, mles and 
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regulations inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified 
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accordingly. 
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SEC. 12. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
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following its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) national 
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newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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