Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2213
Introduced by Representative Ryan S. Recto 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This legislative measure aims to establish an online library designed to 
revolutionize public education which shall serve to provide readily accessible, digitized 
copies of textbooks and other learning materials for learners across the country.  
This proposed bill envisions to equip Filipino students with the necessary 
resources and skills to thrive in an increasingly digitized world. At a time when most 
of the world is rapidly moving online, access to digital resources is no longer a luxury 
but a necessity for quality education. It is then high time that we provide our learners 
with suﬃcient, convenient and reliable access to their textbook materials.  
The necessity of this legislative proposal is further underscored by the several 
pressing issues confronting our public education system. The persistent shortage of 
textbooks and other learning materials has long hampered the quality of education. 
This is further compounded by the continuous increase in student enrollment in public 
schools nationwide. In fact, it was projected by the Department of Education (DepEd) 
that for school year 2025-2026 there will be an approximate 27.6 million enrollees. 
This further exacerbates the scarcity of physical textbooks and thus diminishing the 
ideal teacher-to-student textbook ratio of one is to one.  
It is hoped that through the creation of an online library, the pervasive issue on 
textbook shortage will ﬁnally be addressed. By providing the necessary digital 
infrastructure, the bill envisions to bridge the existing digital divide and fundamentally 
enhance learning experience. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
          Ryan S. Recto 
     Representative 
 6th District, Batangas 
July 23, 2025
8:50 am


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by Representative Ryan S. Recto 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE ONLINE LIBRARY, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, 
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES  
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:   
SECTION ONE.  Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the ''Philippine Online 
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Library Act”. 
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SEC. 2.  Declaration of Policy. – It shall be the policy of the State to ensure that 
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its citizens have the knowledge, skills, competency and necessary resources to 
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access and navigate an increasingly digitized world. Thus, the State shall provide its 
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citizens with the opportunity to increase their adaptability to information and 
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communications technology and to enhance their learning experience by providing 
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access to digitized copies of textbooks necessary for the provision of quality primary 
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and secondary education. 
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SEC. 3.  Philippine Online Library. – The Department of Education (DepEd) shall 
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create a digitized copy of all textbooks and reference books it deems necessary for 
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the public education of Philippine elementary and secondary students. These shall 
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be compiled in the Philippine Virtual Library which shall be jointly managed by the 
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DepEd and the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT). 
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SEC. 4.  Provision for Access to Digitized Copies of Textbooks. – The DepEd 
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shall ensure access to the digitized copies of textbooks by providing computers, 
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laptops or appropriate wherewithal to all primary and secondary public schools 
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nationwide. The DICT shall provide fast and reliable internet access to each primary 
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and secondary public school nationwide. Similarly, in order to ensure access to the 
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digitized copies of textbooks, the DICT shall provide fast and reliable Internet access 
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to each primary and secondary public school. 
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2213


  
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SEC. 5.  Recycling of Computers. – In order to offset expenses related to the 
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procurement of computers, laptops or appropriate wherewithal necessary for the 
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immediate execution of the provisions of this Act, national government agencies, 
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government-owned and controlled corporations and other government ﬁnancial 
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institutions which shall procure new computers shall endorse their old units to the 
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DICT to check if the computers can still be used for the intent of this Act and 
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afterwards shall be given to DepEd for deployment to primary and secondary public 
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schools nationwide.  
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SEC. 6.  Additional Online Educational Materials. – The DepEd may seek the 
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assistance and support of the National Library of the Philippines to complement the 
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Philippine Online Library's digital repository of textbooks with additional materials 
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that is representative of Filipino culture and literature. DepEd shall also be allowed to 
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add other online materials that it deems necessary for expanding the learning 
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opportunities for students.  
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 SEC. 7.  Custody over Digitized Copies of Textbooks. – The DepEd and the 
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National Library of the Philippines shall have joint custody over the digitized copies 
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of the textbooks. The DICT shall likewise ensure the technological management of 
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the digital repository to ensure the integrity of the system.  
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SEC. 8.  Appropriations. – The initial amount of Five hundred million (Php 
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500,000,000.00) shall be appropriated for the immediate implementation of this Act 
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and shall be jointly managed by the DepEd and DICT. The amount necessary for the 
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continuous and effective implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual 
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General Appropriations Act.  
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SEC. 9.  Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within ninety (90) days from 
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the approval of this Act, the DepEd, the DICT, and the National Library of the 
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Philippines shall promulgate the necessary implementing rules and regulations for 
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the effective implementation of this Act.  
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SEC. 10. Separability Clause. – If, for any reason, any part, section, or provisions 
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of this Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions not affected 
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thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.  
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SEC. 11. Repealing Clause. – All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, 
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rules and regulations, and parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of 
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this Act are hereby repealed or modiﬁed accordingly.  
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SEC. 12.  Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect after ﬁfteen (15) days following 
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the completion of its publication in the Oﬃcial Gazette or in at least two (2) 
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newspapers of general circulation.  
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Approved,  
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