SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
)
Senate
ill tl)f fernftflrj»
17 
FFB 14 P4 :12
SENATE
S B. No. 1331
received 8/;
Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
AN ACT INSTITUTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION LEARNING RESOURCE CENTERS FOR CHILDREN AND 
YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIVISIONS, PROVIDING 
FOR STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Sec. 1, Article XIV of the 1987 Philippine Constitution says that the State shall 
promote the "right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take 
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all," calling for the establishment 
of a "complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the 
people and society." Further, the right of persons with disabilities to education is 
guaranteed by international law, particularly Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of 
Persons with Disabilities Hence, the universality and inclusiveness of education is a 
fundamental policy aim of the country.
Several laws already affirm this policy directive, but gaps persist especially those 
concerning the delivery and quality of education for children with disabilities. A 2011 
Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) showed that up to twice as many 
female Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) than male PWDs do not complete any primary 
education at all-hindered by cost and social barriers.
Inadequate resources are devoted to building up the tailored capabilities and 
expertise that allow even the differently abled to gain a meaningful education. Rappler 
reported that only 620 out of 34,000 public elementary schools across the country either 
have a Special Education (SPED) center or at least offers a SPED program.1
The foregoing measure aims to fill in these policy gaps by calling for the 
establishment of inclusive education learning resource centers for children and youth with 
special needs nationwide-in a bid to further expand the avowed accessibility of Philippine 
education. Therefore, the immediate enactment of this measure is earnestly sought.
.SONNY ANGARA
1 http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/education/51277-long-way-special-education


SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
)
Jennie
a( itjr *r'rrpt«r;i
*17 
FEB 14 P 4:12
SENATE
S.B. No. 1331
RECEIVED BY;
Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
AN ACT INSTITUTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION LEARNING RESOURCE CENTERS FOR CHILDREN AND 
YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIVISIONS, PROVIDING 
FOR STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as the “Inclusive Education 
Learning Resource Center A ct."
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SEC. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  It is hereby declared the policy of the State to protect 
and promote the rights of children and youth with special needs to quality education and 
to take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to them. The State 
recognizes their vital role in society and endeavors to include their needs as an integral 
part of national development strategies.
It is also the policy of the State to fully support their welfare and development, 
ensure their full integration in society, as well as facilitate their active participation in the 
affairs of the State. Towards this end, and pursuant to the 1987 Constitution specifically: 
Section 13, Article II; Section 13, Article XIII; and Sections 1 and 2, paragraphs 1 and 3, 
Article XIV, Articles 3 and 12 of Presidential Decree No. 6 0 3 -The Child and Youth Welfare 
Code (1974), and Sections 12-14 of Republic Act No. 9442-An Act Amending RA 7277 
otherwise known as the "Magna Carta For Disabled Persons, And For Other Purposes" 
(2008), 
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), UNESCO Salamanca 
Statement (1984), UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) and 
Incheon Strategy to Make the Rights Real for Persons with Disability in Asia and Pacific 
(2012) and other relevant laws, the State shall institutionalize an adequate and relevant 
educational program for every child and youth with special needs by adopting the policy 
of inclusive education, the establishment of Inclusive Education Learning Resource 
Centers, and the provision of vital support mechanisms required to ensure their


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effectiveness. All children and youth with special needs in any degree of sensory, physical 
or intellectual disability or need, shall therefore have the opportunity to be developed in 
the most enhancing environment, consistent with the provision of a quality education that 
best meets their needs.
SEC. 3. Objectives. -  This Act shall pursue the following:
(a) Provide children and youth with special needs free and appropriate public education 
and related services in accordance with their needs, and in preparation for adult living 
and community life;
(b) Provide children and youth with special needs access to general education curriculum 
through the formal systems and alternative delivery services in education;
(c) Institute Inclusive Education and establish Inclusive Education Learning Resource 
Centers for inclusion of children and youth with special needs in the educational 
mainstream;
(d) Ensure that children and youth with special needs fully develop their potentials toward 
self- sufficiency and become fully participative members of society;
(e) Identify thru a child find system children and youth with special needs ages 3-24 and 
infants and toddlers under age 3 in compliance with the Early Years Act of 2013 
(R.A.10410);
(f) Develop, implement, and review Individualized Education Program;
(g) Provide parents with information and opportunities to actively participate in the 
possible placement options for their children and to enable them to make informed 
choices and decisions;
(h) Enable and empower parents and family members by training and equipping them 
with capabilities to identify, prevent, refer or intervene with regards disorders and 
disabilities of their children;
(i) Train 
and 
equip 
special 
education 
teachers, 
regular teachers, 
principals/ 
administrators, non-teaching staff of the school, and caregivers a primary source of 
care, development, education and advancement of children and youth with special 
needs;
G) Increase school retention and cohort survival of children and youth with special needs; 
and
(k) Create significant and positive changes in community attitudes towards disability and 
the need to provide inclusive education and proper care for children and youth with 
special needs.


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SECTION 4. Definition o f Terms. -  As used in this Act:
(a) Basic education refers to meeting the basic learning needs which provide the 
foundation on which subsequent learning can be based. It encompasses kindergarten, 
elementary and secondary education as well as alternative learning systems for out-of- 
school learners and those with special needs;
(b) Children and youth with special needs refer to children and youth who are gifted or
talented, or with neuropsychological retardation, learning disabilities, emotional or 
behavioral disorders, speech and language disorders, hearing impairments, visual 
impairments, autism, physical or health disabilities, deaf-blindness and multiple 
handicapping conditions and are in need of special education as well as services for 
rehabilitation. 
They 
differ 
from 
the 
average 
children 
in 
neuropsychological 
characteristics, sensory abilities, neuromuscular or physical characteristics, and 
social 
attributes to such an extent that the use of modified school practices or special education 
services are required to develop them to maximum capability. They may 
be
classified as children with exceptionalities such as the following:
(1) 
Autism - 
those with developmental disabilities marked by disturbance in 
development, language and relationship with persons, activities and objects and which 
may coexist with intellectual disability and epilepsy. Children afflicted with this disorder 
have perceptual, cognitive, communication and social difficulties that change over time;
(2) 
Behavioral Disturbance - those who cannot adjust to the socially-accepted norms 
of behavior and consequently disrupt their academic progress, the learning efforts of their 
classmates, and their interpersonal relations;
(3) Gifted or talented - those who are capable of superior performance including those 
with demonstrated achievement or potential ability in one or more of the following areas: 
general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative or productive thinking 
ability, leadership ability, ability in the visual or performing arts, and psychomotor ability; 
or, those individuals who consistently manifest the following cluster of traits: above 
average ability 
(including intelligence), high creativity (implies the developmental 
appreciation of innovative ideas) and high task commitment (related to a high degree of 
motivation); and those who by reason thereof, require services or activities not ordinarily 
provided by a school;


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(4) Deaf- those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Deaf persons are those whose hearing 
is non-functional for ordinary purposes in life; the hard-of-hearing have a defective sense 
of hearing but are still functional with or without a hearing aid;
(5) Learning disabilities - those, although normal in sensory, emotional and intellectual 
abilities, 
have 
a 
condition 
that 
causes 
impediment/impairment 
in 
perception, 
comprehension, listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling or arithmetic;
(6) Multiple disabilities - those with more than one disability such as the deaf­
blindness (concomitant hearing and visual impairments) or those diagnosed with autism 
and intellectual disability; mental retardation-orthopedic impairment;
(7) Deaf blindness - concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of 
which results in severe communication and other development and education needs that 
cannot be served in programs solely for the blind and deaf.
(8) Neuropsychological retardation/ intellectual disability - those who have substantial 
limitation in present functioning characterized by significant sub-average intellectual 
functioning co-existing with other limitations in two or more of the following applicable 
adaptive skill areas: communication, self-care, home living, social skills, community use, 
self-direction, health and safety, functional academics, leisure and work;
(9) Orthopedic/physical disabilities - those who have impairments caused by any of the 
following: a) congenital anomaly (e.g. clubfoot, spinal cord injury, etc.); b) disease (e.g. 
poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc.); and c) impairments from other causes (e.g. gerbera 
palsy, amputations, and fractures, etc.). The impairment permanently or temporarily 
interferes with the normal functions of the joints, muscles or limbs;
(10j Special health problems - those who have health conditions that tend to keep them 
out-of-school, or those with chronic and/or debilitating illnesses such as cardiac disease, 
asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis and other respiratory ailments, carcenonza, epilepsy, and 
malnutrition;
(11) Speech impairment and delays - those who have difficulty in expressing or 
articulating words in a manner understandable by others;
(12) Visual impairment - those who are blind or have low vision. Persons are blind if they 
have visual capacity of 20/200 or less in the better eye after maximum correction. Low


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vision persons retain relatively low degree of vision and can read only enlarged print or 
regular print under special conditions;
(cj Handicap refers to a disadvantage of an individual, resulting from an impairment or a 
disability that limits or prevents the function or activity that is considered normal, given 
the age and gender of the individual;
(d) Impairment refers to any loss, diminution or aberration of psychological, physiological 
or anatomical structure or function;
(e) Individualized Education Program (lEP) refers to the systematic, purposive and 
developmental educational programming of curricular and instructional priorities and 
contents designed to meet a learner’s special needs and aimed at ensuring mastery 
learning of target skills and behaviors; including periodic monitoring of child’s progress 
and age- appropriate transition plan relating to training, employment, and independent 
living beginning at age 16 or earlier as determined by the lEP team;
(f) Learning differences refer to any of the following:
1. a physical or mental or sensory and intellectual impairment that substantially limits 
one 
or 
more 
psychological, physiological, anatomical, sensory or intellectual 
function of an individual;
2. a record of such an impairment; or,
3. being regarded as having such an impairment;
(g) 
Private sector participation refers to all forms of indispensable, substantial and 
meaningful participation of private individuals, 
partnerships, groups or entities, 
community-based organizations or non-governmental organizations, in the delivery of 
educational and rehabilitative services for children with special needs;
(h) 
Special Education refers to the customized instructional program/service designed 
to meet the unique needs of individual children and youth with special needs, which may 
necessitate use of 
supplementary aids and services and teaching strategies in 
classroom and non- academic settings, and includes instructions on physical and 
vocational education and travel training. 
Special education addresses significant 
physical, sensory, neuropsychological, cognitive or behavioral characteristics that may 
necessitate the use of specialized materials, equipment, services and/or teaching 
strategies. It is geared towards the integration of children with special needs into the 
education mainstream;


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(i) 
Inclusive Education means providing to all students, including those with significant 
disabilities, equitable opportunities to receive effective educational services, with the 
needed supplementary aids and support services, in age-appropriate classrooms in their 
neighborhood schools, in order to prepare students productive lives as full members of 
society (National Center on Educational Restructuring and Inclusion, 1995). It requires 
that schools educate children and youth with special needs predominantly in general 
education classroom. Removal of children and youth with special needs from the regular 
educational environment, like special class or separate schooling, occurs only when 
education in regular classes even with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot 
be made satisfactorily due to the nature of the special needs.
(j) Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center is a resource hub that provide 
students, teachers, school personnel and other education stakeholders of children and 
youth with special needs appropriate instructional learning materials, tools, devices, 
gadgets, equipment to facilitate and enhance learning; assessment tools and instruments 
to evaluate developmental domains and specific areas of concern necessary in 
determining appropriate services and placement decisions;
(k) Special instructional materials refer to textbooks in Braille, large type or any other 
medium or apparatus, that convey information to a student or otherwise contributes to the 
learning process;
(l) Universal Design for Learning is a framework that provides educators with a structure 
to meet the wide range of diversity among learners by providing flexibility in the ways 
information is presented and by reducing barriers in instruction, providing appropriate 
accommodations and supports. The three principles of UDL are access, assessment, 
and engagement (Higher Equal Opportunity Act, 2008).
SEC. 5. 
Establishment o f Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers for 
Children and Youth with Special Needs in all Public Schools Divisions. -  An 
Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center for children and youth with special needs 
shall be established in all public schools divisions nationwide where there are no existing 
Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center. Existing Inclusive Education Learning 
Resource Centers shall continue to function and additional ones shall be established 
when the need arises due to increased number of enrollees, upon recommendation of the 
Schools Division Superintendent and approval of the Secretary of the Department of 
Education (DepEd).


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All 
Inclusive Education Learning 
Resource Centers will comply with the 
requirements of the Universal Design Principle.
SEC. 6. 
Function o f an Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center. -  The 
Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center shall function as a resource center that 
shall assist in promoting inclusive education to capacitate regular schools to effectively 
handle the needs of children and youth with disability. It shall:
(a) support children and youth with special needs so they could be integrated/included in 
regular classes;
(b) conduct 
assessment 
of 
children 
and 
youth 
with 
special 
needs 
to 
evaluate developmental 
domains 
and 
specific 
areas 
of 
concern 
and 
determine appropriate services and placement options;
(c) conduct school- based training of children and youth with special needs;
(d) undertake case management and coordination of services;
(e) provide training to regular teachers, administrators, non-teaching personnel and 
parents on inclusive education;
(f) produce appropriate teaching materials for children and youth with special needs;
(g) implement the programs of the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center such 
as the Individualized Education Program and other alternative educational programs;
(h) provide auxiliary aids and services or services that are basically non-educational, but 
which enhance the education process of the child and youth with special needs. These 
services include:
1. 
language 
and 
speech 
therapy, 
occupational 
therapy, 
physical 
and 
physiotherapy, among other modes of therapy;
quality interpretations or other effective methods of delivering materials; 
quality reading, taped tests or other effective methods of delivering materials 
to 
individuals with visual impairments; 
acquisition or modification of equipment or devices; 
appropriate classroom accommodation; and,
other similar services and actions or all types of aids and services that facilitate 
the learning process of children and youth with special needs; and 
7. 
assist, facilitate, monitor the transfer or admission of qualified children and 
youth with special needs to post- secondary or tertiary education institutions.
SEC. 7. Staffing and Responsibilities. — In addition to teachers with special training to 
handle 
children 
and 
youth 
with 
special 
needs, 
each 
Inclusive 
Education 
Learning Resource Center shall have a Supervisor, an Administrative Core and 
Placement Committee. Mobile Special Education (SPED) teachers and the Mobile Multi-
2.
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4.
5.
6.


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Specialist Inclusive Education Division Support Team who will serve as human resource 
complement.
(a) Supervisor - The Supervisor shall: 
head the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center; 
administer and supervise the Inclusive Learning Resource Center Program;
iii. oversee the other components of the Inclusive Education Learning Resource 
Learning Resource Center Program;
iv. monitor, supervise and provide technical assistance, training, and enhancement 
programs of the Inclusive Educational Learning Resource Center personnel;
(b) Administrative Core and Placement Committee - The Placement Committee shall, in 
consultation with and active participation of parents, and developmental pediatrician 
among others, ensure that students with disabilities are educated by appropriate qualified 
personnel as close as possible to their homes and alongside their age-appropriate peer 
groups. It is also tasked to develop and maintain a data bank on special education in 
respective jurisdiction. This Committee shall be composed of;
(1) any one (1) of the following; developmental pediatrician, neurological psychiatrist, 
educational psychologist, guidance counselor or psychometrician
(2) one (1) physical therapist;
(3) one (1) occupational therapist;
(4) one (1) speech and language therapist/speech correction teacher;
(5) one (1) reading specialist;
(6) sign language specialist; and
(7) the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center Supervisor.
(c) Mobile SPED Teachers - Mobile SPED teachers shall be appointed whenever 
necessary. Their principal task is CHILD-YOUTH FIND (find and identify children and 
youth with special needs unable to attend formal schooling due to accessibility and 
mobility limitations) and determine appropriate learning modalities using the program and 
services of the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center. 
They shall share 
responsibility for program planning and scheduling, and assist isolated or remote schools 
with specialized equipment, individual programs, curriculum adjustment, teaching aids 
and building modifications. The Alternative Learning System (ALS) shall be an integral 
component of the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center.
(d) Mobile Multi-Specialist Inclusive Education Division Support Team - DepEd shall outfit 
each school division with a Mobile Multi- Specialist Inclusive Education Division Support 
Team comprised of a SPED Education Supervisor, Occupational Therapist, Physical


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Therapist, Speech Therapist/Pathologist, Sign Language Specialist, Guidance and 
Counseling Specialist, Developmental Pediatrician, Educational Psychologist, Materials 
Production Specialist and other specialists deemed necessary. They will serve as 
consultants and will be drawn from professional organizations based in the region or 
nearby region where the division is based.
SEC. 8. Remuneration and Benefits for Inclusive Education Learning. -  Resource 
Center Personnel - The salary grades of SPED teachers and the Supervisor managing 
the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers shall be in accordance with the 
Revised Compensation and Classification System and other Civil Service Rules and 
Regulations.
The DepEd shall enhance the right of the teachers/instructors to professional 
advancement and ensure that the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers shall 
attract the best available teaching staff and talents through adequate remuneration, 
scholarship and training grants, teacher exchange programs, incentives and allowances 
and other means of securing their job satisfaction and fulfillment as well as their long and 
stable tenure in their respective posts. A similar program shall be designed for support 
personnel to include interpreters, psychologists, social workers involved in the education 
and rehabilitation of children and youth with special needs, teachers, and other personnel 
of Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center.
The DepEd, in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), 
shall identify at least one (1) leading institution or university in Luzon, Visayas and 
Mindanao whose faculty is considered or regarded as highly competent in the area of 
special and inclusive education and where a uniform or standardized curriculum for any 
post-graduate education program shall be designed to benefit SPED teachers and other 
personnel of Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers. The manner of selection of 
such institution shall be provided under the rules and regulations to be formulated to 
implement the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 9. In-Service Training o f Teachers, Adm inistrators, and Non-Teaching 
Personnel. -
(a) To build a culture for Inclusive Education, DepEd shall offer basic and advanced 
seminars on disability awareness and inclusive education for the following education 
stakeholders: principals and administrators, regular teacher’s, non-teaching staff and 
personnel.
(b) 
Specialist teachers for children and youth with specials needs will be provided 
opportunities for annual upgrading in their area of specializations like interventions for 
learning, sign language fluency and other topics deemed necessary by DepEd.


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SEC. 10. A uthority o f the Secretary o f Education to Give Grants to. or Enter into 
Cooperative Arrangements for the Creation o f Inclusive Education Reource 
Centers. -  The Secretary of Education is hereby authorized to give grants to, or enter 
into cooperative arrangements or contracts with public or private non-profit agencies, 
institutions or organizations for the establishment or creation of Inclusive Education 
Learning Resource Centers or implementation of programs such as the following:
(a) Technical assistance to Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center teachers 
who are preparing to serve or are serving children and youth with special needs for 
inclusion and mainstreaming;
(b) Training of professionals or related services personnel including all regular teachers;
(c) Replication of successful innovative approaches in providing educational or related 
services to children and youth with special need;
(d) Facilitation of parental involvement in the education of their children and youth with 
special needs;
(e) Diagnosis and educational evaluation of children and youth with special needs;
(f) Consultative, counseling and training services for the families of children and youth 
with special needs; and,
(g) Familiarization of the municipality or city being served by an Inclusive Education 
Learning Resource Center with the problems and potentialities of such children and 
youth.
SEC. 11. 
Creation o f an Inclusive Education Program Office at Depend Central 
Office. -  DepEd shall set-up a new Inclusive ED Program Office that will focus on policy 
formulation and program development for children and youth with special needs. The 
Office is primarily tasked with the formulation and administration of policies and 
developmentally-suited programs primarily to achieve functional literacy of the children 
and youth with special needs to facilitate inclusion in society. The full continuum of 
educational services shall be made available by the Office to children and youth with 
special needs below school age through regular home visits, consultations, day care 
activities and other programs.
The Inclusive ED Program Office will be under the DepEd Undersecretary for 
Programs and Projects and will be headed by a director and assisted by division chiefs 
for the (1) Children and Youth with Disability Division and (2) Gifted and Talented Children 
and Youth Division. The Division Chiefs will assist in the formulation, implementation, 
monitoring, and evaluation of policies, programs and services for children and youth with 
special needs.
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SEC. 12. Continuing Research to Identify Needs o f Children and Youth with Special 
Needs/Disability. -  The DepEd, by itself or in coordination with organizations or 
institutions, shall undertake continuing research to identify and design programs that shall 
meet the full range of needs of children and youth with specials needs: Provided, That 
such continuing research shall also be used to develop instructional techniques for use 
by the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers towards improving the children's 
and youth acquisition of skills necessary for their transition to independent living, 
vocational training or competitive development: Provided, further. That such continuing 
research shall be used by the DepEd in designing a physical education and therapeutic 
recreation program to be used by the Centers to increase the potential of the children and 
youth for community participation.
SEC. 13. Student Assistance. — The DepEd shall provide financial assistance to 
marginalized or disadvantaged children and youth with special needs at the elementary 
and secondary levels which may come in the form of scholarship grants; allowances for 
transportation, food, lodging, and books; student loan programs; artistic and cultural tours; 
training 
programs; 
subsidies 
for 
educational 
assessment 
and 
diagnosis; 
and 
other incentives. These include those who lack access to rehabilitative services and 
educational opportunities due to being poor, as defined in R.A. No. 8425 otherwise known 
as the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act, been have abandoned, are ill, or are 
neglected.
Marginalized or disadvantaged children and youth with special needs coming from 
indigenous communities shall be given priority in the grant of assistance.
Special equipment like wheelchairs, crutches, special toilet and hygiene 
requirements, hearing aids, eyeglasses, learning devices, and other assistive devises 
required by the students to optimize education and participation in the educational 
process shall also be provided for free or at discounted rates to deserving students, and 
at very affordable rates, in general, through a reasonable funding scheme that shall be 
designed by the DepEd.
SEC. 14. Recreational and A rtistic Opportunities. -  The DepEd shall institute 
opportunities for safe and wholesome individual as well as interactive group recreation 
and social activities; optimal use of their leisure hours; and advancement of their physical, 
mental, social and cultural development.
SEC. 15. Special Instructional Materials. -  Publishers shall grant the DepEd the 
authority to transcribe adopted instructional materials into accessible format, without 
penalty or payment of royalty in accordance with R.A. No. 8293 otherwise known as the
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Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. Further, publishers of newly adopted 
materials shall provide, not later than the second working day after the adoption of 
textbook titles by the DepEd, the digital copy as specified by the DepEd for the purpose 
of producing accessible versions of the textbooks for students with reading disabilities. 
The accessible versions may be produced by the DepEd or by non- profit accessible book 
producers, which may be copied and distributed upon request, to a Schools Division for 
instructional purposes.
Copies of these instructional materials shall be furnished without cost to either the 
children and youth with special needs or the teacher who is handling their instruction.
SEC. 16. Incentives fo r Private Sector Participation. -  Partnership between the 
government and private institutions catering to the needs of children and youth with 
special needs be encouraged. 
All revenues generated by the Inclusive Education 
Learning Resource Center in public elementary and high school, owned, operated and 
controlled by the DepEd shall be exempt from income tax. Any donation, contribution, 
bequest and grant which may be made to the Inclusive Education Learning Resource 
Center shall be exempt from donor’s tax and the same shall be considered as allowable 
deduction from the gross income in the computation of the income tax of the donor in 
accordance with the provisions of R.A. No. 8424 otherwise known as the National Internal 
Revenue Code of 1997, as amended: Provided, That such donations shall not be 
disposed of, transferred or sold. Economic, technical and cultural books and publications 
shall be imported duty-free upon certification by the DepEd that such imported books and 
publications are for economic, technical, vocational, scientific, philosophical, historical or 
cultural purposes, in accordance with the provisions of the Customs Modernization and 
Tariff Act.
SEC. 17. Integration/Inclusion o f Children with Disability in Child Development/ 
Day Care Centers. -  Child Development/Day Care Centers specially designed for pre­
school children and their parents, where early identification of disabilities and special 
needs and introductory educational and intervention programs will be administered, shall 
also be established near or within existing Inclusive Education Learning Resource 
Centers, or in other Centers that shall be supported by the DepEd with the support of 
the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council, Department of Social 
Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Local Government Unit (LGU) in the area. As far 
as practicable, the use of existing day care centers and facilities shall be maximized.
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SEC. 18. N utritional P rog ram s.- The National Nutrition Council (NNC) shall determine 
and prescribe appropriate nutritional programs for children with special needs for 
implementation by the Department of Health (DOH) and the DepEd.
SEC. 19. Parent, Sibling and Caregiver Education. -  A formal training and counseling 
program shall be developed through 
joint efforts of DepEd, DSWD, LCDs, Early 
Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council, and Disabled People's Organizations 
(DPOs), Non-government organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to 
equip parents, siblings, and caregivers of children and youth with special needs with a 
working knowledge of special education, an understanding of the psychology of children 
with special needs, and the awareness of their crucial role as educators so that they, in 
turn, can maximize their knowledge and skills to fully participate in developing the 
potentials of children and youth with special needs. Parents should also be appraised of 
procedural safeguards to protect the educational rights of children and their parents, and 
processes to resolve disputes and complaints related to the education of children and 
youth with special needs.
SEC. 20. Local Government Unit Participation. -  The LGUs shall use their Special 
Education Fund for the following:
(a) provision of sites, buildings or centers where there are no existing school facilities that 
may be used for the special education of children with special needs, as well as the 
establishment of day care pursuant to Sec. 15 hereof;
(a) identification, coordination and the tapping of public or private volunteers and 
private 
organizations, national or international, for information dissemination campaigns, 
funding programs and other projects to augment the funding of Inclusive Education 
programs and equipment, among others; and, 
a. provision of counterpart funds for nutritional programs, educational assessment 
program of children and youth with special needs in their respective localities that 
would be initiated by the DepEd, in coordination with the Department of Budget and 
Management (DBM) and the Department of Finance (DOF).
SEC. 21. 
Public Information, Education and Communication. — A nationwide 
information dissemination campaign on the prevention, early identification and the 
strategic intervention programs for children and youth with special needs shall be 
intensified. This shall be the joint responsibility of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), 
Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) and DepEd. 
Likewise, the DepEd, in 
collaboration with DOH, DOLE, LGUs shall disseminate materials and information
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concerning effective practices in working with, training and educating children with special 
needs.
SEC. 22. Appropriations. — The Secretary of the DepEd shall immediately include in 
the DepEd program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included 
in the annual General Appropriations Act. Separate appropriation will be provided for 
children and youth with disabilities and talented or gifted children and youth.
SEC. 23. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The DepEd, in coordination with the 
DSWD, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), DOH. DOF, Bureau of 
Internal Revenue (BIR), and CWC shall promulgate and issue the necessary guidelines 
for the creation and operation of Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers within 
sixty (60) days after the effectivity of this Act.
SEC. 24. Separability Clause. -  If for any reason, a provision or part hereof is declared 
invalid, other provisions not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect.
SEC. 25. Repealing Clause.-AW laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations 
contrary or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified 
accordingly.
SEC. 26. Effectivity. -  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,
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