TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE
S. No. 951
.Ofr,:.' o!:: 
■;>
25 AUG-5 P4-.11
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
DIGITIZING ALL BOOKS NECESSARY FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION AND 
ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE ONLINE LIBRARY, PROVIDING FUNDS 
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
E-government is defined by the United Nations as "the use of information and 
communication technologies (ICT) to more effectively and efficiently deliver 
government services to citizens and business. It is the application of ICT in 
government operations, achieving public ends by digital means".1 Consistent with 
this, Republic Act No. 10844 or the "Department of Information and Communications 
Technology Act of 2015" also defined e-government as "the use of ICT by the 
government and the public to enhance the access to and delivery of government 
services to bring about efficient, responsive, ethical, accountable and transparent 
government service."
Cybersecurity firm Surfshark annually surveys the Digital Quality of Life Index 
of more than 120 countries in the world which "reveals insights into factors that impact 
a country's digital well-being and areas that should be prioritized for future 
improvement." It builds upon five pillars, namely: internet quality, internet 
affordability, e-infrastructure, e-government, and e-security. In the 2024 Index, the
■ Overview (un.org)


Philippines ranked 57th in the world an Improvement of three (3) notches from its 
ranking in the previous year, and 15th out of 35 countries in Asia. The individual 
ranking of the country per pillar are as follows: 101st in internet affordability; 44th in 
internet quality; 73rd in electronic infrastructure; 45th in electronic security; and 61st in 
electronic government.2
One sector that will greatly benefit from e-government is the education sector. 
The delivery of education will have broader reach in a faster and more convenient 
manner with the use of ICT. Among others, the availability of various reference and 
reading materials will be more efficient and accessible with the use of modern 
technology that will allow the storage of bigger volumes of materials, digital and more 
secure storage, usage by multiple readers, interactive modalities and user-friendly 
interface.
At present, the National Library of the Philippines (NLP), University of the 
Philippines (UP), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of 
Agriculture (DA), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) collaborated to 
launch the project, the Philippine eLib which "hopes to provide for the information 
needs of all sectors of society in a convenient, affordable, and efficient way of 
delivery".3 The project is funded through the e-Government Fund.
The "Philippine Online Library Act" seeks to replicate this project by catering 
especially to elementary and secondary students. It proposes to create a digitized 
copy of all textbooks and reference books in the said level and make them available 
online. Such online library will complement the existing physical libraries in schools 
and in local government units around the country. It will also aid both teachers and 
learners who continue to utilize various learning modalities, including online and hybrid 
classes, especially during weather disturbances including days when high heat indices 
are recorded.
2 DQL Index in Philippines — latest insights by Surfshark
3 Philippine eLibrarv I National Library of the Philippines (nip.gov.ph)


For School Year 2024-2025, the Department of Education (DepEd) recorded a 
total of 20,598,072 learners, wherein 11,301,108 learners are from Elementary Level; 
6,204,006 learners are Junior High; 2,870,891 learners are Senior High School; and 
222,067 learners are under the Alternative Learning System.4 The insufficient number 
of textbooks in public schools remain a serious concern and with this sheer number of 
students, making the achievement of the ideal textbook to student ratio far from 
realization. In this light, the Philippine Online Library can supplement the required 
books, especially to students who has internet connectivity.
Apart from serving the needs of teachers and learners, the Philippine Online 
Library will be a central repository of all digitized textbooks and reference materials 
for the country's basic education. This reliable database will be useful to both the 
present and future generations.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this 
recommended.
is highly
OY E3ERCITO ESTRADA
4 Angara observes smooth opening of SY 2024-2025 amid rain I Department of Education
3


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S. No. 951
c.y-'»■ 1.1 •'
•'(©ffiti* of ir.j ?■■■ •• i-tvo
25 AUG-5 P4:11
RHCEIViD
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
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AN ACT
DIGITIZING ALL BOOKS NECESSARY FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION AND 
ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE ONLINE LIBRARY, PROVIDING FUNDS 
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
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 '''Philippine Online Library
Act".
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It shall be the policy of the State to ensure that 
its citizens are computer literate and are provided access to an increasingly digitized 
world. Thus, the State shall provide its citizens with the opportunity to increase their 
adaptability with information and communications technology, and to enhance their 
learning experience by providing access to digitized copies of textbooks necessary for 
the provision of quality primary and secondary education.
Sec. 3. Philippine Online Library. - The Department of Education (DepEd) shall 
create a digitized copy of all textbooks and reference books it deems necessary for 
the public education of Philippine elementary and secondary students. This shall be 
compiled in the Philippine Online Library which shall be jointly managed by the DepEd 
and the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT).
Sec. 4. Provision for Access to the Digitized Copies of Textbooks. - 
The DepEd shall ensure access to the digitized copies of textbooks by providing 
computers, laptops or appropriate wherewithal to all primary and secondary public


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schools nationwide. Similarly, in order to ensure access to the digitized copies of
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textbooks, the DICT shall provide fast and reliable internet access to each primary and
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secondary public school.
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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 that
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is representative of Filipino culture and literature. DepEd shall also be allowed to add
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other online materials that it deems necessary for expanding the learning opportunities
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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 of
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the textbooks. The DICT shall likewise ensure the technological management of the
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digital repository to ensure the integrity of the system.
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Sec. 8. Appropriations. - The initial amount of Five hundred million
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(P500,000,000.00) 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 the
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effective execution and enforcement 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.
Approved,