SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. 
1145 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 2, Section 17 provides: 
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JUL 29 ,,'J 
SEC. 17. 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. 
Internet literacy is one of the emerging skills in demand in today's labor market. As we 
go further into the information age, companies all over the world continue to rely on the World 
Wide Web to share and gather information. More and more, we need to have our labor force to 
be well versed on the Internet in order to be competitive. 
We need to increase Internet literacy of our workforce allover the country. Not only do 
we increase the value of our workers, we also increase the possibility of our local institutions 
being capable of setting up processes online. In undertaking this task, we need to designate an 
educational institution, which can assist in the technical preparation and implementation, as well 
as determine and disseminate best practices across the country. 
This bill seeks to establish a system of grant that would enable our local government 
units to establish a workforce internet training program .• 
~~ 4trv·vt-.- J~ 
.MIRIAM DEFElYSOR SANTIA/O 
~ 
• This bill was originally filed in the Fourteenth Congress, Second Regular Session. 
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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
"13 
JUL 29 P 2 :34 
SENATE 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO INVEST IN INTERNET TRAINING FOR THE WORKFORCE 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Workforce Internet Training 
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Act" 
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SECTION 2. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the term: 
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A. Secretary - means Secretary of Labor and Employment; 
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B. Department - means Department of Labor and Employment; 
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C. Local Government Units (LGU) - shall be limited to provinces and chartered cities. 
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SECTION 3. Grant. - The Secretary shall make one grant of not more than One Million 
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Pesos (M,OOO,OOO) to each LGU to establish workforce investment programs that enable 
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individuals to take courses on the Internet to enhance employment opportunities among their 
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constituents. A LGU may use such grant to leverage other national, local, and private resources, 
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in order to expand the participation of businesses, employees, and individuals in such workforce 
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investment programs. 
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The Department shall distribute the grants over a period of years, prioritizing LGUs, 
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which are more capable of implementing the programs immediately. 
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SECTION 4. Grant to Postsecondary Institution. - The Secretary shall make a grant of 
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not more than One Million Pesos (I!1,000,000) to one eligible postsecondary educational 
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institution to provide the services described in this paragraph. 
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SECTION 5. Eligibility for Grant. - To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
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subsection, a postsecondary educational institution shall-
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A. have demonstrated ability to disseminate research on best practices for implementing 
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workforce training programs; 
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B. have a proven record of working with government agencies m developing and 
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implementing workforce training programs. 
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SECTION 6. Services Provided by Postsecondary Institution Grantee. -
The 
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postsecondary educational institution that receives a grant under this subsection shall use such 
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grant-
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A. to collaborate with, and to provide technical assistance to, LGUs that receive grants 
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under this Act; 
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B. to conduct and to disseminate research on best practices for implementing workforce 
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investment programs described in Section 3 to such LGU; and 
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C. to demonstrate and to share cutting-edge technological innovations in skills training 
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with such LGU. 
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SECTION 7. Appropriations. -The amount necessary for the initial implementation of 
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this Act shall be charged against the appropriations of the Department of Labor and Employment 
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under the current General Appropriations Act. Thereafter, such sum as may be necessary for its 
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full implementation shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act as a distinct and 
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separate item. 
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SECTION 8. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or t\le provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
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valid and subsisting. 
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