Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
 Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________ 
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO  
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The State, under Article II, Section 24 of the 1987 Constitution, 
1 
“recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation-
2 
building.” Meanwhile, under Section 17 of the same Article, the State vows 
3 
to prioritize education and science and technology, “to foster patriotism and 
4 
nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation 
5 
and development.” Connecting these two provisions is Article XIII, Section 
6 
2(1), under which the State is mandated to “[e]stablish, maintain, and 
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support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant 
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to the needs of the people and society.” 
9 
10 
One application of this is the attention given to deepening our 
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understanding of the different types of literacy that we have to help our 
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students develop:1 
13 
14 
Per Literacy Statistics, Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media 
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Survey (FLEMMS) of 2013, 96.5 percent of Filipinos were literate, an 
16 
improvement from 95.6 percent in 2008. Almost all Filipinos ten years old 
17 
and above were basically literate, while nine out of ten Filipinos 10 to 64 years 
18 
of age were functionally literate. At least in terms of reading, writing and 
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comprehending, Filipinos have come a long way. But as we may all know, we 
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are in an era of rapid change. The age of Web 2.0 continues to thrive and 
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Filipinos have embraced it wholeheartedly. We know that we have been once 
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called the social media capital of the world, with every study on the matter 
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ranking the Philippines as among the top countries spending the most hours 
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on social media platforms. 
25 
26 
As these advancements widen their reach on our soil, the dangers they entail 
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also spread like wildfire, and their worst target is the youth. According to the 
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DQ Institute, an average Filipino child now spends 34 hours in front of digital 
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screens every week, two hours higher than the global average of 32 hours. 
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While this happens, 73 percent of our children are exposed to cyber-bullying, 
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inappropriate active searches, gaming addiction, meeting strangers online, 
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online sexual content, inappropriate adult images and inappropriate sexual 
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1 PIA, “Literacy in the age of social media,” October 10, 2018, available at 
https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1013738.  
March 31, 2021
12:15 AM
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talking. Filipino children have become increasingly vulnerable online and 
1 
such problem requires us to know more about what we’re dealing with. There 
2 
is a need to spread a new kind of literacy. 
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4 
Enter the establishment of Media and Information Education as a 
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necessary component of our primary and secondary curricula:2 
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7 
Media literacy, declares the National Association for Media Literacy Education 
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(NAMLE), “represents a necessary, inevitable, and realistic response 
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(underscoring ours) to the complex, ever-changing” electronic and 
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communication environment that has become part of the lives of millions all 
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over the planet. 
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Responsible citizenship requires citizens in a democracy not only to access 
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but also to understand and to be critical of the billions of words, bytes and 
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images—the totality of information—that the media disseminate daily 
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through print, broadcast, moving pictures, and the Internet. The interactivity 
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made possible by the new electronic media has made this an even more 
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crucial imperative not only for responsible citizenship and responsible 
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communication, but also for the development of every human being in society. 
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21 
“Today’s information and entertainment technologies,” continues NAMLE, 
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“communicate to us through a powerful combination of words, images, and 
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sounds. As such, we need to develop a wider set of literacy skills helping us 
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to both comprehend the messages we receive and effectively utilize these tools 
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to design and distribute our own messages.” 
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Being media literate thus “requires critical thinking skills that empower us as 
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we make decisions, whether in the classroom, the living room, the workplace, 
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the boardroom, or the voting booth.” 
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However, media literacy enables the individual not only to be critical of the 
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media but also to create messages appropriate to each medium. In the 
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Philippine context, media literacy is also a long-term solution to the many 
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problems and issues that afflict the Philippine media, in that a media literate 
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public aware of the role, values and standards of the media can demand that 
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the media adhere to their own standards as a necessary condition to 
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improving their capacity to provide the public the information it needs. 
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These standards the media themselves disseminate through codes of ethics 
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and professional guidelines with which media organizations encourage 
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compliance. These standards are meant to assure that media practitioners—
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who today include ordinary citizens who access the Internet and its various 
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platforms of expression to make their views known on various matters 
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including issues and events of public concern—are able to provide accurate, 
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relevant, and fair reports, analysis and opinion to the billions of individuals 
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who read newspapers, listen to the radio, view television and motion pictures, 
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and access the Internet. 
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2 Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, “Why Media Literacy?,” available at 
https://cmfr-phil.org/media-literacy/what-is-media-
literacy/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=135143fb5a99b5473da3e051c737775f9e1e7cc2-1600011205-
0-AQHnaiCBz9CKk5PbXnuCzwQstadSbf03EzCL-praC3mNK2ePLQIJPp1oxjBipp-
TSOErI2doeYCkh_A56D6kvf8HixUyPhrEornySS8vsUL8eRQp7Ntb6UkDmU0lXeBJwsCu1gQ
XR58YGghZcbtGW4-
RmJ3hedgwdZe62MKnBlBaDe4CjFsgUGoNQRgltyVOjFDFUyUtAHSUEhgBLthMcVHEBNhJy
hRPcPGIr-jbcWd5MJ7c6F1dVaZb628UI-E7HoY7LQAI1CyiRq2oQbP2g01sC-
rlOQJqxb79PlMsnfsnSe3YS2uk3OsCNqS4isMcPQ.  


1 
This bill is offered as a way to give students a responsive and structured 
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way hone their Media and Information Literacy.  This Bill aims to ensure that 
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all students in Grades 1 to 12 shall receive sufficient instruction in this field, 
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to equip them with the skills and understanding  that they will need to (1) 
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protect themselves, their community, and by extension, the nation, from fake 
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news and (2) contribute to the enrichment of knowledgeable/informed 
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discussion online, especially on national issues, as responsible citizens. 
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It is for the foregoing premises that the approval of this Bill is earnestly 
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sought. 
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12 
13 
ALFRED C. DELOS SANTOS 
14 
Representative, Ang Probinsyano Party-List 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
 Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________ 
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO  
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos 
AN ACT 
MANDATING ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY 
SCHOOLS TO INCLUDE MEDIA AND INFORMATION EDUCATION, 
INCLUDING THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF THE INTERNET, IN THEIR 
CURRICULUM, FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Media and
1 
Information Education Act.” 
2 
3 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to 
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broaden the understanding of its people of all forms of media and upheave 
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the capacity of its citizenry to identify reliable information from various media 
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platforms.   
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SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – 
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a) Media. – The wide array of modern communications such as
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television, 
cinema, 
video, 
radio, 
photography, 
advertising,
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newspapers, magazines, recorded music, and the internet;
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b) Media and Information Education. – Systemic instruction on the
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right of every citizen to understand how media operates in societies,
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to learn critical analysis and reflection on information presented by
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the different forms of media, to information itself, and to practice
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freedom of expression on or through various media platforms.3
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3 Frau-Meigs, Divina, “Media Education,” UNESCO, Paris, L’exprimeur-Paris, 2006, 
https://un-esdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000149278. 
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c) Internet. – An electronic communications network that connects 
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computer networks and organizational computer facilities around 
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the world.4 
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d) Social Media. – Forms of electronic communication through which 
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users create online communities to share information, ideas, 
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personal messages, and other content.5 
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SECTION 4. Coverage. –  All students from grade level one (1) to grade 
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level twelve (12), from both public and private schools.  
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SECTION 5. Curriculum Development. –  The Department of Education, 
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in 
close 
coordination 
with 
the 
Department 
of 
Information 
and 
12 
Communications Technology, and after thorough consultation with media 
13 
experts and practitioners, shall develop a module for the inclusion of Media 
14 
and Information Education and guidelines on the responsible use of the 
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internet in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools. 
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The modules shall include the following topics, but should not be 
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limited to: 
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a) History and Development of Media; 
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b) Types and Forms of Media; 
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c) Critical Information Analysis; 
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d) Responsible Information Dissemination; 
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e) Understanding Technology and Social Media Security Systems; and  
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f) The Data Privacy Act, as well as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 
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2012. 
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SECTION 6. Curriculum Review.  – The Department of Education shall 
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review all existing curricula that already include media information education 
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and responsible use of the internet and amend the same, if necessary, to align 
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them with the provisions stated in this Act. Furthermore, all such curricula 
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shall cohere to Section 4 of this Act and shall be reviewed every two (2) years 
33 
to ensure their relevance. 
34 
 
35 
SECTION 7. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the 
36 
implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General 
37 
Appropriations Act. 
38 
 
39 
SECTION 8. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act shall be 
40 
declared unconstitutional or invalid, such declaration shall not invalidate 
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other parts thereof which shall remain in full force and effect. 
42 
 
43 
SECTION 9. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, presidential 
44 
decrees or issuances, letters of instruction, administrative orders, rules, and 
45 
                                                          
4 Federov, Alexander, “Media Literacy Education,” Information For All, Moscow, 2015, 
https://www.ifap.ru/library/book564.pdf.  
5 Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 11th ed., Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A., 2004, s.v. 
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media.  


regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are 
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hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly. 
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SECTION 10. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) 
4 
days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general 
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circulation. 
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Approved, 
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