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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILLNO. ____ 
Introduced by REP. BERNADETTE “DETTE” G. ESCUDERO 
AN ACT  
ESTABLISHING PUBLIC BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS IN 
GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED AND DISADVANTAGED AND CONFLICT-
AFFECTED AREAS, PROVIDING ACCESS ROADS LEADING TO LAST MILE 
SCHOOLS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Education is a fundamental right enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, 
which mandates the State to ensure access to quality education for all, particularly for 
underserved and marginalized sectors.  
Despite this constitutional mandate, thousands of Filipino learners residing in 
geographically isolated, disadvantaged, and conflict-affected areas (GIDCA) continue 
to face systemic barriers in accessing basic education. These challenges are 
compounded by inadequate infrastructure, lack of essential learning facilities, absence 
of qualified teachers, and limited community support mechanisms.  
This measure seeks to address the persistent educational inequities faced by 
learners in GIDCAs across the country. Through this measure, the government shall 
establish functional public basic education schools equipped with essential learning 
facilities and amenities, and by improving access through the construction of access 
roads and the installation of basic utilities like electricity and internet connection. 
Likewise, another salient intervention of this bill is to craft a five-year roadmap that 
outlines a comprehensive strategy for bridging the educational development gap in 
these underserved communities.  
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. BERNADETTE “DETTE” G. ESCUDERO 
Representative 
1st District, Sorsogon
July 3, 2025
2:14 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILLNO. ____ 
Introduced by REP. BERNADETTE “DETTE” G. ESCUDERO 
AN ACT  
ESTABLISHING PUBLIC BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS IN 
GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED AND DISADVANTAGED AND CONFLICT-
AFFECTED AREAS, PROVIDING ACCESS ROADS LEADING TO LAST MILE 
SCHOOLS, 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 “Last Mile Schools 
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Act”. 
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SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is the declared policy of the State to protect 
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and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and take 
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appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. 
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The State recognizes and promotes the rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities 
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within the framework of national unity and development. To this end, the State shall 
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recognize the right of indigenous families and communities to retain shared 
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responsibility for upbringing, training, education and well-being of their children, 
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consistent with the rights of the child. 
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The State shall improve the quality and access to basic education of children in the 
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far-flung, isolated, disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas, as well as those in Last 
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Mile Schools, by investing on school infrastructures and roads leading to the said public 
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schools. 
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SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. As used in this Act: 
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(a) Basic education refers to the intended basic learning needs which provide
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the foundation on which subsequent learning can be based. It includes
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kindergarten, elementary and secondary education as well as alternative 
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learning systems for out-of-school learners and those with special needs; 
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(b) Basic Education School refers to learning institutions accredited by the 
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Department of Education (DepEd) to deliver services addressing the intended 
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basic learning needs of students; 
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(c) Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs)/Indigenous Peoples (IPs) refer to 
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the same definition stated in Section 3h, Chapter 2 of Republic Act No. 8371, 
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or “The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997”, which describes it as “group 
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of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription 
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by others, who have continuously lived as organized community on communally 
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bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since 
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time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories, sharing 
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common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural 
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traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads 
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of colonization, non- indigenous religions and cultures, became historically 
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differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. ICCs/IPs shall likewise include 
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peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the 
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populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or 
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colonization, or at the time of inroads of non- indigenous religions and cultures, 
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or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of 
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their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions, but who may have 
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been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled 
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outside their ancestral domains”; and (d) Last Mile Schools refer to public basic 
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education schools with gaps in resources and facilities which are located in 
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geographically isolated and disadvantaged and  conflict-affected areas 
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(GIDCA). 
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SEC. 4. Establishment of Last Mile Schools. The Last Mile Schools are 
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hereby established, under the administration of the DepEd, to cater to the basic 
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education of learners throughout the country’s GIDCA. 
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The establishment of Last Mile Schools in locations situated by the ICCs shall 
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be undertaken in consideration of the rights of the IPs, in accordance with Republic 
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Act No. 8371. 
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SEC. 5. Access to Education. The DepEd shall collaborate with concerned 
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national government agencies for the delivery of the infrastructures necessary to 
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ensure access to education in the Last Mile Schools, namely: 
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(a) Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), for the construction of 
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access roads leading to the location of Last Mile Schools; 
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(b) Department of Energy (DOE) and National Electrification Administration 
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(NEA), for the installation of electricity; and 
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(c) Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), for 
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the installation of information and communications technology. 
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SEC. 6. Criteria. The indicators used in identifying a public school to be 
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included among the Last Mile Schools are the following: 
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(a) Having less than four (4) classrooms; 
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(b) With makeshift or nonstandard rooms; 
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(c) Absence of or irregular electricity; 
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(d) Have not been allocated funds for repairs or new construction projects in 
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the last 
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four (4) years unless destroyed; 
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(e) With travel distance of more than one hour from the center of a city or 
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municipality, or with difficulty of terrain or of such nature as to be considered 
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having difficulty of access to existing educational institutions; 
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(f) Having multigrade classes or rooms; 
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(g) With less than five (5) teachers; 
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(h) Having a student population of less than one hundred (100) learners; 
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(i) With more than seventy-five percent (75%) IP learners; and 
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(j) Having such other circumstances that make it difficult for learners to access 
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school facilities. 
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SEC. 7. Implementation. The school building program for the Last Mile 
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Schools shall be established and completed within a period of five (5) years after the 
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effectivity of this Act. 
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To facilitate synchronicity, harmony and complementarity of plans, resources 
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and efforts of both the national government and the local government units (LGUs) 
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towards the attainment of the objectives of this Act, the DepEd shall plan and 
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implement the programs, projects, and activities that address the needs of the Last 
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Mile Schools, in coordination and collaboration with the National Commission on 
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Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), DPWH, DICT, DOE, NEA, Department of Social Welfare 
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and Development (DSWD), Department of Environment and Natural Resources 
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(DENR), National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), and 
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concerned LGUs. 
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SEC. 8. Appropriations. The amount necessary for the implementation of 
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this Act shall be included in the budgets of the concerned Departments, agencies and 
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Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations in the annual General Appropriations 
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Act. 
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SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within ninety (90) days 
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from the approval of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall, in consultation with 
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the NCIP, DPWH, DICT, DOE, NEA, DSWD, DENR, NDRRMC, and Union of Local 
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Authorities of the Philippines, formulate the rules and regulations implementing the 
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provisions of this Act. 
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SEC. 10. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared shall remain in force and effect. 
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SEC. 11. Repealing Clause.  All laws, decrees, orders and rules and 
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regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
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repealed or amended accordingly. 
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SEC. 12. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
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Approved,