FIFTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES —)
First Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

House Bill No, 1388

Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This measure is intended to meet the urgent and reasonable need to protect
the health, safety and overall well-being of school children and student youth by
adopting a school calendar most suited to Philippine climatic conditions. It would be
negated by inability to go to school due to monsoon rains, typhoons respiratory
illness of children aggravated by being wet and chilled by rain, or lack of classrooms
destroyed by typhoons. This change is consonant with Philippine climatic conditions
and the health and safety needs of the children and youth.

The months of June to August are the heaviest rainy months and the
occurrence of the greater number of typhoons and monsoon rains. During these
months, school children are subjected to the irregularity of school days due to the
rains and floods, horrendous difficulties of commuting to and from school, danger to
life from open drains resistance and aggravated by intermittent cough, colds and
chills. Many of our public schools are unfit for appropriate classroom instruction and
the health of the school children when the rains come. Those conducting classes
outside of the school itself will be unable to do so.

Studies have shown that adoption of the trimester for tertiary levels is better
for accelerated completion of courses and continuity of lessons within the post
secondary and college curriculum. Trimesters enable tertiary level student youth to
choose the months best suited to their available time for study and to climate
conditions. Trimesters also enable student youth to complete courses faster, thereby
saving on limited resources of the family. For the third semester, students may opt
for the distant study plan to avoid the hazards during June to August.

The school calendar proposed for pre-elementary, elementary and secondary
levels of education is as follows:

First Semester: September to mid-January plus Saturdays if needed to
meet the 110 days required excluding official holidays
and to comply with required days plus enrolment or
between semester periods to make up for non-seasonal
typhoons, calamities and earthquakes.


Second Semester: Mid-January to May plus Saturdays if needed to comply
with the 110 days required and to make up for the days
lost due to non-seasonal, climatic aberrations, calamities
and necessary use of school facilities for refugees.

Third Semester: June to August cover the heaviest rainy months when the
children and youth are safer at home. This also meets the
agricultural traditions of the country when members of the
family all help “bayanihan” style for the family livelinood
and community service.

The school calendar proposed for post-secondary and tertiary level is as
follows:

First Semester: September to December in order to avoid the months of
heaviest rain and greater number of typhoons

Second Semester: January to April with provisions for the holidays and
tradition graduation ceremonies.

Third Semester: May to August cover hot summer and heaviest rainy
months and student and youth may opt for distant study
plan in view of climatic hazards.

Students affected by the disadvantages of heavy rains and monsoon weather
may use the third trimester for other useful activities, livelihood projects, agri-
industrial pursuits, or tree planting. For those who require additional studies for the
third semester, the distant study plan may be used for the heaviest rain and very hot
months.

This proposal seeks to begin the revised school calendar with the school year
2008-2009 in conjunction with the lengthening of the school calendar from 200-220
class days. For the pre-elementary, elementary and secondary levels this means the
increase of ten (10) more days per semester starting September of each calendar
year. For tertiary and post-secondary levels who adopt the trimester system this
means adding seven (7) days or about a week more per trimester.

The nation can no longer ignore the reality that our school children and
student youth suffer needlessly from having to go to school during the monsoon and
typhoon/eyclone months of June to August and it is the time we also consider along
with the weather the results of urbanization in school centers such as horrendous
traffic difficulty of commuting and the rise of respiratory diseases as the major illness
of children and youth below 18 and of school age.

Who will be benefited by this measure?

Each school year about 15.5 million pre-elementary, elementary and
secondary school children are affected by the adverse climatic conditions under

which they are forced to study, with an additional enrolment of about 300,000 each
year.


For the post-secondary and tertiary levels, the school youth affected are about
1.44 million with an additional 78,000 to 122,000 more enrolled each year or about
1.5 million school youth affected of going to school during rainy season and
monsoon or typhoon conditions

For the sake of our children and youth, approval of this measure is urgent,
reasonable and necessary for the protection of the future human resources of this
nation-Filipino children and youth.

RUFYS B. RO! EZ

whee oprosee JR.


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

House Bill No. _ 1388

Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

AN ACT
REVISING THE SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND
WELFARE OF SCHOOL CHILDREN AND STUDENT YOUTH, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. This Act shall be known as the “School Calendar Act of
2010”.

SEC 2. School Calendar. The annual school calendar for pre-elementary,
elementary and secondary levels shall comprise two semesters for every calendar
year. There shall be two hundred twenty (220) school days for every calendar year
‘or one hundred ten (110) school days per semester. The first semester shall start the
first week of September and shall continue the second week of January and the
second semester shall start the third week of January and continue until the last
week of May.

The school calendar for post-secondary and tertiary levels shall comprise
three (3) trimesters. There shall be two hundred twenty (220) school days for every
calendar year or seventy-three (73) days per trimester. The first trimester shall start
the first week of September until the last week of December. The second trimester
shall start the first week of January until the last week of April. The third trimester
shall start the first week of May until the last week of August; Provided, that, for
valid reasons with the written permission of the Commission on Higher Education,
public or private post-secondary and tertiary level school may adopt a particular
school calendar on a semestral and modified trimester basis geared to the needs of
its students and the specific climatic conditions of the area where the school is
located: Provided, further, That the semestral calendar shall conform to this Act.

Subject to the provisions of this Act, the school calendar for the pre-
elementary, elementary and secondary levels shall be determined by the


Department of Education, taking into consideration days required for enrolment,
official holidays and between semester days off from school for the health of school
children. When necessary to complete the required number of school days and to
make up for the days lost due to force majeure, the Department may include
Saturdays in the school calendar.

Subject to the provisions of this Act, the actual school calendar and required
hours for study according to credits for every trimester of the post-secondary and
tertiary level shall be determined by the Commission on Higher Education, taking
into consideration the enrolment period, official holidays, and between trimester days
off from school for the well-being of school youth. The Commission may require
school days on Saturdays to complete required hours for courses or to make up for
days lost due to force majeure.

The revised school calendar pursuant to this Act shall be implemented
starting school year 2008-2009.

SEC 3. Rules and Regulation. The rules and regulation for the
implementation of this Act shall be promulgated by the Department of Education, for
the public and private pre-elementary, elementary and secondary levels and by the
Commission on Higher Education and the public and private post-secondary and
tertiary level of education

SEC 4. Resources. Resources required for the appropriate implementation of
this Act shall be included in the annual general appropriations of the Department of
Education, for the pre-elementary, elementary and secondary levels and of the
Commission on Higher Education for the post-secondary and tertiary level. Funds
required for the initial year of implementation of the School Calendar from the
present system to that proposed under this Act shall be derived from any savings or
unused funds of the Department of Education for the pre-elementary, elementary
and secondary levels and from the resources under the Act creating the Commission
on Higher Education for the post-secondary and tertiary level.

SEC 5. Separability Clause - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected
‘shall remain valid and subsisting.

SEC 6. Repealing Clause - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary

to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or
amended accordingly.

SEC. 7. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect after publication in at least two
(2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved.