FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
In 2006, almost 27.6 million people lived below the poverty threshold in the Philippines. 
This represents 26.9% of Philippine families and 32.9% of the population. Additionally, 
44% of the population subsisted on US$2 or less a day according to international data. 
The recent increase of food prices is estimated to push another 2.7 million people into 
poverty’. Given this situation, long term measures, strategies and solutions for poverty 
reduction should be put in place. 
While there may be existing laws touching on the need of the poor as part of an overall 
national strategy to alleviate poverty, this proposed legislation states what is felt to be the 
basic irreducible rights of the poor as essential requirements towards poverty alleviation. 
These rights are: the right to employment, the right to food, the right to shelter, the right 
to free quality education and the right to free healthcare and medicine. These are the 
“minimum standards of decency” which the poor can demand as a matter of right and 
which the government must do as a matter of obligation. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this measure is earnestly requested 
AN~O+IO “SONNY’ F. TRILLANES IV 
Senator 
’ Data retrieved from http://www.ausaid.~ov.aulcountrv/counttl/.cfm?CountryID=3 
1 on June 16, 2008. 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
4 ALIr 11 ‘, i 
Second Regular Session 
) 
Introduced by Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR A MAGNA CARTA FOR THE POOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives qf the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Tille. - This Act shall be known as the “Magna Carla for 
the Poor ”. 
SEC. 2. Declaration ofPolicy. - It is the declared policy of the State to uplift the 
standard of living and quality of life of the poor and provide them with sustained 
opportunities for growth and development. It is likewise the policy that the concept of 
poverty alleviation is a government responsibility that primarily requires the creation and 
expansion of employment opportunities geared towards providing decent and productive 
employment to the poor. 
To attain the foregoing policy: 
(1) Government must invest heavily in anti-poverty programs to empower the 
poor to enable them to participate in the country’s growth and development; 
(2) All government departments, agencies and instrumentalities must provide full 
access to government services at all levels for the poor; and 
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(3) Government intervention must be done now to address the genuine concerns 
of the poor while long term strategies and solutions for the economic 
empowerment of the poor are being put in place. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Term. - 
a. “Poor” shall refer to natural persons whose income or combined household 
income falls below the poverty threshold as defined by the National Economic 
Development Authority (NEDA) and who at the same time are not owners of 
real property; 
b. “Hazardous or danger zones” - refer to areas which when used for residential 
purposes pose a danger to the life and safety of the concerned residents or of 
the general community; 
c. “Poor Organization” - refers to any recognized or accredited association as the 
sole representative organization of the poor in the community. 
SEC. 4. Basic Rights of the Poor. - The poor shall have the following rights the 
enjoyment of which is an essential requirement towards poverty alleviation: 1) The right 
to employment; (2) food; (3) free quality education; (4) shelter and (5) to fiee health 
services and medicine. 
The government shall provide the requirements, conditions and opportunities for 
the full enjoyment of these rights of the poor as a matter of duty and obligation, and 
which the poor can demand as a matter of right. 
SEC 5. The Right to Food and Food Assistance. - The Department of Social 
Welfare and Development (DWSD) shall develop a program of free food to the poor or a 
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system of food assistancehubsidy to help the poor meet their minimum food necessities, 
The DSWD is hereby authorized to solicit donation, aids or grants, in cash or in kind, 
from whatever source, to meet the demands of this basic right of the poor. The donors 
under this provision shall be entitled to full deductibility of the value of the donation for 
income tax purposes. 
To help ensure the implementation of the free food for the poor program, all food 
items and food products, including rice, corn, sugar and other prime commodities, seized 
and forfeited with finality in favor of government for violation of customs laws shall be 
automatically transferred to or turned over to the DSWD for its dispositions. 
SEC. 6. The Right to Employment - The Department of Labor and Employment 
(DOLE), in coordination with the labor or employment offices of local government units, 
shall primarily be responsible for ensuring that the poor shall have preferential access to 
employment openings in private enterprises and in government programs and projects. 
For this purpose and to focus on the specific issue of creation of employment for the 
poor, the DOLE shall establish an Office of Employment Opportunities (OEO) within the 
department to carry out this responsibility. The budgetary requirements o f  the OEO shall 
be included in the annual budget of the DOLE. 
Government departments and agencies, including government-owned and 
controlled corporations, are hereby authorized and mandated to eammk funds from their 
budgetary outlays to finance viable projects for employment purposes. The government 
shall likewise allocate more funds from official development assistance for projects and 
activities that will have greater impact on generation of employment for the poor. 
It shall be mandatory for all government infrastructure projects andior 
government-funded contracts or government-assisted undertakings to utilize laborers 
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froin poor organizations as may be necessary in areas where the projects or contracts are 
to be implemented. 
SEC. I. The Right to Free Quality Education. - The right of the poor to free 
elementary and secondary public education shall not be impaired. This right shall include 
provisions for free school uniform and school transportation. 
The right to education shall include access to quality education at the college 
level, In consonance with the government goal of providing free college education to the 
poor, college or graduate scholarships for the poor, including the study-now-pay-later- 
plans, shall be expanded in the State universities and colleges and local government 
educational institutions. 
It shall also include the right to availment of free vocational andor technical 
training and manpower Skills development from appropriated government agencies, for 
those who fail to qualify for formal or higher education. 
The Department of Education (DepEd), in coordination with government agencies 
and government educational institutions concerned, shall ensure the full enjoyment of the 
poor's right to education. 
SEC. 8. The Right to Shelter. - The right of the poor to decent housing shall not 
be abridged. The Government shall develop and implement an appropriate housing 
scheme that will provide decent housing facilities to the poor with the least financial 
burden through a system of subsidy or no-down payment acquisition schemes and long 
term, interest-free loans. 
In identified hazardous or danger zones or in geographic areas and population 
groups where housing needs for the poor are urgent and greatest, the Government through 
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the National Housing Authority and the local government unit concerned, shall 
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immediately construct and provide free housing facilities in pre-determined development 
or resettlement sites. 
In all cases, the Government, in ensuring the exercise and enjoyment of this right 
of the poor, shall put in place a system of simple requirement and procedures and 
expeditious processing and approval. 
SEC. 9. The Right to Free Health Servkes and Medicine. - The Department of 
Health, through its regional offices of national and provincial or local hospitals, shall 
develop and implement a system of free delivery of health services and medicine to the 
poor. The availment of this right of the poor shall be limited to the locality where they 
permanently reside. 
Government medical and health insurance program under existing laws shall 
increase, expand and liberalize their coverage so as to include free basic health services 
and medicine to the poor. 
SEC. 10. Other Rights of the Poor. - All other rights and benefits for the poor 
provided under existing laws shall remain in full force and effect. Nothing herein shall be 
construed to diminish the enjoyment of such rights by the poor who shall have the right to 
avail of the greater rights or benefits offered by existing laws, including those granted 
under this Act. 
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SEC. 11. Funding Requirements. - To cany out the provisions of this Act, the 
following amounts are appropriated as follows: 
(1) The sum of Fifty Million Pesos (P50,000,000.00) as initial operating fund is 
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hereby appropriated out of any available funds in the National Treasury. The amount 
necessary in subsequent years to help implement this Act shall be included in the annual 
appropriation of the NEDA; 
(2) Twenty percent (20%) of the share of the national government in the earnings 
of the PAGCOR; 
(3) Twenty percent (20%) of the share of the national government in all lotteries 
conducted by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO); 
(4) Fifty percent (50%) of the share of the government in the proceeds from sale 
or disposition of sequestered assets; 
(5) Fifty percent (50%) of the proceeds from the sale or disposition by public 
auction of goods or articles forfeited in favor of the government by the Bureau of 
Customs. 
The share from the PAGCOR, the PCSO, the sale of sequestered assets and 
forfeited goods and article, as above-provided, shall be directly remitted to the NEDA on 
a quarterly basis for its disposition in accordance with this Act. 
SEC. 12. Rational Allocation Funds. - The National Economic and Development 
(NEDA) shall be principally responsible for the efficient and rational allocation of 
available funding requirements as may be needed by the different government 
departments and agencies in implementing the rights of the poor. 
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SEC. 13. Zmplementing Rules. - The NEDA, in coordination with the 
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government departments and agencies concerned, shall promulgate rules and regulations 
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to carry out the provisions of this Act within three (3) months from its effectivity. The 
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rules shall set priority target areas for the initial implementation of this Act with the end 
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in view of ensuring the successful replication of the program nationwide 
SEC. 14. Compliance Report. - The NEDA, in coordination with all government 
department and agencies concerned, shall within six (6) months, from the effectivity of 
this Act and every six (6) months thereafter, submit a report to Congress on the 
compliance with the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 15. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain in full force and 
effect. 
SEC. 16. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or 
parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or 
modified accordingly. 
SEC. 17. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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