NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
SENATE
S. B. NO. 930
of tl)e fern-ftarp
JUL 28 P 5 M
RECEIVED iV:
Introduced by SENATOR JOEL VILLANUEVA
AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE BARANGAY DAY CARE 
SYSTEM, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT 
NO. 6972, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “BARANGAY-LEVEL 
TOTAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN 
ACT” AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Constitution has enshrined several protections to safeguard the 
welfare of children. One of these is in Article XIV, Section 1 of the 1987 
Constitution, where the State is mandated to “protect and promote the right of 
all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to 
make education accessible to all.” In line with this agenda, previous 
administrations have passed measures and implemented policies which aim to 
achieve these lofty goals.
For the day care sector, Presidential Decree No. 1567 mandated the 
creation of barangay day care centers across the country. To strengthen this 
policy thrust, the legislature passed Republic Act No. 6972 in 1990 to expand 
the roles of day care centers to include growth and nutritional monitoring, and 
barangay assistance programs. In 2000, Republic Act No. 8980 further created 
a comprehensive policy framework for early childhood.


However, several years since the passage of these statutes, experience 
has shown that more needs to be done to improve the quality of, and 
accessibility to, day care centers in the country. Data from Department of Social 
Welfare and Development (DSWD) show that in 2000, only 32,787 barangays 
established day care facilities as compared to the targeted 41,924 barangays.1 
This translates to a mere 72% accomplishment rate with reference to the 
standard set down by Presidential Decree No. 1567, which mandated the 
creation of a day care center in every barangay with at least 100 family heads 
residing therein. The same study also bemoaned the inadequacy of facilities in 
barangay day care centers, with day care centers only servicing one million 
children as compared to a twelve million population of two- to six-year-olds that 
year.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reports that 
between 29.2% to 35% of working-age women were economically inactive 
between 1995 to 2017 due to household or family duties.2 This means that lack 
of child care support is a barrier to a woman’s opportunity to seek employment.
This bill seeks to address the lack of and accessibility to day care 
centers, as well as expand the opportunities for women to seek employment, 
by strengthening the mandate of day care centers by ensuring that day care 
services are available for the whole duration of the work hours of the working 
parents and an additional two hours to account for the travel time of the parent 
to the day center to fetch their child/children, and providing child care financial 
assistance to parents who are minimum wage earners. This bill also seeks to 
bridge the gender gap between men and women with regard to child care by 
clarifying that child care services are available to children of “working parents” 
and not merely to “working mothers.”
The immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
SENATOR Joel villanueva
1 Abulon, Edna Luz. Barangay Day Care Centers: Emergence, Current Status and Implications to Teacher Education.
2013. Retrieved from: https://fdocuments.net/document/barangay-day-care-centers-emergence-patterns-that-are-not- 
easily-changed-in.html?page=1 (date last accessed: July 18. 2022).
2 Decent Work Statistics (DeWS) - Philippines Summary Tables 1995-2017, at p.71. Retrieved from:
https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/DeWS%202018_updated%20as%20of%20February%201.%202019.pdf (date
last accessed: July 23, 2022).


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
Aietmte
'm\!t oflSf ftetrftnry
•22 JUL 28 P5 «6
KfflVEOrr;
SENATE
S. B. NO. 930
Introduced by SENATOR JOEL VILLANUEVA
AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE BARANGAY DAY CARE SYSTEM, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6972, 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “BARANGAY-LEVEL TOTAL 
DEVELOPMENT AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN ACT” AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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SECTION 1
Assistance Act.”
Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the uChild Care
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State recognizes the Filipino 
family as the foundation of the nation. Towards this end, the State shall defend 
the right of children to assistance, which includes proper care and nutrition and 
establish, maintain, and support a system of education relevant to the needs of 
people and society.
SEC. 3. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 6972, otherwise known as the 
Barangay-Level Total Development and Protection of Children Act, is hereby 
amended to read as follows:
“Section 3. Program Framework. - The total development and 
protection of children program for day care centers shall be 
provided for children up to six (6) years of age with the consent 
of parents; provided, however, that, in case of abused, neglected 
or exploited children, such consent shall not be required. The 
program shall include the following:
XXX


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“(c) Care for children of working PARENTS [mothers] during the 
day and, where feasible, care for children up to six (6) years of 
age when BOTH PARENTS [mothers] are working at night: 
PROVIDED, THAT SUCH CARE SHALL LAST DURING THE 
WORK HOURS OF THE WORKING PARENT/S AND AN 
ADDITIONAL TIME OF UP TO TWO HOURS; PROVIDED 
FURTHER, THAT THE BARANGAY DAY CARE CENTER 
SHALL HAVE THE DISCRETION TO COLLECT A 
REASONABLE FEE FOR CHILD CARE SERVICES 
RENDERED BEYOND TEN (10) HOURS; provided FURTHER, 
that the day care center need not to take care of children in a 
particular place but shall develop network of homes where 
women may take care of the children up to six (6) years of age of 
working [mothers] PARENTS during work hours, with adequate 
supervision from the supervising social welfare officer of the 
Department of Social Welfare and Development: provided, 
further, that, where young children are left to the care of paid 
domestic, an elderly relative or older children without adequate 
and competent adult supervision, the supervising social welfare 
officer shall provide such training and adult supervision until the 
children's care meets adequate standards whereby the children 
under their care will develop normally as healthy, happy and 
loved children, even in the absence of their mothers during 
working hours;”
SEC. 4. A new Section 5-A is hereby inserted to read as follows:
“SECTION 5-A. CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE. - FINANCIAL 
ASSISTANCE FOR THE PAYMENT OF CHILD CARE 
SERVICES FOR CHILDREN NOT MORE THAN SIX (6) YEARS 
OLD SHALL BE PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT, THRU 
THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND 
DEVELOPMENT; PROVIDED, THAT SUCH ASSISTANCE 
SHALL ONLY BE GRANTED TO PARENT/S WHO ARE 
MINIMUM WAGE EARNERS; PROVIDED FURTHER, THAT 
SUCH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SHALL BE PAID DIRECTLY 
TO THE ACCREDITED PRIVATE DAY CARE CENTER AS FEE 
REDUCTION.”
SEC. 5. Appropriations. — An amount of Fifty Million Pesos 
(P50,000,000.00) shall be appropriated for the initial year of implementation of 
this Act. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the proper implementation of this 
Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 6. impiementing Rules and Regulations.-W\Mn sixty (60) days 
from the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Social Welfare and 
Development, in coordination with other relevant government agencies and 
upon consultation with relevant stakeholders, shall issue the necessary rules 
and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.


SEC. 7. Separability Clause. - Any portion or provisions of this Act that 
may be declared unconstitutional or invalid shall not have the effect of nullifying 
other portions and provisions hereof as long as such remaining portions or 
provisions can still subsist and be given effect in their entirety.
SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, 
proclamations and administrative regulations, or any parts thereof inconsistent 
herewith are hereby revoked, repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 9. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of 
general circulation.
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Approved,
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