Republic of the Philippine 
SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Pasay City 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
S. B. No. 195 
'13 JIl -1 P <1 :33 
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INTRODUCED BY SENATOR JUAN EDGARDO "SONNY" M. ANGARA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The world has shrunk into a single global village .. i\dvances in science and 
technology have made this possible. Modern telecommiJnications and modes of 
transportation have facilitated simultaneous and fast exchariges of ideas, information 
and resources among nations. This is the global technolouical and scientific setting 
which confronts the Philippines today. 
In our country's strides to regain lost economic groun)s, our. people need to be 
attuned to the latest developments in science and technology. The Filipino youth must 
be scientifically and technically prepared so that their in~'ate talents may be fully 
harnessed for national development. 
The proposed bill, the basics of computer applications. and programming will be 
integrated in the school curriculum. A Board on Computer E('ucation is created. Private 
sectors' participation is enlisted through the grant of fiscal ii!centives to private sector 
participants. A voucher system is institutionalized with respet: to the country's nineteen 
(19) poorest provinces to make these provinces at par with the rest of the country in 
terms of computer literacy. Community linkages among th .. participants are likewise 
enjoined to hasten the nationwide upgrading of computer skill •. ,: 
In short, this bill is intended to prepare the Fil )ino youth to meet the 
technological challenges of this new country. 
Approval of this bill is, thus, earnestly requested. 
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JUAN E~GikDO "SONNY" M. ANGARA 
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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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JUL -1 P 4 :33 
S. B. No. 
195 
Introduced by Honorable JUAN EDGARDO "SONN'it" M. ANGARA 
AN ACT TO INTEGRATE COMPUTER EDUCATION PROGRAM INTO THE EDUCATIONAL 
SYSTEM AND FOR OTHER PURPOS~;S 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. It shall be the policy of the State to promote 
functional computer literacy in all schools, at the earliest possible stage, and in a 
manner that is most efficient and effective in producing a pop~llation that is highly skilled 
in the creation, use and manipulation of-computer software, In this regard, private sector 
initiative and participation shall always be encouraged to achi~;ve this policy objective. 
SEC. 2. Board on Computer Education; Creation,~'ower and Functions. A 
Board on Computer Education, hereafter referred to as Board, is, hereby created to 
implement the provision of this Act and for this purpose shall have the following powers 
and shall have the following powers and shall exercise the following functions: 
a. Supervise the accreditation of the computer scho(\~s which will participate in 
the program; 
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b. Assess and provide for the necessary training of· lile personnel of computer 
schools of methods of teaching; 
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c. Prepare the curriculum for computer-aided logic, n:ldth ana science education 
in the elementary level; 
d. Monitor the performance of the computer schools; 
e. Evaluate the abilities of the students enrolled in the program; 
f. 
Issue and implement all rules and regulations provj(led for:in this Act; and 
g. Exercise all other powers and functions which may be necessary to carry out 
the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 3. Board Composition. The Board shall be OJmposed of the following 
Members: 
a. One (1) representative from the Department of Education;to be nominated by 
the Secretary of Education 
b. One (1) representative from the Commission on H Jher Education (CHED) to 
be nominated by the CHED Chairman; 
c. One (I) representative from the Department of Scit',lce af),d Technology to be 
nominated by the Secretary of Department of Scier·Ge and:Technology; 
d. One (1) representative from the duly accredited pr ,fessional organizations of 
computer programmers and system analysts ::) be ;nominated by the 
recognized leadership of these organizations; 


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e. One (1) representative from the National EconomioJevelopment Authority, to 
be 
nominated 
by the Secretary-General of ,: the 
National Economic 
Development Authority; The representative from thi; Department of EducatioA 
shall serve as Chairman of the Board. The Chairm,'m and, the Members shall 
be appointed by the President of the Republic of tte Philippines for the term 
of five (5) years and shall have the rank and c,:.mpen~ation of a Bureau 
Director. 
SEC. 4. Promotion of the Build-Operate-Transfer !ff(:heme and other similar 
arrangements. The provision of Republic Act No. 6957, as 5Jmended, shall be applied 
to the construction, operation and servicing of computer q~1ucation and its facilities, 
Provided that any contractual arrangement that will be utili::ed for this purpose shall 
additionally provide for the following: 
a. A training program for teachers not only on computer literacy but also on the 
maintenance and servicing of computer education ff-1cilities:i and 
b. An apprenticeship program for interested students ':If the public school being 
serviced whereby they may be employed as apprentice~ for the education 
component or for the facilities maintenance ,i;ompQnent of computer 
education. 
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The build-operate-transfer arrangement or any ot!;!er similar arrangements 
provided for in Republic Act No. 6957, as amended, may be ~ndded ,out and awarded at 
the school district level or at the school level, in accordance v, ith the implementing rules 
and regulations to be issued by the Board. 
SEC. 5. Institutionalization of the Voucher $ystem for Specialized 
Computer Education in the Nineteen (19) Poorest j'i,rovinces. In addition to 
whatever contractual arrangements which may be utilized' under the provisions of 
Section 4 hereof, there shall be created a voucher system, for specialized computer 
education in the country's nineteen(19) poorest province~; wherEilby each of these 
provinces shall be given the amount of Five Million Pesos (;::'5,OOq\OOO.oO) each year 
from the annual budget allocated for the implementation of the sRecialized computer 
education program or such amount as may be latai" on provided by law, 
Students in these provinces who have completed seG~)ndary: education shall be 
allowed to take competitive aptitude examinations in specializ¥ld computer education. 
Students who have passed such qualifying examinatr6ns, or as many of those 
who may provided funds from the annual budget, shall be given a voucher worth Five. 
Thousand Pesos (P5,OOO.OO) each, or such amount as may t'le later on provided law, to 
enroll in a computer school of his or her choice, to 'finish hdvanced and specialized 
computer courses such as, but not limited to, advanced pro(~ramming, computer-aided 
design, hardware design, networking, or such other courses that may be identified by 
the Board. 
Each student shall be entitled to only one voucher. i'he Board shall issue the 
implementing rules and regulations to ensure that students i'!o not (enroll in more than 
one school, or that enrollment figures reflect actual enrOllme'!lt, Stupent found guilty of 
violating this one-voucher-per-student rule shall be subject to thel penalties provided 
hereunder, 
SEC. 6. Accreditation of Computer Education Sen~ice Prpviders. All entities 
participating in the activities described in Sections 4 and 5 h€:"eof mLjst be accredited by 
the Board as bona fide participants. The Accreditation shall)e based on the following 
criteria: 
a. The curriculum meets the standards provided for b:i the Board; 


b. The quality of the computers and other peripheral's to be provided and the 
other physical infrastructures to be built, operated Musedwhich must ensure 
quality of education and minimum health and safety·~standC!rds; 
c. The capability of the service provider's instruct(;'fS. Th~ Board will issue 
minimum standards for evaluating teaching ability; imd 
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d. With respect to renewal of applications, the performance"of the students on 
performance measures to be designed by the Board. 
SEC. 7. Curriculum of Publicly-funded Computer l:ducation. The computer 
literacy program acknowledges the vital participation of lhe priVate sector in the 
scheme, but the curriculum shall be prepared by the Board. The curriculum should 
make use of computer-assisted education to teach elem6ntary students the basic 
courses of math, science and logic. These courses will prepare the student for the 
demands of computer programming and system analysis,. ~)s well. as strengthen the 
learning the student receives from the formal educational system. '!"he Board will also 
prepare the curriculum for computer programming and p(~oular software utilization, 
which will be taught at the high school level. 
SEC. 8. Monitoring and Incentives on Performc:nce. ; Monitoring of thf;. 
program shall be done to maintain the quality of education b'~ing gillen to the students. 
Performance measures shall include, but not be limited to, thertollowing: 
a. Periodic renewal of accreditation or license to open'lte; 
b. Testing; 
c. National competitions; and 
d. Unannounced visits to participating schools. 
The Board shall formulate or commission the formulafion of performance index 
which will be used in assessing the performance of the parti~patingischools. The latest 
results of the evaluation of all schools shall be published befale the start of every school 
year. The Board shall formulate a system of rewards 8i'\d incentives to promote 
excellence among the service providers. 
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SEC. 9. Tax- free Importation of Computer Hardware and Software. 
All 
entities who have been accredited, or who have obtained Gt)ntracts as participants in 
the activities provided for in Sections 4 and 5 hereof shall be ~iiven fiscal incentives. 
These incentives shall include the tax- free importatior~ of all computer hardware, 
software, peripherals and documentary materials. However; :these incentives shall be 
limited to imports that are intended for the schools. Theselncentives shall last for <I 
period of not more than ten years from the effectivity of this Att. 
The Board shall issue the implementing rules and regl\liltions for the availment of 
the incentives described herein. 
SEC. 10. Phased Implementation. The computer e'(rucatio~l program shall be 
implemented in phases to ensure that program and infrastrlt;;ture rE?quirement shall be 
met, to prepare the private sector for the demand for compul:"ir schools and equipment, 
and to prime-up the local demand for computer-literate workers. The implementation 
shall be done in accordance with the following objectives: 
a. The graduation, one year from the effectivity of Itl!s Act,. of a corps of high-
school students who can manipulate the most po¥.:ular computer application 
programs in the areas of word processing,' database encoding and 
spreadsheets; 
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b. The graduation, three years from the effectivity of i;'his Act, of a corps of high 
schools students who are not only literate in thei applications described in 
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paragraph (a) herein, but also in basic programl;:,'ing and system analysis; 
and 
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c. The immediate use of computer-aided educatio.'1 which complement the 
academic instructions in math, science and logic, 
SEC. 11. Community Linkages. Other software arJ~ computer programming 
may be taught by the schools and service providers under a'~ommunity link-up system 
whereby additional training on the use of special software c,ll be paid for by interested 
business or manufacturing firms in the community. The busirl. ss community will also be 
encouraged to expand and update their manufacturing proc()! ures to achieve efficiency 
through computerization or computer-controlled processes. 
SEC. 12. Budget and Funding. An initial budget of (.1e Hundred Million Pesos 
(P100,OOO,OOO.OO) to be disbursed from the earnings of the',:otteries conducted by the 
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office is hereby appropriaL d for the payment of the 
services to be provided under Sections 4 and 5 of this Act f3 
well as for the expenses 
related to the establishment and operation of the BoC' L Thereafter, the funds 
necessary for the continuous implementation of this Act shaH be included in the yearly 
General Appropriations Act 
The administrative expenses related to the implement.,('!.ion of this Act shall not be 
more than three percent (3%) of the annual appropriations for this Cpmputer Educations 
Program. 
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SEC. 13. Penalties. Any person found guilty of violatiri('J the provisions of Section 
5 hereof shall be meted the following penalties: 
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a. The student shall pay the full cost of tuition, #1th intf;Irest thereon. The 
payment may be in cash, or in its equivalent in terrrlii of community service. 
b. The accreditation of the service providers four\d guilty of padding their 
enrollment figures, or for knowingly permitting:) student to violate the 
provisions of Section 5 hereof shall be suspeni~ed, for the first offense, 
without prejudice to the payment of twice the,;:mount, of reimbursement 
resulting from the padded enrollment as fine. 
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SEC. 14. Rules and Regulations. Within forty five (4''1:\) day~ from the effectivity 
of this Act, the Board shall promulgate the necessary rul(:;~ and ,regulations for the 
effective implementation of the provisions of this Act 
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SEC. 15. Separability Clause. 
In the event that clf:y provision of this Act is 
declared unconstitutional, the validity of the other provisioll', shall not be affected by 
such declaration. 
SEC. 16. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, orde,·~" rules and regulations, or 
portions thereof, inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealB(I or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 17. Effectivity. 
This law shall take effect ,'lFteen (15) days after its 
publication in two (2) national newspaper of general circulatiqi,. 
Approved,