Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article II, Section 17, provides: 
The State shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts, 
culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social 
progress, and promote total human liberation and development. 
Our schools must prepare young people for active participation in a democratic society. 
One way of doing that is to ensure that they have an appreciation for the tradition and 
values of our culture. It is, therefore, vital that they study humanities in school so that 
they are taught the conceptual and analytical skills that they need to accomplish this 
goal. 
Hence, this bill seeks to ensure that the teachers have sufficient background and training 
in teaching humanities by authorizing a national program for the establishment and 
operation of teacher institutes for the enhancement of the humanities knowledge of 
private and public elementary and secondary school teachers. 
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
November 10, 2022
2:54 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING A NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF 
INSTRUCTION IN THE HUMANITIES IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE  
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS  
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “The Humanities Excellence 
and Teacher Training Act.” 
SECTION 2. Purpose. – It is the purpose of this Act to authorize a national program for 
improving the quality of education which would make grants to institutions of higher 
education for the establishment and operation of teacher institutes for the enhancement 
of the humanities knowledge of private and public elementary and secondary school 
teachers. 
SECTION 3. Definition. – For purposes of this Act, the terms – 
(A)
“Institution of higher education” means any college or university within a region;
(B)
“Secretary” means the Secretary of Education; and 
(C)
“Humanities” means both modern and classical languages, literature, history, and 
philosophy; and language arts and social studies when taught in elementary and 
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high schools. 
 
SECTION 4. Grants. –  
(A)  The Secretary shall make grants in each region to an institution of higher education, 
or a consortium of such institutions, whose application is approved under 
paragraph (B) for the purposes of conducting summer humanities training institutes 
for the professional development of elementary and secondary school teachers. 
Any institution or consortium whose application is so approved shall receive an 
amount equal to not more than Three Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (P3,500.00) 
multiplied by the number of teachers, not to exceed two hundred (200) enrolled in 
such institute. 
 
(B)  Any institution of higher education or consortium desiring to receive a grant shall 
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing 
such information and assurances as the Secretary may require. No such 
application may be approved by the Secretary unless the application –  
(1) 
Contains a description of the proposed program of instruction and the extent 
to which eligible classroom teacher participants will be involved in the 
planning and design of the institutes; 
 
(2) 
Contains an estimate of the number of teachers, including the number of 
teachers from private elementary and secondary schools, to attend the 
institute, and describes the selection procedures; 
 
(3) 
Describes the nature and location of existing facilities to be used in the 
operation of the institute; 
 
(4) 
Specifies the teaching and administrative staff for the institute including the 
involvement of faculty from both the humanities and education departments 
and elementary and secondary school teachers; 
 


 
 
(5) 
Specifies the academic credits, if any, to be awarded for the completion of the 
course of study to be offered at the institute; 
 
(6) 
provides a schedule of stipends to be paid to teacher participants in the 
institute, including allowances for subsistence and other expenses for 
teachers attending the institute and their dependents; and provisions assuring 
that there will be no duplication of governmental benefits paid to participants; 
 
(7) 
Provides adequate assurances that teachers who wish to participate will be 
selected on the basis of recommendations from a principal or other 
supervisory official and a demonstrated interest in the humanities discipline or 
disciplines studied in the institute; and 
 
(8) 
Provides assurances that the institution of higher education will seek to enroll 
at least eighty (80) qualified teachers in the institute; 
 
(C)  Awards under this section shall be made to the institutions or consortia on the basis 
of the excellence of the program proposed in the application, taking into 
consideration such elements as library resources, faculty achievement, and 
humanities learning facilities. 
 
(D)  Funds available to institutions under this section may be used to cover costs 
associated with enrollment in an institute, including tuition, fees, administration, and 
living expenses. 
 
(E)  In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall assure, to the maximum 
extent consistent with the purposes of this Act, that there is an equitable distribution 
of institutes established and operated under approved applications among regions 
and within regions. The Secretary shall award not less than one (1) institute in each 
region. 
 


 
 
(F)  No grant to a single application may exceed Seven Hundred Thousand Pesos 
(P700,000.00) in any fiscal year. 
 
SECTION 5. Restrictions. – No grants shall be made or contracts entered into under 
this Act except to such extent, or in such amounts, as may be provided in the 
Appropriations Act. 
 
SECTION 6. 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. 
 
SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, or rule or regulation contrary to or 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended 
accordingly. 
 
SECTION 8. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
Approved,