NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
o( liu‘ ii:'’■ •u-r;’
•22 JUL12 P2 *07
SENATE
S. No. 407
RHCElVcDir
Introduced by SENATOR FRANCIS "TOL" N. TOLENTINO
AN ACT
EXPANDING THE BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM, INCREASING THE 
FUNCTIONS OF THE BUREAU OF LEARNING DELIVERY UNDER THE 
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO INCLUDE DISTANCE EDUCATION AND 
ONLINE LEARNING, THEREBY AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10533, 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 
2013," AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article XIV, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution provides that "the State shall 
protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and 
shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all." The right to 
education therefore is a fundamental right. To increase accessibility, the State is also 
mandated to "encourage non-formal, informal, and indigenous learning systems, as 
well as self-learning, independent, and out-of-school study programs particularly 
those that respond to community needs".1 However, the spread of the novel 
Coronavirus or COVID-19 across the globe has greatly restricted mobility of persons 
and has prevented the full utilization of public services as well as access to different 
social institutions.
Article XIV, Section 2,1987 Philippine Constitution.
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Foreign governments have implemented school closures across their countries 
to curb the transmission of the disease, impacting over 90% of the world's student 
population.2 This has adversely affected the fulfillment of the socio-economic needs 
of millions of children and has displaced many students who depend on educational 
institutions for food and shelter. In the Philippines alone, 27.7 million students have 
been affected by school closures.3
On the financial aspect, the Coordinating Council of Private Educational 
Associations (COCOPEA) has expressed growing concern on the disruption of 
classes, reportedly, "private schools nationwide are bracing an estimated revenue 
loss of Php 55.2 billion, which may shoot up to P142.1 billion if classes do not open 
at all due to COVID-19 situation in the country.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impelled countries to fast-track the integration 
of remote learning in their curricula. Areas in low income countries in Latin America, 
South Asia and Africa, where no internet access is available, are also adopting 
alternative modes of learning through radio/televislon broadcast. In the Philippines, 
some schools made the shift to online platforms but many found no success in 
efficiently reaching out to all their students for lack of internet access and electronic 
tools. Schools have either granted automatic passing marks or deferred grades due 
to the abrupt ending of the school calendar. This raises concern on the quality of 
academic learning of students given the limited online teaching tools and 
connectivity.
A major program of the Department of Education (DepEd) for remote learning 
is the "DepEd Commons." It is an online platform for public school teachers to 
support distance learning modalities "to continue the delivery of basic education to 
our children."4 However, the DepEd Commons still has much room for improvement, 
purportedly, "contents are not yet that many, evaluation and ranking have not yet
2 Covidl9 Educational Dismption and Response, UNESCO, retrieved from
https://en.unesco.org/covidl9/educationresponse. 
rT j a/t r + a/t
3 Private schools on the Verge of closing down operations due to COVID-19, Plemando Malipat, M.,
Manila Bulletin, 25 April 2020, retrieved from https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/04/24/private-schools- 
on-the-verge-of*closing-dovm-operations-due-to-covid-19/ 
. i- a/t a/t i
4 DepEd launches online platform to support distance learning, Hemando-Mahpat, M., Manila 
Bulletin, 18 March 2020, retrieved from https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/03/18/deped-launches-online- 
platform-to-support-distance«


been included, separate channels for teachers, parents, students, and officials have 
not yet been established."5
This bill mandates the integration of a distance learning curriculum in basic 
education and the expansion of the Bureau of Learning Delivery of the DepEd to 
Include distance education and online learning, to address current and future 
developments that would require the recalibration of the "in-person" school system.
Given the present shortfalls of distance education in the Philippines and the 
lack of guidance and trainings for educators with respect to the conduct of remote 
learning, it is important for the DepEd to mainstream distance education initiatives 
through the development of a national education policy framework for online or 
broadcast learning delivery.
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is earnestly sought.
TOL" N. TOLENTINO
Id.


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NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S. No. 407
oC ti)5 •
*22 JUL 12 P2 -07
RtCEiVcD BV.,,
Introduced by SENATOR FRANCIS "TOL" N. TOLENTINO
AN ACT
EXPANDING THE BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM, INCREASING THE 
FUNCTIONS OF THE BUREAU OF LEARNING DELIVERY UNDER THE 
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO INCLUDE DISTANCE EDUCATION AND 
ONLINE LEARNING, THEREBY AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10533, 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 
2013," AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
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 "Basic Online 
Learning and Distance Education Act of 2022."
SEC. 2. Section 5 of Republic Act No. 10533, otherwise known as the 
"Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013," is hereby amended as follows:
"SEC. 5. Curriculum Development - The DepED shall formulate the 
design and details of the enhanced basic education curriculum. It shall work 
with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to craft harmonized basic 
and tertiary curricula for the global competitiveness of Filipino graduates. To 
ensure college readiness and to avoid remedial and duplication of basic 
education subjects, the DepEd shall coordinate with the CHED and the 
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).


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THE DEPED SHALL TAKE THE NECESSARY AND IMMEDIATE 
STEPS TO INTEGRATE DISTANCE EDUCATION INITIATIVES IN THE 
BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF 
A NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR ONLINE OR 
BROADCAST LEARNING DELIVERY FOR BASIC EDUCATION.
To achieve an effective enhanced basic education curriculum, the 
DepED shall undertake consultations with other national government agencies 
and other stakeholders including, but not limited to, the Department of Labor 
and Employment (DOLE), THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND 
COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (DICT), THE DEPARTMENT OF 
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (DOST), the Professional Regulation 
Commission (PRC), the private and public schools associations, the national 
student organizations, the national teacher organizations, the parents- 
teachers associations and the chambers of commerce on matters affecting the 
concerned stakeholders.
X X X "
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SEC. 3. A new section designated as Section 8 is inserted in Republic Act No.
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10533 and shall read, thus:
"SEC. 8. BUREAU OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND LEARNING 
DELIVERY. - THE CURRENT BUREAU OF LEARNING DELIVERY 
UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL HEREAFTER BE 
KNOWN AS THE "BUREAU OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND 
LEARNING DELIVERY." THE BUREAU SHALL RETAIN ALL OF ITS 
EXISTING FUNCTIONS AND SHALL LIKEWISE FORMULATE AND 
MANAGE PROGRAMS THAT INCLUDE COMPREHENSIVE AND 
ALIGNED SERVICES THAT USE INDIVIDUALIZED, COLLECTIVE, AND 
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY OF DISTANCE AND ONLINE 
LEARNING PORTALS FOR BASIC EDUCATION TO SUPPLEMENT 
TRADITIONAL INSTRUCTION METHODOLOGIES.


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THE BUREAU SHALL DEVELOP AND MANAGE A NATIONAL
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EDUCATION POLICY FRAMEWORK AND CURRICULUM THAT
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INCORPORATES EDUCATION PROGRAMMING VIA VIDEO OR
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RADIO AND/OR ONLINE OR INTERNET-BAS ED, REMOTE AND OTHER
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VITRUAL LEARNING METHODS.
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GUIDANCE AND TRAINING FOR DISTANCE LEARNING SHALL
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BE GIVEN TO INSTRUCTORS AND TEACHERS TO ENABLE THEM TO
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CARRY OUT THE FUNCTIONS REQUIRE BY THE NEW DISTANCE
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LEARNING CURRICULUM IN COOPERATION WITH DEPARTMENT
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OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (DICT)
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AND DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (DOST)."
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All succeeding sections of the same Act are hereby renumbered accordingly.
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SEC. 4. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary of
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Education shall promulgate the rules and regulations to effectively implement the
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provisions of and carry out the policy set forth in this Act within sixty (60) days from
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its effectivity.
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SEC. 5. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared invalid
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or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions shall continue to be in full force and
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effect.
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SEC. 6. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders,
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proclamations, rules and regulations, and issuances, or parts thereof which are
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inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed, amended, or
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modified accordingly.
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SEC. 7. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,