EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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‘PKJt.’ of tijc 
.ntflip
S E N A T E
Introduced by Senator Grace Poe
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE "ABOT ALAM" PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT 
OF EDUCATION, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
Fxplanatorv 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." This 
Constitutional mandate includes the improvement of our formal education system to 
catch those who fall between the cracks- the out-of-school youths and adults who 
neither underwent nor completed basic education.
As a first step, the Department of Education created the "Abot Alam" 
program. According to DepEd, Abot-Alam is a convergence program that is being 
undertaken by a consortium of various national government agencies, and non­
government organizations (NGOs) and institutions under the leadership of DepEd 
and the National Youth Commission (NYC) to locate and sen/e out-of-school youth 
(OSY) nationwide and who have not completed basic/higher education or who are 
unemployed.
This measure seeks to institutionalize the "Abot Alam" program and expand it 
to include adults who have neither undergone nor completed basic education. It also 
establishes a Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System to collect information and 
monitor all out-of-school youths. Finally, it prescribes the various modalities of the 
Abot Alam Program.
Speedy approval of this measure is eagerly sought.
GR.A.CE POE


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
S E N A T E  
s. No. p ;7 8
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'19 JUL 17 P5 ^8
Introduced by Senator Grace PoeRECti.-L
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AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE "ABOT ALAM" PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT 
OF EDUCATION, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House o f Representatives o f the Philippines in 
Congress Assembled:
Section. 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as the "Abot Atam Act o f
2019"
Sec. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  It is a policy of the State to protect and 
promote the right of ail citizens, especially the poor and the marginalized, to quality 
education at all levels. Furthermore, the State recognizes the essential role of 
education in promoting a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the 
prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty. 
Therefore, the "Abot Alam " program of the Department of Education is hereby 
institutionalized and recognized as a means to provide education to out-of-school 
youths, adults who have neither undergone nor completed basic education, and to 
other individuals who cannot be adequately served by the formal educational 
system.
Sec. 3. Definition o f Terms. -  As used in this Act, the following terms shall be 
defined as follows:
(a) Abot Alam - refers to the "Abot Alam" program of the Department of 
Education which is institutionalized under Section 4 of this Act;
(b) Abot Alam Enlisted Learners or Enlisted Learners - refers to individuals, 
whether out-of-school youths or adults who have neither undergone nor


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completed basic education, who are enrolled in any of the components of
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the Abot Alam Program.
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(c) Abot Alam Partner or Partners - refers to individuals, groups, organizations
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or agencies (e.g. LCDs, NGOs, private institutions/companies, religious
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groups, etc.) implementing the Abot Alam Program in different areas using
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their own resources and/or which provide technical assistance or other
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resources in support of the Program at any level;
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(d) Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System or Targeting System refers to the
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comprehensive database of OSY established under Section 5 of this Act.
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(e) Alternative Delivery Modes - as defined and adopted from Department of
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Education Order No. 54, s. 2012, refers to alternative modalities of
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delivering education which allows schools to deliver quality education to
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marginalized students and those at risk of dropping out in order to help
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them overcome personal, social and economic constraints in their
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schooling. It shall include, without limitation, the following:
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1. Enhanced Instructional Management Parents, Communities and
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Teachers (E-IMPACT);
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2. Modified In-School Off-School Approach (MISOSA); and
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3. Open High School Program (OHSP)
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(f) Alternative Learning System - as defined and adopted from Republic Act
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No. 9155, otherwise known as the Governance of Basic Education Act of
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2001, is a parallel learning system to provide a viable alternative to the
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existing formal education instruction. It encompasses both the non-formal
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and informal sources of knowledge and skills;
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(g) Out-of-Schoo! Youth or OSY- refers to individuals who are 7 to 24 years
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of age who are not enrolled in formal schooling.
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Sec. 4. Institutionalization o f the Abot Alam Program. -  there is hereby
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established a nationwide program to be known as the "Abot Alam" Program, herein
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referred to as "the Program".
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Sec. 5. Objectives. -  The Program aims to:
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(a) Create a comprehensive database of OSY in the country by organizing a
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Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System;


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(b) Unify and harmonize the efforts and resources of all agencies and
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organizations directed towards providing education and training for OSY in
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the Country;
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(c) Ensure that all OSYs have access to programs and services of different
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agencies and organizations;
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(d) Integrate adults who have neither undergone nor completed formal
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education in the Program;
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Sec. 6. Coverage, the Act shall cover:
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(a) Out-of-School Youths;
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(b) Marginalized students who are at risk of dropping out; and
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(c) Adults who have neither undergone nor finished basic education.
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Sec. 7. Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System. -  A comprehensive database
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of OSYs in the country is hereby established. The targeting system shall be based
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on information collected and updated by Barangays on OSYs in their jurisdiction, in
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coordination with the relevant Public Schools District Supervisors and School Heads.
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The database shall be updated annually and shall include information such as one's
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name, age, location, and learning needs. All information shall be submitted to and
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consolidated by the Philippine Statistics Authority. Existing enrollees of the Program
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need not be included in the database.
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Sec. 8. Components. -  The Program shall have three (3) modalities:
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(a) ALS-Education - a community-based ALS program which helps Enlisted
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Learners to acquire basic reading, writing, numeracy skills and the ability
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to read with comprehension and solve simple numeracy problems. Enlisted
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Learners 
under this program 
shall 
undergo an 
accreditation 
and
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equivalency test before and after the program duration which will
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measures their learning competency. Passers of the test are shall be given
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a diploma certifying their competencies as comparable graduates of the
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formal school system and shall be considered qualified to enroll secondary
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and post-secondary schools. This program shall be implemented by the
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Department of Education, in coordination with interested Partners.
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(b) ALS-Entrepreneurship - an ALS program which provides livelihood and
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entrepreneurship training and assistance to Enlisted Learners. This shall


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be a joint program of the Department of Education and Department of
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Trade and Industry, in coordination with interested Partners.
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(c) ALS Technical-Vocational and Employment Program - an ALS program
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which provides technical-vocational skills training to Enlisted Learners. This
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shall be a Joint program of the Department of Education and Technical
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and Vocational Education and Skills Development Authority in coordination
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with interested Partners.
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Sec. 9. Utilization o f Alternative Delivery Modes. -  The Department of
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Education and concerned Partners shall, in addition to formal, school-based modes
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of delivering education, shall maximize the utilization of Alternative Delivery Modes
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of education.
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Sec. 10. Program Implementation. -  DepEd Division Offices, in consultation
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with all concerned Partners, shall map and provide information on all of the ALS
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programs of intervention that they are offering in their jurisdiction and match the
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needs of Enlisted Learners with the available programs mapped;
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Sec. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. -  Within thirty (30) days from
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the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Education, Technical Education and
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Skills Development Authority, and the Department of Trade and Industry, in
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consultation with relevant government agencies and partners, shall promulgate the
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rules and regulations for the effective regulation of this Act.
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Sec. 
12. 
Appropriations. 
-  An 
amount 
of Ten 
Million 
Pesos 
(Php
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10,000,000.00) is hereby allocated for the initial implementation of this act. Such
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amounts as may be necessary for the continuing implementation of this Act shall be
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included as a separate line-item under the appropriations of the Department of
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Education under the General Appropriations Act and may be augmented by grants,
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donations and endowments from domestic and foreign sources, pursuant to existing
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laws and regulations.
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Sec. 13. Separability Clause. -  If any provision of this Act shall be held
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unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions not otherwise affected shall remain
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in full force and effect.


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Sec. 14. Repealing Cause. -  All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations
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inconsistent with or contrary to this Act, are hereby deemed accordingly repealed or
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amended.
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Sec. 15. Effectivity Cause. -  This Act shall take effect upon its approval and
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completion of publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general
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circulation.
Approved,