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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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Second Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article 2 Section 17 of the Constitution states: 
SEC. 17. The State shall give priority to education, science and 
technology, arts, culture and sports to foster patriotism nationalism, accelerate 
social progress and promote total human liberation and development. 
Brain drain is a common phenomenon over the last several decades. It involves many of 
our teachers who go abroad to seek greener pastures. As a result, we continue to lose teachers in 
our schools and uimecessarily increase the burden of teaching the ever growing number of our 
students to the teachers that actually stay. However, this phenomenon does not only occur from 
our country to overseas. It is also happening from our rural schools to urban cities. Substandard 
facilities and even more substandard communities make for additional burdens to our teachers 
who teach in rural areas. 
Many of our teachers find it really hard to realistically make a career teaching in these 
communities much less thrive in them. As such there is little incentive for the highly qualified 
teachers to go and stay in rural schools. As legislators, we must acknowledge the higher level of 
challenge presented in those areas and provide better incentives to highly qualified teachers. It is 
not only our duty to provide education to our children in those areas, but also to provide high 
quality education, that they may be able to develop into good citizens that will help their 
communities and our country. 
Initially, we need to establish an incentive program that will entice our highly qualified 
teachers to stay. A competitive program of grants to qualified provinces will not only motivate 
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the provinces to develop their programs for the rural community but likewise allow us to focus 
the limited resources to the provinces that is in the position to make use of the funds best. 
This bill seeks to establish a program that will provide financial assistance to qualified 
provinces in order to create an incentive system for highly qualified teachers who shall commit 
to stay and teach for at least three years. 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
Second Regular Session 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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:~j7 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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AN ACT 
TO ESTABLISH A COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAMS TO RETAIN HIGHLY 
QUALIFIED TEACHERS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES 
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 ‘‘Rural Teacher Retention Act 
of 2008.” 
SECTION 2. Definition. - The purpose of this Act the term - 
A. “Child with a disability” means a minor who has a physical, mental or medical 
impairment resulting from anatomical, physiological, or neurological conditions 
that prevent the exercise of a normal bodily function or that substantially impair 
cognitive function, and include but is not limited to, impairments requiring the use 
of an artificial device to move, walk, see, hear or breathe, such as a wheelchair, 
braces, crutches, respirator, or other supportive equipment, or use of a guide dog 
or other guiding device, and which renders such person incapable of adequately 
providing for his or her own health and personal care. 
B. “Department” means the Department of Education 
C. “Secretary” means the Secretary of Education 
SECTION 3. Grant. - The Secretary shall carry out a 5-year pilot program under which 
the Secretary awards grants, on a competitive basis, to not more than 10 different provinces, to 
enable them to award salary bonuses to highly qualified teachers or highly qualified special 
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education teachers who teach, or commit to teach, for at least 3 academic years in such 
institution. 
SECTION 4. Basis. - The Secretary shall award grants under this section on the basis of 
the needs of rural local educational agencies within a province for recruiting and retaining highly 
qualified teachers or highly qualified special education teachers. 
SECTION 5. Consideration of 
Needs. - In determining the needs of rural local 
educational agencies for recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers and highly qualified 
special education teachers under Section 5, the Secretary shall consider 1 or more of the 
following: 
A. The impact on a rural local educational agency of low-income students who are 
served by the rural local educational agency. 
B. The impact on a rural local educational agency of children with a disability who are 
served by the rural local educational agency. 
C. The long-term plans of a province to improve the recruitment and retention of highly 
qualified teachers and highly qualified special education teachers in rural local 
educational agencies within the province. 
SECTION 6. Application. - A province that desires to receive a grant under this section 
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 
such information as the Secretary may require. The application shall contain a plan for the 
proposed distribution and use of the grant funds among m a l  local educational agencies within 
the province. 
SECTION 7. Use of Funds. - Grant funds under this section shall be used to provide 
salary bonuses for highly qualified teachers or highly qualified special education teachers who 
teach, or commit to teach, for at least 3 academic years, in an elementary school or secondary 
school served by the same rural local educational agency. 
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SECTION 8. Study. - The Secretary shall carry out a study of each project that is funded 
under this Act. The study shall track and assess the implementation and effectiveness of each 
project. 
SECTION 9. Report. - 
A. ANNUAL REPORTS FROM PROVINCES- Each province receiving a grant under 
this Act shall submit an annual report to the Secretary regarding each project within 
the State that is funded under this Act. The report shall contain such information as 
the Secretary determines necessary to evaluate the project. 
B. REPORT TO CONGRESS- The Secretary shalt submit a report on the study 
described in Section 8 to the appropriate committees in the Senate and in the House 
of Representatives within 5 years from the effectivity of this Act. 
1. the number of rural local educational agencies assisted under this Act; 
2. the characteristics of such rural local educational agencies with respect to the 
considerations of needs described in section 4(c); 
3. the number and demographic characteristics of teachem receiving bonuses 
under this Act; 
4. the impact of the bonuses provided under this Act on the ability of rural local 
educational agencies assisted under this Act to recruit and retain highly 
qualified teachers and highly qualified special education teachers; and 
5 .  such other information and analysis as the Secretary determines necessary to 
evaluate the projects. 
SECTION 10. Appropriations. -The amount necessary for the initial implementation of 
this Act shall be charged against the appropriations of the Department of Education under the 
current General Appropriations Act. Thereafter, such sum as may be necessary for its full 
implementation shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act as a distinct and 
separate item. 
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SECTION 11. 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 12. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or is inconsistent 
with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 13. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
Iapml I2008 
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