Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City
TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 3228
Introduced by REP. EMILIO BERNARDINO L. YULO
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Education is a fundamental right enshrined in the 1987 Constitution, which
mandates the State to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at
all levels and to take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. However,
children in geographically isolated and disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas
(GIDCA) continue to suffer from limited or no access to public basic education. These
areas are home to some of the most marginalized and underserved sectors of our
population, including Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) and Indigenous Peoples
(IPs).
The Department of Education (DepEd) has identified “Last Mile Schools” as
institutions facing the most serious challenges in delivering basic education. These
schools typically lack permanent classrooms, electricity, access to technology, adequate
teaching personnel, and are often located far from the centers of local governance. Some
schools are reachable only by foot, across rivers or through mountainous terrain, making
daily access physically demanding for both learners and educators.
This bill seeks to institutionalize a comprehensive and coordinated approach to
address the challenges faced by Last Mile Schools through the establishment of public
basic education schools in GIDCA and the construction of access roads and essential
infrastructure. It directs the collaboration of national agencies such as the Department of
Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Energy (DOE), the National
Electrification
Administration
(NEA),
and
the
Department
of
Information
and
Communications Technology (DICT) to ensure that these schools are not only built but
also fully equipped with the infrastructure necessary for modern, quality education.
August 6, 2025
1:01 pm


This bill affirms our collective commitment to closing the education gap,
empowering marginalized communities, and laying the groundwork for inclusive and
equitable national development. It recognizes that no Filipino child should be left behind,
no matter how distant or disadvantaged their community may be.
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
REP. EMILIO BERNARDINO L. YULO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City
TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 3228
Introduced by REP. EMILIO BERNARDINO L. YULO
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING PUBLIC BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS IN
GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED AND DISADVANTAGED AND CONFLICT-
AFFECTED AREAS, PROVIDING ACCESS ROADS LEADING TO LAST MILE
SCHOOLS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Last Mile Schools
Act”.
SEC. 2.
Declaration of Policy. – It is the declared policy of the State to
protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and take
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.
The State recognizes and promotes the rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities
within the framework of national unity and development. To this end, the State shall
recognize
the right
of
indigenous
families
and
communities
to
retain
shared
responsibility for upbringing, training, education and well-being of their children,
consistent with the rights of the child.
The State shall improve the quality and access to basic education of children in
the far-flung, isolated, disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas, as well as those in Last
Mile Schools, by investing on school infrastructures and roads leading to the said public
schools.
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act:
(a) Basic
education
refers
to
the
intended
basic
learning
needs
which
provide the foundation on which subsequent learning can be based. It


includes
kindergarten, elementary and secondary education as well as
alternative learning systems for out-of-school learners and those with special
needs;
(b) Basic Education School refers to learning institutions accredited by the
Department of Education (DepEd) to
deliver
services
addressing
the
intended basic learning needs of students;
(c) Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs)/Indigenous Peoples (IPs) refer to the
same definition stated in Section 3h, Chapter 2 of Republic Act No.
8371, or “The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997”, which describes it as
“group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and
ascription by others, who have continuously lived as organized community
on communally bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims
of ownership since time immemorial, occupied,
possessed
and
utilized
such territories, sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions
and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to
political,
social
and
cultural
inroads
of
colonization,
non-indigenous
religions
and
cultures,
became
historically
differentiated
from
the
majority of Filipinos. ICCs/IPs shall likewise include peoples who are
regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations
which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or colonization, or at
the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, or the
establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their
own social, economic, cultural and political institutions, but who may have
been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled
outside their ancestral domains”; and
(d) Last Mile Schools refer to public basic education schools with gaps in
resources and facilities which are located in geographically isolated and
disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas (GIDCA).
SEC. 4. Establishment of Last Mile Schools. – The Last Mile Schools are
hereby established, under the administration of the DepEd, to cater to the basic education
of learners throughout the country’s GIDCA.
The establishment of Last Mile Schools in locations situated by the ICCs
shall be undertaken in consideration of the rights of the IPs, in accordance with Republic
Act No. 8371.
SEC. 5. Access to Education. – The DepEd shall collaborate with concerned
national government agencies for the delivery of the infrastructures necessary to
ensure access to education in the Last Mile Schools, namely:


(a) Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), for the construction of
access roads leading to the location of Last Mile Schools;
(b) Department of Energy (DOE) and National Electrification Administration
(NEA), for the installation of electricity; and
(c) Department
of Information
and
Communications
Technology (DICT),
for the installation of information and communications technology.
SEC. 6. Criteria. – The indicators used in identifying a public school to be
included among the Last Mile Schools are the following:
(a) Having less than four (4) classrooms;
(b) With makeshift or nonstandard rooms;
(c) Absence of or irregular electricity;
(d) Have not been allocated funds for repairs or new construction projects in
the last four (4) years unless destroyed;
(e) With travel distance of more than one hour from the center of a city or
municipality, or with difficulty of terrain or of such nature as to be considered
having difficulty of access to existing educational institutions;
(f) Having multigrade classes or rooms;
(g) With less than five (5) teachers;
(h) Having a student population of less than one hundred (100) learners;
(i) With more than seventy-five percent (75%) IP learners; and
(j) Having such other circumstances that make it difficult for learners to access
school facilities.
SEC. 7. Implementation. – The school building program for the Last Mile Schools
shall be established and completed within a period of five (5) years after the effectivity of
this Act.
To facilitate synchronicity, harmony and complementarity of plans, resources and
efforts of both the national government and the local government units (LGUs) towards the
attainment of the objectives of this Act, the DepEd shall plan and implement the
programs, projects, and activities that address the needs of the Last Mile Schools, in
coordination and collaboration with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
(NCIP), DPWH, DICT, DOE, NEA, Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD), Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR),
National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), and concerned LGUs.
SEC. 8. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the implementation of this
Act shall be included in the budgets of the concerned Departments, agencies and
Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations in the annual General Appropriations
Act.
SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within ninety (90) days
from the approval of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall, in consultation with the


NCIP, DPWH, DICT, DOE, NEA, DSWD, DENR, NDRRMC, and Union of Local
Authorities of the Philippines, formulate the rules and regulations implementing the
provisions of this Act.
SEC. 10. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act
is held
invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared shall remain in force and
effect.
SEC. 11. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, orders and rules and regulations
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended
accordingly.
SEC. 12. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,