Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO. _487

Introduced by Representative Jaime R. Fresnedi

EXPLANATORY NOTE

‘This legislative measure aims to address the persistent delays in the delivery of
textbooks and other learning materials in the country, especially in far-flung provinces or
regions, by decentralizing the Textbook Procurement Program of the Department of Education
(DepEd). The bill proposes to establish the Division Textbook Procurement Services Units
(DTPSUs) in every provincial and city division office, including the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). By decentralizing such, the government shall be able to
streamline the procurement process and bring it closer to schools that need the materials the
most. The measure shall also repeal Section 10 of Republic Act No. 8047, otherwise known as
the Book Publishing Industry Development Act which shall ensure that local DepEd offices
will have greater autonomy in the acquisition and distribution of textbooks. In this way, the
State shall be able to reduce bottlenecks at the national level

According to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), the lack of
textbooks and other learning materials has been a longstanding issue in the country that
hampers the students’ learning process as they do not possess the necessary materials to
understand the concepts being taught in their respective classes. Reports from teachers and
other school administrators, and even parents, state that learners are often forced to share
‘outdated or insufficient copies of textbooks, which is a far cry from DepEd’s goal of a one-is-
to-one textbook to student ratio. The Commission on Audit’s (COA) report from recent years
also revealed that there are significant backlogs in the textbook procurement program of the
DepEd as some materials were found to arrive years after their intended use. The centralized
procurement system was found to have a particularly slow approval, bidding and distribution
due to bureaucratic red tape and logistical challenges. The MATATAG curriculum reforms, as
introduced by the DepEd, are envisioned to improve learning outcomes. However, its
implementation has been hindered by the late delivery of textbooks. According to the Second
Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), Grades 4 and 7 only have 35 out of 90
textbook titles have been fully delivered as of January 2025, which is halfway of the School
Year (SY) 2024-2025. These delays further exacerbate the urgent need for a more responsive
and decentralized textbook procurement system or process.

With that being said, the decentralization of the textbook procurement program will
alleviate the plight of learners, teachers and even parents in several meaningful ways. Not only
will it shorten the procurement and delivery of textbooks by allowing local DepEd offices to


directly acquire learning materials, but it will also empower local education officials with
greater decision-making authority and enable them to select or tailor-fit textbook and learning
materials aligned with the needs of their students

This measure shall also promote or enhance accountability and transparency as
monitoring textbook distribution at the division level will become much more manageable
compared to a national procurement system. The bill shall also help our teachers who often
shoulder the financial burden in the provision of learning materials when textbooks aren’t
readily available for instruction. Our teachers will be relieved of this and focus entirely on
quality instruction.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought

JAL FI SNEDI
Representative
Lone District, Muntinlupa City


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO._487

Introduced by Rep. Jaime R. Fresnedi

AN ACT

DECENTRALIZING THE TEXTBOOK PROCUREMENT PROGRAM OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DEPED) BY CREATING A DIVISION TEXTBOOK
PROCUREMENT SERVICES UNIT (DTPSU) IN ALL PROVINCIAL AND CITY
DIVISION OFFICES INCLUDING THOSE IN THE AUTONOMOUS REGION IN
MUSLIM MINDANAO (ARMM), REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 10 OF
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8047, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE BOOK PUBLISHING
INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT ACT

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Decentralization of the Textbook Procurement Program. - The Textbook
Procurement Program of the Department of Education (DepEd) shall be decentralized by
establishing the Division Textbook Procurement Services Unit (DTPSU) in every provincial and
city division office of the department including those in the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM).

Sec. 2. Pre-Procurement Procedures. ~ The Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD),
in coordination with the Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR), the National Book Development
Board (NBDB) and the Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (IMCS), shall perform the
following:

a) Prepare the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) and writing briefs;

b) Develop national curriculum standards for basic education;


c) Disseminate the MELCs and corresponding instructional material guidelines to all
provincial and city division offices and accredited publishers.

The BLR shall lead the quality assurance process of all textbook submissions to ensure
alignment with curriculum standards. A shortlist of quality-assured titles shall be developed at the
central level

The Schools Division Offices shall:

a) Select titles from the quality-assured list that best fit the needs of schools within their
jurisdiction;

b) Disseminate the approved list to schools to allow end-user selection;
c) Facilitate procurement and payment of selected textbooks and instructional materials;

4) Encourage selection of validated supplementary books that support differentiated
instruction, depending on local learning needs and context.

Training on textbook and supplementary material evaluation shall be conducted for all
SDOs and schools. The use of the Special Education Fund (SEF) may be explored and clarified to
support the procurement of supplemental resources.

Sec. 3. The Procurement Procedure. - The DTPSUs shall:

a) Collect Requisition and Issue Slips (RIS) from schools;

b) Consolidate and prioritize requested titles;

©) Prepare and process purchase orders based on available funds; and

4) Coordinate the delivery and allocation of books to schools.

Sec. 4. Decentralization of Textbook Printing. ~ Textbook printing may be conducted on a

regional, provincial or congressional district basis when economically viable to support local
industry and expedite delivery.

Sec. 5. Multiple Adoption. - The DepEd shall ensure that the policy of multiple adoption
of textbooks be implemented to encourage the free flow of information and deregulation of book
publishing

Sec. 6. Composition of the DTPSU. - The DTPSU shall be headed by the Schools Division
Superintendent (SDS) or his or her authorized representative with the following as members:


ae

a) Supply Officer;
b) Area Supervisor Concemed;
c) Fiscal or Finance Chief, and

d) Representative District Supervisor or Head of the largest school in the division.

Seo. 7. Function of the Office of the Secretary of the DepEd. - The Office of the Secretary
of the DepEd shall monitor the operation of the DTPSUs with respect to the quality of services of
participating private publishers as well as utilization of funds allocated to the respective DTPSUs.

Sec. 8. Monitoring. ~ The Office of the Secretary of the Deped shall monitor all DTPSU
operations, including the quality of publisher services and proper fund utilization. Coordination
with the BLR shall ensure ongoing quality control

Sec. 9. Appropriations. - The Secretary of Education and the Regional Secretary of
Education of the ARMM shall immediately include in their respective agency's programs the
establishment and operation of the DTPSUs, the initial funding of which shall be charged against
their current year’s appropriations and thereafter in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Likewise, the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the ARMM shall include in their
respective agency’s Annual Budget Appropriations the amount for the procurement of textbooks
and other instructional materials based on the annual textbook procurement program/s submitted
by each division.

Sec. 10, Penal Clause. - Any person who willfully violates or cause the violation of any
provision of this Act shall, upon conviction, be penalized with a fine of Twenty thousand pesos
(P20,000,00) or imprisonment of not less than three months but not more than one year or both
depending upon the discretion of the court.

Sec. 11. Repealing Clause, — Section 10 of R.A. No. 8047, otherwise known as the Book
Publishing Industry Development Act, is hereby repealed, All other laws, decrees, rules, regulatory
and other administrative issuances or provisions thereof, which are contrary to or inconsistent
herewith are hereby repealed or modified accordingly

Sec. 12. Effectivity. - Notwithstanding the non-issuance of the IRR, this Act shall take
effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general
circulation

Approved,