Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 6028

Introduced by CIBAC Party-List Representatives
Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” C. Villanueva and Domingo C. Rivera

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE BARANGAY DAY CARE SYSTEM,
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6972
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE BARANGAY-LEVEL TOTAL

DEVELOPMENT AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN ACT AND FOR

OTHER PURPOSES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Constitution has enshrined several protections to safeguard the welfare of
children. One of these is in Article XIV, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution, where the
State is mandated to “protect and promote the right of alll citizens to quality education
at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all.” In
line with this agenda, previous administrations have passed measures and
implemented policies which aim to achieve these lofty goals.

For the day care sector, Presidential Decree No. 1567 mandated the creation
of barangay day care centers across the country. To strengthen this policy thrust, the
legislature passed Republic Act No. 6972 in 1990 to expand the roles of day care
centers to include growth and nutritional monitoring, and barangay assistance
programs. In 2000, Republic Act No. 8980 further created a comprehensive policy
framework for early childhood

However, several years since the passage of these statutes, experience has
shown that more needs to be done to improve the quality of, and accessibility to, day
care centers in the country. Data from Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) show that in 2000, only 32,787 barangays established day care facilities as


compared to the targeted 41,924 barangays.' This translates to a mere 72%
accomplishment rate with reference to the standard set down by Presidential Decree
No. 1567, which mandated the creation of a day care center in every barangay with at
least 100 family heads residing therein. The same study also bemoaned the
inadequacy of facilities in barangay day care centers, with day care centers only
servicing one million children as compared to a 12 million population of two to six year
olds that year.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reports that 31%
of working-age women were not in the labor force in 2011 due to household or family
duties.? This means that lack of child care support is a barrier to a woman’s opportunity
to seek employment.

This bill seeks to address the lack of and accessibility to day care centers, as
well as expand the opportunities for women to seek employment, by strengthening the
mandate of day care centers by ensuring that day care services are available for the
whole duration of the work hours of the working parents and an additional two hours
to account for the travel time of the parent to the day center to fetch their child/children,
and providing child care financial assistance to parents who are minimum wage
earners. This bill also seeks to bridge the gender gap between men and women with
regard to child care by clarifying that child care services are available to children of
“working parents” and not merely to “working mothers.”

The immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

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HON. EDUARDO “BRO. EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA

~ DOMING ERA

" Abulon, Edna Luz. Barangay Day Care Centers: Emergence, Current Status and Implications to Teacher Education. 2013.
Retieved ‘rom:
(date last

accessed: July23,2019). : :
* Gender Equality in the Labor Market in the Philppines, tp. 11, ting DOLE Decent Work Stasis Onne Database, Asian

Development Bank (2013). Retieved fom: ht
‘matketpiipines pf (date last acceseed: July 23,2019)


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 6028

Introduced by CIBAC Party-List Representatives
Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” C. Villanueva and Domingo C. Rivera

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE BARANGAY DAY CARE SYSTEM,
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6972
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE BARANGAY-LEVEL TOTAL

DEVELOPMENT AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN ACT AND FOR

OTHER PURPOSES

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 “Child Care Assistance
Act.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — The State recognizes the Filipino family as the
foundation of the nation. Towards this end, the State shall defend the right of children
to assistance, which includes proper care and nutrition and establish, maintain, and
‘support a system of education relevant to the needs of people and society.

SECTION 3. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 6972, otherwise known as the Barangay-
Level Total Development and Protection of Children Act, is hereby amended to read
as follows:

Section 3. Program Framework. — The total development and protection of
children program for day care centers shall be provided for children up to six (6)
years of age with the consent of parents: provided, however, that, in case of
abused, neglected or exploited children, such consent shall not be required. The
program shall include the following


OCONDARWN=

() Care for children of working PARENTS [mothers] during the day and, where
feasible, care for children up to six (6) years of age when BOTH PARENTS
[mothers] are working at night: PROVIDED, THAT SUCH CARE SHALL LAST
DURING THE WORK HOURS OF THE WORKING PARENT/S AND AN
ADDITIONAL TIME OF UP TO TWO HOURS; PROVIDED FURTHER, THAT
THE BARANGAY DAY CARE CENTER SHALL HAVE THE DISCRETION TO
COLLECT A REASONABLE FEE FOR CHILD CARE SERVICES RENDERED
BEYOND TEN (10) HOURS; provided FURTHER, that the day care center need
not to take care of children in a particular place but shall develop network of
homes where women may take care of the children up to six (6) years of age of
working [mothers] PARENTS during work hours, with adequate supervision from
the supervising social welfare officer of the Department of Social Welfare and
Development: provided, further, that, where young children are left to the care of
paid domestic, an elderly relative or older children without adequate and
competent adult supervision, the supervising social welfare officer shall provide
such training and adult supervision until the children's care meets adequate
standards whereby the children under their care will develop normally as healthy,
happy and loved children, even in the absence of their mothers during working
hours;

SECTION 4. A new Section 5-A is hereby inserted to read as follows:

SECTION 5-A. CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE. — FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR
THE PAYMENT OF CHILD CARE SERVICES FOR CHILDREN NOT MORE
THAN SIX (6) YEARS OLD SHALL BE PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT,
THRU THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT;
PROVIDED, THAT SUCH ASSISTANCE SHALL ONLY BE GRANTED TO
PARENT/S WHO ARE MINIMUM WAGE EARNERS; PROVIDED FURTHER,
THAT SUCH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SHALL BE PAID DIRECTLY TO THE
ACCREDITED PRIVATE DAY CARE CENTER AS FEE REDUCTION.

SECTION 5. Appropriations. — An amount of Fifty Million Pesos (P50,000,000.00)
shall be appropriated for the initial year of implementation of this Act. Thereafter, the
amount necessary for the proper implementation of this Act shall be included in the
annual General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days from
the implementation of this Act, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, in
coordination with other relevant government agencies and upon consultation with
relevant stakeholders, shall issue the implementing rules and regulations for the
effective implementation of this Act.

SECTION 7. Separability Clause. — Any portion or provisions of this Act that may be
declared unconstitutional or invalid shall not have the effect of nullifying other portions
and provisions hereof as long as such remaining portions or provisions can still subsist
and be given effect in their entirety.


©BNDHAON=

SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations
and administrative regulations, or any parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby
revoked, repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 9. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national papers of general
circulation.

Approved,