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Republic of the Philippines io

House of Representatives
Quezon City, Metro Manila

pare 30 JUL

Twentieth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. _2762

INTRODUCED BY HONORABLE AMADO CARLOS BOLILIA IV

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article XIV, Sec. 1 states that it is the duty of the State to protect and promote
the right of all citizens to education at all levels, and take appropriate steps to make
such education accessible to all. The focus of this bill is to improve accessibility and
strengthen the infrastructure of what are called “last mile schools” that are typically
located in Geographically Isolated, Disadvantaged, or Conflict Affected Areas
(GIDCAAS).

These last mile schools are often highly inaccessible and require both students
and teachers to undertake lengthy and even dangerous journeys across undeveloped
roads and difficult terrain. The lack of roads, and the lack of funding support to
improve and to equip these last mile schools make learning difficult, and sometimes
even impossible for some of the farthest communities.

As such, this bill is filed so as to help address the needs of GIDCAAS for
quality education through the enactment of a policy that will provide a clear path
forward to making education more accessible for students in GIDCAAS.

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

AMABO CARLOS BOLILIA IV
Representative
4th District of Batangas



Republic of the Philippines

House of Representatives

Quezon City, Metro Manila

Twentieth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO._2762

INTRODUCED BY HONORABLE AMADO CARLOS BOLILIA IV.

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 the House of the 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 leaning needs which provide the
foundation on which subsequent learning can be based. It includes kindergarten,
elementary and secondary education as well as alternative leaming 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;

€. 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 Depa, 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;

4d. 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;

Having multigrade classes or rooms;
. With less than five (5) teachers;
. Having a student population of less than one hundred (100) learners;
With more than seventy-five percent (75%) IP learners; and
Having such other circumstances that make it difficult for leamers to access school
facilities.

Sree

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