FIFTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES —)
FIRST REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

House Bill No._ 2563

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Special schools and private educational institutions, both primary and
secondary in which children of wealthy families study undeniably provide the best
quality of education available in the country

In fact, statistics shows that graduates of these institutions normally meet
the admission requirements imposed by respected universities, obtain their
undergraduate degrees with honors and end up as successful career individuals.

Further, and perhaps more importantly, these children, given the wide
range of academic and non-academic opportunities given them, are more secure,
healthy and confident individuals than their counterparts from ordinary public
schools or institutions of academic learning

There is a need to provide exceptionally brilliant or gifted students from
poor families the same educational opportunities, which children from wealthier
families have. Albeit special schools already offer existing scholarship programs
to indigent students, these are usually sporadic and not institutionalized

The proposed measure seeks to provide educational opportunities for
disadvantaged children by giving them the same choices among all elementary
and secondary schools and other academic programs availed of by those of well-
to-do families. Hopefully, this measure will enable these children end up as more
productive and critical individuals than what they would have normally become
under the present educational set up.

Immediate approval of this bill is eamestly sought

RUFUS B. RODRIGUEZ

wn a JR.


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES —_)
FIRST REGULAR SESSION )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

563

House Bill No.

AN ACT
TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISADVANTAGED
CHILDREN, 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 shail be known as the “Excellence
Through Choice to Elevate Learning Act’

SEC 2. Purposes. ~ The purposes of this Act are to:

(a) give children from low-income families the same choices among all
elementary and secondary schools and other academic programs as
children from wealthier families already have;

(b) improve schools and other academic programs by giving parents in
low-income families increased consumer power to choose the schools
and programs that the parents determine best fit the needs of their
children; and

(©) fully engage parents in their children’s schooling; and,

(4) give parents in low-income families a choice among public, private and
Feligious schools for their children and access to the same academic
options as parents in wealthy families have for their children.

SEC 3. Program Authority. - The Department of Education, hereinafter
referred to as “Department” shall camry out educational choice programs that
provide scholarships in accordance with this Act to five (5) deserving students
from poor families per region of the country, to any private elementary or high
school chosen by such students or their parents; Provided, that such students
shall meet the requirements for admission in said school or institution


For purposes of this Act, the term “poor families” means families whose
aggregate income per year is not more than One Hundred Thousand Pesos
(P 100,000.00)

SEC 4. Scholarship. —
(1) In General —

(a) Scholarship Awards — the Department shall provide scholarships
to the parents of eligible children, in accordance with subsection
(b). The Department shail ensure that the scholarships may be
redeemed for elementary or secondary education for the
children at any of a broad variety of public and private schools,
including religious schools in the country.

(b) Scholarship Amount - the amount of each scholarship shall not
be less than P50,000.00 or equivalent to expenditure
Tequirements set forth in a school of choice per year. Each
selected student shall also be entitled to a stipend of P1,000.00
per month.

(c) Tax Exemption — Scholarships awarded under this Act shall not
be considered income of the parents for income tax purposes or
for determining eligibility for any other program.

(2) Eligible Children ~ to be eligible to receive a scholarship under this Act
a child shall be selected from a list of aspirants recommended or
endorsed by the school where such child is currently enrolled in. The
Department shall come up with selection standards or criteria which
include, among others, series of examinations and interviews.

SEC 5. Continuing Eligibility. ~ The Department shall provide a scholarship
in each year of the program to each child who received a scholarship during the
previous year of the program, unless:

(a) the child no longer attends school;

(b) the child's family income exceeds by 50% or more; or

(©) the child is expelled for failure to meet the educational
requirements imposed by the school or institution or convicted of
a felony, including felonious drug, possession of a weapon on
school grounds, or a violent act against another student or a
member of the schoo!'s faculty.

SEC 6. Uses of Funds. — Any scholarship awarded under this Act for a
year shall be used for:


(1) the payment of tuition and fees at the school selected by the
parents of the child for whom the scholarship was provided;

(2) the reasonable costs of the child's transportation to the school, if
the school is not the school to which the child would be
assigned in the absence of a program under this Act; and

@) for educational programs that helps the eligible child achieve
high levels of academic excellence in the school attended by the
eligible child, if the eligible child chooses to attend a public
school.

SEC 7. Funding Requirements. - There shall be authorized to be
appropriated from resources allocated to the Department such sums as may be
necessary to implement the provisions of this Act.

SEC 8. Separabilty 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,

SEC 9. Repealing Clause. ~ Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed,
modified or amended accordingly

SEC 10. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
Publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved.