Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL Nooo? Sf

Introduced by
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO,
BAYAN MUNA Party-List Rep. CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE,
Rep. FERDINAND GAITE and Rep. EUFEMIA C. CULLAMAT,
GABRIELA Women’s Party Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS,
and KABATAAN Party-List Rep. SARAH JANE |. ELAGO

AN ACT
ENSURING WEEKENDS AS DAYS OF REST
FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHERS BY PROVIDING FOR THEIR RIGHT
TO CONDUCT MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, TRAININGS, AND SIMILAR ACTIVITIES
DURING WEEKDAYS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT 4461

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The weekend is supposed to be reserved for rest, a chance to recover from five
straight days of work and to physically and emotionally prepare for the work week
ahead.

For public and private school teachers, however, Saturdays and Sundays are tiring
extensions of the weekdays, as there are oftentimes required to report for meetings,
conferences, trainings, and the like. For the public school system, these activities are
commonly not held on weekends due to the “time on task” rule—implemented by the
Department of Education through DepEd Order 9, series of 2005. Citing the
deteriorating quality of education, teachers are ordered “to increase engaged time-on-
task so that the required number of school days..and the time allotment to teaching
every subject in school are met by minimizing activities participated in by the teachers
and the pupils.”

However, DepEd Order 16, series of 2009 and relevant issuances of the Civil
Service Commission reiterate the eight-hour work requirement in public schools, which
sets six hours for actual teaching and two hours for teaching-related activities. More


important are the constitutional right of teachers to professional advancement (Section
5(4) of Article XIV) and the mandate on government to take measures to promote
morale, efficiency, and responsiveness in the civil service (Section 3 of Article IX-B). Also
on point is the constitutional right of teachers to self-organization, which includes
faculty associations, federations, and regional union:
government by, among others, supporting their activities.

The “time-on-task” rule is usually cited to deny the holding of acti
Participation of teachers therein from Mondays to Fridays—as if meetings of teachers’
organizations, federations, or unions or trainings, conferences, and other activities for
professional advancement were not part of a teacher's tasks or not done to directly
improve a teacher's work in the classroom. Limiting these activities to weekends sends
the wrong message that the pursuit of teachers’ constitutional rights to professional
advancement and self-organization should only be done during Saturdays and Sundays
and should eat up their time for relaxation and recuperation.

Itis high time for a categorical directive from government that will allow teachers
to take their rest on Saturdays and Sundays. This bill therefore proposes for an
amendment to Republic Act 4461 (1965) to that effect and to likewise extend to private
school teachers the right to rest on weekends.

For these reasons, approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

. CASTRO
Party-List

Rep. CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE Rep. FERDINAND GAITE
BAYAN MUNA Party-List BAYAN MUNA Party-List

Rep. ‘aitit CULLAMAT

BAYAN MUNA Party-List

a NE D. BROSAS
GABRIELA Women’s Party

JANE |. ELAGO
IN Party-List,



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 3657

Introduced by
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO,
BAYAN MUNA Party-List Rep. CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE,
Rep. FERDINAND GAITE and Rep. EUFEMIA C. CULLAMAT,
GABRIELA Women’s Party Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS,
and KABATAAN Party-List Rep. SARAH JANE |. ELAGO

AN ACT
ENSURING WEEKENDS AS DAYS OF REST
FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHERS BY PROVIDING FOR THEIR RIGHT
TO CONDUCT MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, TRAININGS, AND SIMILAR ACTIVITIES
DURING WEEKDAYS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT 4461

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

SECTION 1. Section 1 of Republic Act 4461 shall be amended to read as follows:

Section 1. Meetings, TRAININGS, CONFERENCES, AND OTHER
ACTIVITIES of public AND PRIVATE school teachers shall be held
during school days instead of Saturdays and Sundays. THE RIGHT
TO REST ON WEEKENDS PROVIDED UNDER THIS ACT SHALL COVER
MEETINGS, TRAININGS, CONFERENCES, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
REQUIRED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO BE ATTENDED
BY TEACHERS AS WELL AS THOSE ORGANIZED BY FACULTY CLUBS,
ASSOCIATIONS, NATIONAL AND LOCAL TEACHERS’
ORGANIZATIONS, AND UNIONS.


SECTION 2. Any violation of this Act shall give cause for appropriate administrative
and civil liabilities under appropriate laws, rules, and regulations.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or one (1) newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,