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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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Third Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 11, Section 17, states that: 
“The State shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts, 
culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social 
progress, and promote total human liberation and development.” 
Batas Pambansa Bilang 232, otherwise known as the “Education Act of 1982”, 
states that o w  of the policics of the State is to promote the right of every individual to 
relevant quality education regdrdlcss of’ sex, age, breed, socio-economic status, physical 
and mental condition, social or ethnic origin, political and other affiliation. ‘l’hc Statc 
shall therefore promote and maintain equality of access to education as well as the 
enjoyment of hcnefits of education by all its citizens. 
Every child with special needs has a right to an educational program that is 
suitable to his needs. Special education shares with rcgular cducatioii basic 
responsibilities of the cducatioiial system to fulfill the right of‘ the child to develop to his 
frill potential. 
According to the Department of Education (DepEd), as of SY 2004-2005, there 
arc 79.1 18 children with disabilities in the Philippines. Among the disabilities of thcsc 
childrcn are hearing impairment, visual impairment, mental retadation. behaviorel 
problem, orthopedic handicap, autism. speech defects, chronic illness. and cerebral palsy 
‘Throughout the country, there are 2,149 schools of‘fering program for special education 


According 10 the DepEd, as ofthe year 2005, only 4.8% of children with special 
rieeds arc given appropriate educational service, leaving 95.2% of thesc cliildrcii lacking 
in educational needs. 


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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
Third Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ONE SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN 
WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN EVERY MUNICIPALITY 
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Schools for Children 
with Special Needs Act of 2007”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State 
to promote the well-being of the youth, particularly children with special needs. The 
State gives emphasis to the need to provide these children with basic education to enable 
thcni to fully rcalix their owii potciitials for dcvelopincnt and productivity as well as 
being capable of self-expression of their rights in the society. 
SECTION 3. De$nition of Terms. 
1 .  Children with special needs - shall refer to children with mental disabilities 
such as autism, mental retardation, etc; learning disabilities such as attention 
deficiency disorder (ADD), dyslexia, etc.; and children who are suffering 
from other illnesses and defects such as, but not limited to, hearing 
impairment, visual impainnent, behavioral problems, orthopedic handicap, 
speech defects, chronic illness, and cerebral palsy. 
2. Accredited teachers - teachers accredited by the Department of Education 
(DepEd) to teach children with special needs 


SECTION 4. Schools for special children - there shall be established one school 
for children with special needs in every municipality throughout the country. Each of 
these schools shall be divided into divisions which are required in order to adopt to the 
different needs of the children, e.g. one section for the physically disabled, one section 
for the mentally challenged, and another section for those with learning disabilities. 
These schools shall be administered by teachers who are accredited by the DepEd for this 
purpose. 
SECTION 5. Free education - Education in these schools for children with 
special needs shall be for free and no monetary fee shall be collected from the students 
except for donations and other contributions. Provided, that the amount of contributions 
allowed to be collected by the schools for children with special needs shall be regulated 
by the implementing d e s  and regulations to be set by the DepEd. 
SECTION 6. Levels ofeducation - The schools for children with special needs, 
which shall be established in every municipality, shall providing for basic elementary 
education, secondary education, and tertiary education. Vocational courses shall also be 
offered, The curriculum shall be formulated and duly approved by the DepEd. 
SECTION 7. 
Implementing Agency. - The DepEd shall be the overall 
implementing agency for this Act. The DepEd shall coordinate with the respective local 
government units. 
SECTION 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations - The DepEd shall formulate 
the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for this Act. The IRR shall provide 
specifically for, but not limited to, the qualifications and recruitment processes for 
teachers who will teach in these schools, the standard curriculum for all schools for 


children with special needs throughout the country, and the amount o€ contributions 
allowed to be collected from students. 
SECTION 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part thereof, is held 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 10. 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. 
SECTION 1 1. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (1 5) days 
after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved 
Rcc/5/28/07