TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
1 ''ij.j'/-' .
■ ■ ,
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of H;r -h /-1
25 AUG-5 P2:02
S. No.
SENATE
891
received
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE "ABOT ALAM" PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT 
OF EDUCATION, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
In the Philippines, a significant number of youth face barriers to accessing 
formal education, leading to a high incidence of out-of-school youth (OSY). These 
young individuals, whose potential remains untapped, struggle to gain the necessary 
skills and qualifications to participate in the workforce, further exacerbating poverty 
and social inequality. Addressing the needs of out-of-school youth is essential to 
ensure a prosperous future for the nation.
This measure seeks to institutionalize the "Abot Alam Program", a 
comprehensive initiative designed to address the educational and livelihood needs of 
out-of-school youth (OSY), marginalized students at risk of dropping out, and adults 
who have not completed basic education. By formalizing this program, the bill 
guarantees its sustainability and extends its reach to more Filipinos in need of 
educational opportunities and life skills development.
Filed by Senator Grace Poe in the 19th Congress, this program aims to create 
an inclusive system that provides alternative learning pathways for youth and adults


who are currently excluded from the formal education system. It offers a vital second 
chance to those who need it the most, providing access to basic education, vocational 
skills, and livelihood programs.
The bill proposes a unified and accessible approach to addressing educational 
disparities by establishing a Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System, creating a 
nationwide database to identify OSYs, and mapping available programs across 
different regions. The Abot Alam Program will be delivered through Alternative 
Learning Systems (ALS), entrepreneurship training, and technical-vocational 
education, ensuring a broad range of educational services that are adaptable to the 
unique needs of each learner.
In addition to the creation of new pathways for education, the program also 
integrates the joint efforts of various government agencies, including the Department 
of Education (DepEd), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority 
(TESDA), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). These collaborations aim 
to provide comprehensive support to out-of-school youth and marginalized adults in 
the country, helping them gain skills that will help them succeed both in the workforce 
and in their personal lives.
Hence, the immediate approval of this bill is therefore earnestly sought.
INGtoOY EJERCITO ESTRADA


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE
S. No. 891
of til * it- I: .-I... r
25 AUG -5 P2 ;02
RCCfc'iy£D8\.
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE "ABOT ALAM" PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT 
OF EDUCATION, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "AbotAlam Act".
2 
Sec. 2, Declaration of Policy. - It is a policy of the State to protect and promote
3 
the right of all citizens, especially the poor and the marginalized, to quality education
4 
at all levels. Furthermore, the State recognizes the essential role of education in
5 
promoting a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and
6 
independence of the nation and free the people from poverty. Therefore, the "Abot
7 
Alam" program of the Department of Education is hereby institutionalized and
8 
recognized as a means to provide education to out-of-school youths, adults who have
9 
neither undergone nor completed basic education, and to other individuals who cannot
10 
be adequately served by the formal educational system.
11 
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms shall be
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defined as follows:
13 
a) AbotAlam - refers to the "Abot Alam" program of the Department of Education
14 
which is institutionalized under Section 4 of this Act;
15 
b) Abot Alam Enlisted Learners or Enlisted Learners - refers to individuals,
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whether out-of-school youths or adults who have neither undergone nor


1 
completed basic education, who are enrolled in any of the components of the
2 
Abot Alam Program;
3 
c) Abot Alam Partner or Partners - refers to individuals, groups, organizations or
4 
agencies (e.g. LCDs, NGOs, private institutions/companies, religious groups,
5 
etc.) implementing the Abot Alam Program In different areas using their own
6 
resources and/or which provide technical assistance or other resources in
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support of the Program at any level;
8 
d) Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System or Targeting System refers to the
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comprehensive database of OSY established under Section 5 of this Act;
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e) Alternative Delivery Modes - as defined and adopted from Department of
11 
Education Order No. 54, s. 2012, refers to alternative modalities of delivering
12 
education which allows schools to deliver quality education to marginalized
13 
students and those at risk of dropping out in order to help them overcome
14 
personal, social and economic constraints in their schooling. It shall include,
15 
without limitation, the following:
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1. Enhanced Instructional Management Parents, Communities and
17 
Teachers (E-IMPACT);
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2. Modified In-School Off-School Approach (MISOSA); and
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3. Open High School Program (OHSP);
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f) Alternative Learning System - as defined and adopted from Republic Act No.
21 
9155, otherwise known as the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, is a
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parallel learning system to provide a viable alternative to the existing formal
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education instruction. It 
encompasses both the non-formal and informal
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sources of knowledge and skills; and
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g) Out-of-Schoo! Youth or OSY- refers to Individuals who are seven (7) to twenty-
26 
four (24) years of age who are not enrolled in formal schooling.
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Sec. 4. Institutionalization of the Abot Alam Program. - There is hereby
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established a nationwide program to be known as the "Abot Alam" Program, herein
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referred to as "the Program".
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Sec. 5. Objectives. - The Program aims to:
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a) Create a comprehensive database of OSY in the country by organizing a
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Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System;


1 
b) Unify and harmonize the efforts and resources of all agencies and
2 
organizations directed towards providing education and training for OSY in
3 
the Country;
4 
c) Ensure that all OSYs have access to programs and services of different
5 
agencies and organizations; and
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d) Integrate adults who have neither undergone nor completed formal
7 
education in the Program.
8 
Sec. 6. Coverage. - This Act shall cover:
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a) Out-of-School Youths;
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b) Marginalized students who are at risk of dropping out; and
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c) Adults who have neither undergone nor finished basic education.
12 
Sec. 7. Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System. - A comprehensive database of
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OSYs in the country is hereby established. The targeting system shall be based on
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information collected and updated by Barangays on OSYs in their jurisdiction, in
15 
coordination with the relevant Public Schools District Supervisors and School Heads.
16 
The database shall be updated annually and shall include information such as one's
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name, age, location, and learning needs. All information shall be submitted to and
18 
consolidated by the Philippine Statistics Authority. Existing enrollees of the Program
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need not be included in the database.
20 
Sec. 8. Components. - The Program shall have three (3) modalities:
21 
a) ALS-Education - a community-based ALS program which helps Enlisted
22 
Learners to acquire basic reading, writing, numeracy skills and the ability to
23 
read with comprehension and solve simple numeracy problems. Enlisted
24 
Learners under this program shall undergo an accreditation and equivalency
25 
test before and after the program duration which will measures their
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learning competency. Passers of the test are shall be given a diploma
27 
certifying their competencies as comparable graduates of the formal school
28 
system and shall be considered qualified to enroll secondary and post-
29 
secondary schools. This program shall be implemented by the Department
30 
of Education (DepEd), in coordination with interested Partners.
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b) ALS-Entrepreneurship - an ALS program which provides livelihood and
32 
entrepreneurship training and assistance to Enlisted Learners. This shall be


1 
a joint program of the DepEd and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),
2 
in coordination with interested Partners.
3 
c) ALS Technical-Vocational and Employment Program - an ALS program
4 
which provides technical-vocational skills training to Enlisted Learners. This
5 
shall be a joint program of the DepEd and Technical Education and Skills
6 
Development Authority (TESDA) in coordination with interested partners.
7 
Sec. 9. Utilization of Alternative Delivery Modes. - The DepEd and concerned
8 
Partners shall, in addition to formal, school-based modes of delivering education, shall
9 
maximize the utilization of Alternative Delivery Modes of education.
10 
Sec. 10. Program Implementation. - DepEd Division Offices, in consultation
11 
with all concerned Partners, shall map and provide information on all of the ALS
12 
programs of intervention that they are offering in their jurisdiction and match the
13 
needs of Enlisted Learners with the available programs mapped;
14 
Sec. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days from
15 
the effectivity of this Act, the DepEd, TESDA, and the DTI, in consultation with relevant
16 
government agencies and Partners, shall promulgate the rules and regulations for the
17 
effective regulation of this Act.
18 
Sec. 12. Appropriations. - An amount of Ten million pesos (P10,000,000.00) is
19 
hereby allocated for the initial implementation of this act. Such amounts as may be
20 
necessary for the continuing implementation of this Act shall be included as a separate
21 
line-item under the appropriations of the DepEd under the General Appropriations Act
22 
and may be augmented by grants, donations and endowments from domestic and
23 
foreign sources, pursuant to existing laws and regulations.
24 
Sec. 13. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act shall be held
25 
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions not otherwise affected shall remain in
26 
full force and effect.
27 
Sec. 14. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations
28 
inconsistent with or contrary to this Act, are hereby deemed accordingly repealed or
29 
amended.
30 
Sec. 15. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect upon its approval and
31 
completion of publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,