Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasang Pambansa, Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 1785

Authored by Hon. JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This measure is intended to meet the urgent'and reasonable
need to protect the health, safety and overall well-being of school
children and students by adopting a schoo! calendar most suited to
Philippine climatic conditions. It would be negated by inability to go to
school due to monsoon rains, typhoons, respiratory illness of children
aggravated by being wet and chilled by rain, or lack of classrooms
destroyed by typhoons.

The months of June to August are the heaviest rainy months and
the occurrence of the greater number of typhoons and monsoon rains.
During these months, school children are subjected to the irregularity
of school days due to the rains and floods, horrendous difficulties of
commuting to and from school, danger to life from open drains,
resistance and aggravated by intermittent cough, colds and chills.
Many of our public schools are unfit for appropriate classroom
instruction and the health of the school children when the rains come.
Those conducting classes outside of the school itself will be unable to
do so.

Studies have shown that adoption of the trimester for tertiary
levels is better for accelerated completion of courses and continuity of
lessons within the post secondary and college curriculum. Trimester
enable tertiary level students to choose the months best suited to their
available time for study and to climate conditions. Trimesters also
enable student to complete courses faster, thereby saving on limited
resources of the family. For the third semester, students may opt for
the distant study plan to avoid the hazards during June to August.

The school calendar proposed for pre-elementary, and secondary
levels of education is as follows:

First Semester: September to mid-January plus
Saturdays if needed to meet the 110
days required excluding official holidays
and to comply with required days plus
enrolment or between semester periods


to make up for non-seasonal typhoons,
calamities, and earthquakes.

Second Semester: Mid-January to May plus Saturdays if
needed to comply with the 110 days
required and to make up for the days
fost due to non-seasonal, climatic
aberrations, calamities and necessary
use of school facilities for refugees.

Third Semester: June to August cover the heavies rainy
months when the children and youth are
safer at home. This also meets the
agricultural traditions of the country
when members of the family all help
“bayanihan” style for the family
livelihood and community service.

The school calendar proposed for post-secondary and tertiary
level is as follows:

First Semester: September to December in order to
avoid the months of heaviest rain and
greater number of typhoons.

Second Semester: January to April with provisions for the
holidays and tradition graduation
ceremonies.

Third Semester: May to August cover hot summer and

heaviest rainy months and students and
youth may opt for distant study plain in
view of climatic hazards.

Students affected by the disadvantage of heavy rain and
monsoon weather may use the third semester for other useful
activities, livelihood projects, or agri-industrial pursuits: For those who
require additional studies for the third semester, the distant study plan
may be used for the heaviest rain and very hot months.

This proposal seeks to begin the revised school calendar with the
school year 2011-2012 in conjunction with the lengthening of the
school calendar from 200-220 class days. For the pre-elementary and
secondary levels this means the increase of ten (10) more days per
semester starting September of each calendar year. For tertiary and
post-secondary levels who adopt the trimester system, this means
adding seven (7) days per trimester.

A study and analysis of the rainfall every five years since 1963
shows that the average annual rainfall based on key stations every five
years since 1965 up to 1990 is 466.7 millimeters. The heaviest rainfall
is for the months of June to August, constituting over the period
covered 30 years at 42.6 percent of the annual rainfall. Thus, the
children and youth can avoid being caught in the heaviest rainfall and


typhoons which are seasonal and periodic during the months of June
to August by starting the schcol calendar in September.

The nation can no longer ignore the reality that our school
children and students suffer needlessly from having to go to school
during the monsoon and typhoon/cyclone months of June to August
and it is the time we also consider along the weather the results of
urbanization in school center such as horrendous traffic difficulty of
commuting and the rise of respiratory diseases as the major illness of
children and youth below 18.

Each school year, about, 15.5 million pre-elementary, elementary
and secondary school children are affected by the adverse climatic
conditions under which they are forced to study.

For the post-secondary and tertiary levels, the school youth
affected are about 1.44 million with an additional 78,000 to 122,000
more enrolled each year or about 1.5 million school youth affected of
going to school during rainy season and monsoon or typhoon
conditions.

For the sake of our children and young students, approval of this

measure is urgent, reasonable and necessary for the protection of the
future human resources of this nation. -

JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasang Pambansa, Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House BILL No. _1785

Authored by Hon. JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO

AN ACT
REVISING THE SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR THE HEALTH,
SAFETY AND WELFARE OF SCHOOL CHILDREN AND
STUDENT YOUTH, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the “School
Calendar Act of 2010.”

SECTION 2. School Calendar. The annual school calendar for
pre-elementary and secondary levels shall comprise two semesters for
every calendar year. There shall be two hundred twenty (220) school
days for every calendar year or one hundred ten (110) school days per
semester. The first semester shall start the first week of September
and shall continue the second week of January and the second
semester shall start the third week of January and continue until the
last week of May.

The school calendar for post-secondary and tertiary levels shall
comprise three (3) trimester. There shall be two hundred twenty
(220) school days for every calendar year or seventy three (73) days
per trimester. . The first trimester shall start the first week of
September and shall continue until the last week of December. The
second trimester shall start the first week of January until the last
week of April. The third trimester shall start the first week of May until
the last week of August. Provided, that, for valid reasons with the
written permission of the Commission on Higher Education, public or
private post-secondary and tertiary level schools may adopt a
particular school calendar on a semestral and modified trimester basis
geared to the needs of its students and the specific climatic conditions
of the area where the schoo! is located: Provided, further, that the
semestral calendar shall conform to this Act.

Subject to the provision of this Act, the school calendar for the
pre-elementary, elementary, and secondary levels shall be determined


by the Department of Education, taking into consideration days
required for enrolment, official holidays and between semester days
off from school for the health of school children. When necessary to
complete the required number of school days and to make up for the
days lost due to force majeure, the Department may include Saturdays
in the school calendar.

Subject to the provisions of this Act, the actual school calendar
and required hours for study according to credits for every trimester of
post-secondary and tertiary level shall be determined by the
Commission on Higher Education, taking into consideration the
enrolment period, official holidays, and between trimester days off
from school for the well-being of school youth. The Commission may
require school days on Saturdays to complete required hours for
courses or to make up for days lost due to force majeure.

The revised school calendar pursuant to this Act shall be
implemented staring school year 2010-2011.

SECTION 3. Rules and Regulations. The rules and regulations
for the implementation of this Act shall be promulgated by the
Department of Education, for the public and private pre-elementary,
elementary, and secondary levels and by the Commission on Higher
Education for the public and private post-secondary and tertiary levels
of education.

SECTION 4. Resources. Resources required for the appropriate
implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual general
appropriations of the Department of Education, for the pre-
elementary, elementary, and secondary levels and of the Commission
on Higher Education for the post-secondary and tertiary level. Funds
required for the initial year of implementation of the School Calendar
from the present system to that proposed under this Act shall be
derived from any savings or unused funds of the Department of
Education for the pre-elementary, elementary and secondary levels
and from the resources under the Act creating the Commission on
Higher Education for the post-secondary and tertiary level.

SECTION 5. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)

days after its complete publication in at least two (2) newspapers of
general circulation.

Approved,