TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S. No.
)
SENATE
159
25 >JUL -7 A9 :21
\
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE 'ONE TABLET, ONE STUDENT' PROGRAM FOR 
ALL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND STATE UNIVERSITIES 
AND COLLEGES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Section 1, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution provides that "[t]he State shall 
protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall 
take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all." Yet for many Filipino 
learners, this right remains unevenly accessible due to gaps in access to learning tools 
and technology. The digital divide, in particular, limits meaningful participation in 
today's increasingly digital learning environments. As education continues to evolve, 
it is essential that all learners are equipped with the tools and opportunities needed 
for inclusive, future-ready learning.
This bill seeks to institutionalize the "One Tablet, One Student" Program for all 
students enrolled in public schools and state universities and colleges (SUCs). It 
responds directly to the stark realities reported by the Department of Education, which 
indicate that as of October 2024, only 17% of students have access to the necessary 
gadgets for online learning, and only 37% of teachers own laptops.1 These figures 
reveal the deep technological inequity that threatens to leave the majority of Filipino
1 Second Congressional Commission on Education (2025). Fixing the Foundations: A matter of 
Nationai Survivai, EDCOM II Year Two Report. Congress of the Phiiippines.
1


learners behind.
The urgency is compounded by persistent textbook shortages, with only 27 
titles procured for Grades 1 to 10 since 2012, and reports that, as of 2019, one in five 
Grade 5 students stiil shared textbooks with another student or more.2 This biil 
proposes tablets as a scalable solution to this chronic gap, enabling access to a full 
range of digital textbooks, open educational resources, and learning modules. 
Moreover, these devices can ensure learning continuity amid calamities and local 
disruptions, which account for neariy half of all lost learning days annually. Unlike 
paper-based materials, tablets can store Interactive and updated content and function 
offline, which is crucial in areas where internet connectivity is unreliable or unavailable.
Beyond addressing immediate learning resource gaps, this measure is a 
forward-looking step toward a modernized, technology-enabled education system. By 
equipping students with digital tools, the program will help develop the digital literacy 
and 21st-century skills Filipino youth need to thrive in a competitive global economy. 
It also lays the groundwork for transitioning to computer-based national assessments, 
streamlining costly and time-consuming paper-based systems, accelerating feedback 
cycles, and supporting data-driven interventions.
Teachers, too, stand to benefit. With proper digital infrastructure, the 
administrative burden they currently shoulder, which includes 50 nonteaching or 
administrative tasks, can be significantly reduced. This would allow them to devote 
more time to instruction and mentoring. For SUCs, the universal provision of tablets 
complements the government's broader goal of building smart campuses, where 
access to learning technologies and integrated systems enhances the quaiity, 
accessibiiity, and resiiience of higher education.
This measure reinforces the government's commitment to inclusive and 
equitable education. By providing digital learning tools to students who may otherwise 
lack access, it heips create a more level playing field across the public education 
system. It is an investment not merely in technoiogy, but in expanding opportunities 
to ensure that no Filipino learner is left behind in the digital age.
2 Second Congressional Commission on Education (2024). Miseducation: The Faiied System of 
Philippine Education, EDCOM II Year One Report. Second Congressional Commission on Education.
2


In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this measure is earnestly
sought.
N LEGARDA


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S. No.
)
SENATE
159
25 JUL-7 A9 -2]
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE 'ONE TABLET, ONE STUDENT PROGRAM FOR 
ALL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND STATE UNIVERSITIES 
AND COLLEGES, 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 "One Tablet, One
2 
Student Act."
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to protect and
4 
promote the right of all citizens to quaiity, equitable, and accessible education at all
5 
levels. Towards this end, the State shail adopt measures to enhance access to learning
6 
resources and technoiogies to ensure inclusive, future-ready education. It recognizes
7 
the role of digital empowerment in improving iearning outcomes, bridging resource
8 
gaps, and preparing Filipino learners for success in an increasingly technology-enabled
9 
world.
10 
Sec. 3. One Tablet, One Student Program. - There is hereby established the
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One Tablet, One Student Program ("Program"), which shall provide all Filipino students
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enrolled in public schoois and state universities and coileges (SUCs) with a tablet
13 
computer C'tablet") to support digital and technology-assisted learning. Provided, that
14 
students who already own a functional personal tablet or device may instead receive
15 
educational assistance in the form of internet or connectivity ailowance; Provided,
16 
further, that all public schools and SUCs shall create a mechanism whereby students
1


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with financial capacity to procure their own devices and secure internet access may
2 
voluntarily opt out of receiving assistance under this Program.
3 
Sec. 4. Implementing Agencies. - The Department of Education (DepEd) and
4 
the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) shall be the primary implementing
5 
agencies of this Act. In coordination with the Department of Information and
6 
Communications Technology (DICT), and the Department of Social Welfare and
7 
Development (DSWD), they shall:
8 
(a) Develop a secure and verifiable system of beneficiary identification, including
9 
the assessment of eligibility for device or connectivity support and
10 
management of opt-out procedures;
11 
(b) Establish an efficient, transparent, and accountable mechanism for the
12 
procurement and distribution of tablets, with priority given to disadvantaged,
13 
geographically isolated, or high-need areas;
14 
(c) Formulate clear and standardized guidelines for use, maintenance, reporting
15 
of loss or damage, and return of devices, including protocols for inventory,
16 
asset tagging, repair, replacement, and eventual disposal;
17 
(d) Provide digital orientation, training, and support to students, teachers, and
18 
parents or guardians to ensure the responsible use of tablets and promote
19 
digital literacy;
20 
(e) Maintain and regularly update a centralized asset tracking system, in
21 
coordination with the DICT;
22 
(f) Integrate digital literacy, media and information literacy, cybersecurity, data
23 
privacy, and responsible use of emerging technologies into the basic
24 
education and higher education curricula.
25 
Sec. 5. Accountability and Device Use. - For students below eighteen (18) years
26 
of age, the tablet shall be issued under a shared responsibility arrangement between
27 
the school or SUC and the student's parent or guardian. The parent or guardian shall
28 
sign a simplified Device Custody and Use Agreement fAgreement"), written in a
29 
language known to them, affirming their responsibility to safeguard the device and
30 
ensure its proper use and return.
31 
Students, including parents or guardians, are prohibited from selling, leasing,
32 
pawning, or misusing the tablets for any purpose other than those expressly stated in
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the Agreement. Any such act shall result in the forfeiture of the device and may entaii
2 
administrative or criminal liability under existing iaws, as appiicabie.
3 
Ali incidents of loss, theft, or irreparable damage must be reported to the
4 
designated school or SUC official or program focal person within five (5) working days,
5 
using a standardized incident report form.
6 
Sec. 6. Device Custody, Inventory, and Tracking. - All tablets distributed under
7 
this Program shall remain government property. DepEd and CHED, with support from
8 
DICT, shall ensure that all devices are entered into a centralized inventory and tracking
9 
system, assigned unique asset codes, and monitored from issuance to return,
10 
reallocation, or disposal.
11 
Orientation on proper device handling, digital safety, and care shall be
12 
mandatory for all beneficiaries prior to issuance.
13 
Sec. 7. Environmentai Sustainabiiity. - In partnership with the Department of
14 
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), DepEd and CHED shall develop
15 
environmentally sustainable protocols for e-waste management, device recycling, and
16 
safe disposal of obsolete or irreparable units. Devices that are no longer usable may
17 
be repurposed for training or other educational purposes where appropriate.
18 
Sec. 8. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to implement the provisions of
19 
this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA).
20 
Sec. 9. Other Sources of Funds. - DepEd, CHED, and DICT may also mobilize
21 
additional funding support from local government units (LGUs), private sector donors,
22 
and international development partners through official development assistance
23 
(ODA) and public-private partnerships.
24 
The implementing agencies shall issue guidelines to facilitate cost-sharing
25 
arrangements, donation acceptance, and project-based contributions, provided that
26 
such support does not compromise procurement integrity, beneficiary selection, or
27 
compliance with the provisions of this Act.
28 
Sec. 10. Impiementing Ruies and Reguiations. - Within ninety (90) days from
29 
the effectivity of this Act, DepEd and CHED, in coordination with the DICT, DSWD,
30 
and DENR, shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for its effective
31 
implementation.
32 
Sec. 11. Separabiiity Ciause. — If any provision of this Act is declared
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5
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unconstitutional, the remainder thereof not otherwise affected shall remain in full force 
and effect.
Sec. 12. Repealing Clause. — Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, ruie or reguiation inconsistent with the provisions 
of this Act is hereby repeaied or modified accordingiy.
Sec. 13. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
pubiication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,