EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
);
S E NA T E  
S. No. R47
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Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
•RECHI/iu
AN ACT
PROVIDING FREE AND SUITABLE PUBLIC EDUCATION FOR HANDICAPPED 
CHILDREN AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The lack o f classrooms, physical facilities, teachers, and necessary equipm ent 
suitable to the needs o f the disabled remains to be an obstruction to the quality of 
education o f the country's children and youth.
Only about 6,000 Special Education (SPED) students are included in regular classes 
w hilst The Philippine Statistics Authority reported th a t there are over 1.4 million Filipinos 
with disabilities and about a quarter o f which are school-aged children.
Surely, there is a call for demand to provide a sustainable budget allocated for 
SPED students to equip them  with suitable facilities and special equipm ent enabling these 
students to be as com petent as the students enrolled in regular public schools.
The Act Providing Free and Suitable Education fo r Handicapped Children seeks to 
enhance and m agnify the im portance o f quality education particularly fo r children and 
youth w ith special educational needs.
In view o f the foregoing, approval o f this bill is earnestly sought.
RAMO^ONG REVILLA, JR.


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
);
S E NA T E  
S. No. R47
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JIJL 21 
P I !b4
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
-Rfcer
AN ACT
PROVIDING FREE AND SUITABLE PUBLIC EDUCATION FOR HANDICAPPED 
CHILDREN AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
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Be it  enacted b y  th e  Senate and the House o f  Representatives o f  the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
Section 1. S hort Tide. -  This Act shall be known as the "Handicapped Children and 
Youth Act o f 2019."
Sec. 2. Declaration o f  Policy. -  The State shall recognize the vital role o f the youth 
in nation-building and shall prom ote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, 
intellectual and social well-being. I t  shall give priority to education, science and 
technology, arts, culture and ports to foster patriotism  and nationalism, accelerate social 
progress, and prom ote human liberation and development.
Sec. 3. Special Education Program. -  Pursuant to the foregoing policy, there shall 
be established in every school division a comprehensive special education program for 
handicapped and gifted children and youth in the pre-elem entary, elem entary, and 
secondary 
levels throughout the country w ith the following 
essential 
program 
components:


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(a) Educational diagnosis and assessment essential to the proper identification o f 
gifted and handicapped children and youth,
(b) Pre-service and continuing in-service training for teaching and nonteaching 
personnel to ensure staff competence;
(c) Expanded curriculum  developm ent and evaluation to meet the diversified needs 
o f the clientele;
(d) Continuing research as basis fo r im provem ent o f instruction at the pre- 
elem entary, elem entary and secondary levels and in planning and service 
program m ing activities including the purchase o f special facilities and 
equipm ent;
(e) Parent-education inform ing them  o f available services, placement options and 
other relevant inform ation to enable them  to make inform ed decisions.
Sec. 4. D efinition o f  Terms. -  For purpose o f this Act, the term :
( a) "D isability" shall refer to one who has a physical or mental im pairm ent that 
substantially lim its one or more o f higher psychological, physiological or anatomical 
functions.
(b) "H andicap" refers to a disadvantage o f an individual, resulting from  im pairm ent 
or disability, that lim its or prevents the function or activity that is considered normal given 
the age and gender o f the individual.
(c) "Secretary" shall refer to the Secretary o f the Departm ent o f Education.
Sec. 5. Organization. -  Every public school division throughout the country shall 
organize special classes for gifted and handicapped children and youth in the pre- 
elem entary, elem entary and secondary levels. The organization o f pre-school classes for 
these children and youth shall be strongly encouraged to ensure early educational 
intervention. Every public school division shall also organize special educational centers 
which shall include non-form al and outreach programs fo r out-of-school children and 
youth.


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Sec. 6. Special Services. -  Special schools and special education centers shall offer 
a range o f special classes which shall include medical, psychological and social services, 
diagnostic counseling, vocational and recreational services. Regular schools w ithin the 
school division w ith special education classes shall have access to the above services.
Sec. 7. Provision fo r Continuing Research to Id e n tify  Special Needs o f  Handicapped 
Children a n d  Youth. -  The Special Education Division o f the Departm ent o f Education, by 
itself or in association w ith such organizations or institutions, shall undertake continuing 
research to identify and design a comprehensive special educational program that meets 
the full range o f special needs o f handicapped children and youth: Provided, tha t such 
continuing research shall also be used to develop instructional techniques for use by 
special education centers that will improve the acquisition by handicapped children and 
youth o f skill necessary for transition to independent living, vocational training, or 
com petitive em ploym ent; Provided, finaily, tha t such continuing research shall further be 
used to design physical education and therapeutic recreation program for use by special 
education centers to increase the potential o f handicapped children and youth for 
com m unity participation.
Sec. 8. Skills Training. -  Vocational education and training shall be provided and 
strengthened to render handicapped children and youth more skillful and com petitive.
Sec. 9. Teacher's Item . -  W herever requirem ents are met, the salary grade o f 
teachers handling special education classes shall be tw o grades higher than tha t o f a 
regular teacher and their present items shall be reclassified to special education teacher 
items. Item s fo r special education supervisor in each public school division and head 
teachers o f special education centers shaii be created for effective adm inistration and 
supervision o f the comprehensive special education program.
Sec. 10. Provision fo r Training o f  Personnel. -  The Departm ent o f Education, in 
collaboration w ith the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and


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Skill Developm ent Authority, shall develop special education courses for adoption and 
im plem entation by accredited higher education institutions; Provided, tha t such courses 
shall include subjects on:
(a) Special education and adaptive physical education;
(b) Special education supervision and adm inistration; and
(c) Special education research; Provided, finally, that the Secretary may make 
grants, 
which 
may 
include 
scholarships 
w ith 
necessary 
stipends 
and 
allowances, to institutions of higher education and universities which offer such 
or sim ilar courses.
Sec. 11. Teacher Training. — All teacher training institutions, public or private, 
offering Bachelor's degree in Education shall include Special Education subjects as basic 
knowledge to students in teacher education.
Sec. 12. A uth o rity o f  the Secretary o f  Education. -  The Secretary o f Education, is 
charged w ith the adm inistration and enforcem ent o f the provisions o f this Act and shall 
prom ulgate and issue the necessary im plem enting rules and regulations w ithin sixty (60) 
days from  the effectivity o f this Act. 
Relatively, the Secretary is hereby authorized to 
organize a group under higher office to intensify the supen/ision and developm ent efforts 
on special education at the elem entary and secondary levels, including out-of-school 
children and youth.
Sec. 13. Dissem ination o f  M aterials a n d  Inform ation Concerning W orking Practices 
w ith Handicapped Children a n d  Youth. -  The Secretary, in collaboration with the 
Secretary o f Health and Secretary o f Labor and Employment, shall disseminate materials 
and inform ation concerning effective practices in working w ith, training and educating 
handicapped children and youth.
Sec. 14. Appropriation. -  The initial am ount o f Fifty Million Pesos (50,000,000.00) 
is hereby authorized to be appropriated out o f the President's Organizational Adjustm ent


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Fund to carry out the provisions o f this Act on the year o f its approval. Thereafter, such 
sums as may be necessary to sustain and m aintain the program mandated in this Act 
shall be included in the budget o f the Departm ent o f Education, Culture and Sports in the 
General Appropriations Act.
Sec. 15. Incentives fo r Private Individuals/Entities. -  Donations, gifts, bequests in 
the form  o f cash, building, land or im provem ents thereon, from  private entities as well as 
private corporations, which shall be made to the Departm ent o f Education for the 
purposes o f this Act, shall constitute allowable deduction from  the income o f the donor 
for income tax purposes and shall be exempted from  donor's tax, subject to such 
conditions as provided under the National Internal Revenue Code.
Sec. 16. Repealing Clause. -  Any law, act, decree, order, proclamation or 
regulation or part thereof inconsistent with this Act is hereby repealed or m odified 
accordingly.
Sec. 17. Separability Clause. -  In the event that any provision o f this Act, or part 
thereof, it is hereby declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions thereof 
shall be considered valid and binding.
Sec. 18. Effectivity. -  This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days from  its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper o f general circulation.
Approved,