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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES IS pyre: UL ®

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

50

House Bill No

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Uniformed personnel from the AFP, PNP, BFP, BJMP, NBI, PDEA, PCG, and BuCor go
through life-threatening tasks — they are consistently at risk of getting killed or injured. Thus,
the government should give them extra incentives for their exceptional dedication by
extending help to the needs of the family members of those who are killed or permanently
incapacitated in line of duty. The least that the government can provide for their families is to
give them help in terms of educational assistance and benefits.

Hence, this bill seeks to give educational assistance and benefits to the dependents or
surviving children of those deceased or permanently incapacitated members of the above
mentioned uniformed personnel. Dependents are automatically and without qualification be
granted full scholarship from elementary to tertiary level in a non-exclusive institution. Said
scholarship shall include payment of tuition and miscellaneous fees, allowance for books and
school supplies, and allowance for food and transportation.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

HAN Ii

Representat
Magdalo Para Sa Pilipino Party-List


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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 50

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III

AN ACT
GRANTING EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE AND BENEFITS TO THE
DEPENDENTS OF ALL MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE
PHILIPPINES (AFP), PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE (PNP), BUREAU OF FIRE
PROTECTION (BFP), BUREAU OF JAIL MANAGEMENT AND PENOLOGY
(BJMP), NATIONAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (NBI), PHILIPPINE DRUG
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY (PDEA), PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD (PCG) AND
BUREAU OF CORRECTIONS (BUCOR) WHO ARE KILLED OR PERMANENTLY
INCAPACITATED WHILE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTY OR BY
REASON OF THEIR OFFICE OR POSITION

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

SECTION 1. Short Title This Act shall be known as the “Uniformed and Law
EnforcementPersonnel Educational Assistance and Benefits Act”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy.— It is hereby declared policy of the State to
recognize the vital role of the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),
Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail
Management and Penology (BJMP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of, Corrections
(BuCor) in the maintenance of peace and public order in our country and to ensure that the
dependents of those who are killed in action or are permanently incapacitated while in the
performance of their duty or by reason of their office or position are provided with
educational assistance and benefits.

SECTION 3. Permanent incapacity; Definition. — Permanent Incapacity shall refer
to physical or mental ill-health or infirmity which is: (i) permanent, (ii) prevents a member
from pursuing hisor her normal employment, and (iii) seriously impairs hisor her earning

capacity.

SECTION 4. Grant of Educational Assistance and Benefits All the surviving
children of the members of the AFP, PNP, BFP, BJMP, NBI, PDEA, PCG and BuCor who
are killed or permanently incapacitated while in the performance of their duty or by reason of
their office or position shall automatically and without qualification be extended full
scholarship fromkindergarten to tertiary level whether baccalaureate, formal or non-formal
education or training program in a non-exclusive school or institution; Provided, that the

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surviving spouse if he or she so desires may also avail of the benefit; Provided further, that, if
the deceased or disabled personnel is single, his or her qualified dependent siblings may also
avail of this benefit.The scholarship privilege shall include, but shall not be limited to,
payment of tuition and miscellaneous fees, allowance for books and school supplies and
allowance for food and transportation.

SECTION 5. Uniformedand Law Enforcement Personnel Scholarship Board.— The
scholarship funds collected hereunder shall be managed and administered in accordance with
the policies formulatedby an inter-agency scholarship board to be known as the
Uniformedand Law Enforcement Personnel Scholarship Board, which shall be created and
formally organized within thirty (30) days from the effectivity of this Act. The Board shall be
composed of the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government,the
Secretary of Justice, the Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of the Department of
National Defense, or their alternatives, as Co-chairmen and one (1) member each to represent
the AFP, PNP, BFP, BJMP, NBI, PDEA, PCG and BuCor.

The Board shall serve as the policy making body vested with the authority to come-up
with the mechanics, scope and limitations, and requirements for scholarship program
pursuant to the objectives of this Act. The Board shall, however, delegate the responsibility to
implement the screening, admission, qualification,disqualification and other scholarship-
related availment processes to the respective scholarship bodies of the AFP, PNP, BFP,
BJMP, NBI, PDEA, PCG and BuCor, in accordance with the guidelines to be prescribed by
the Board.If the agency concerned does not have an existing scholarship board or body, the
head of agency is authorized to create such board or body or to delegate its function to an
existing bureau, division or office which could concurrently perform such functions.

SECTION 6. Authority to accept donations; Tax Exemption. — The Uniformed and
Law Enforcement ScholarshipBoardand the respective board or bodies of the concerned
agencies shall have the authority to accept donations, contributions, grants in cash or in kind,
from appropriate sources, domestic or foreign. Said donations shall be used exclusively to
complement the funding requirements of the scholarship program subject to the existing
government accounting and auditing rules and regulations; Provided, That any donation,
contribution or financial aid which may be made to the Boardand to respective board or
bodies of the concerned agencies shall be exempt from taxes of any kind and shall censtitute
allowable deductions in full from the income of the donors, contributors or givers for income
tax purposes. Furthermore, the Boardand to the respective board or bodies of the concemned
agencies areauthorized to invest so much of the idle funds as may be necessary for the
purpose of generating additional revenue for the benefit of the scholarship program subject to
the guidelines as may be prescribed by the board.

SECTION 7. Funding of Educational Assistance and Benefits. — The amounts
necessary to fund the educational assistance and benefits for the surviving children of the
deceased or permanently incapacitated Uniformed and Law Enforcement Personnel provided
under this Act shall be separately sourced and utilized, as follows:

A. For PNPylicense fees collected from the PNP firearms, and explosive office;

B. For AFP, prevailing funds exclusively allocated for scholarship including
applicable grants and donations and other service income;

C. For BFP, subsidy income from the National Government;


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D. For PCG, collection from permits and licenses fees, fines, and penalties,
service income, and other general income; and

E. For NBI, income from government services, particularly new clearance fees,
including miscellancous income.

For PDEA, BJMP and BuCor, the amounts necessary for the educational assistance
and benefits shall be included in their respective budgets under the annual General
Appropriation Act.

The concemed agencies may also determine or generate additional sources of funds
for the continuity of their scholarship assistance programs under this Act.

SECTION 8. Appropriations —Any shortfall in the amount necessary to fund the
educational assistance and benefits specified above shall be included in the respective annual
budgets of the AFP, PNP, BFP, NBI, and PCG to be enacted as part of the annual General
Appropriations Act; Provided, That any deficiencies in the financial requirements may
likewisebe taken from savings on the personal services of the AFP, PNP, BFP, BJMP, NBI,
PDEA, PCG and BuCor and the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Funds (MPBF); Provided,
further, That the Uniformed Personnel Scholarship Board may, consistent with Sec. 5 of this
Act, identify, develop and/or generate additional sources of funds to further support this
scholarship program.

SECTIONS. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Uniformedand Law
Enforcement Personnel Scholarship Board herein created shall promulgate,formulate and
issue, within sixty (60) days from its creation, the necessary implementingrules and
regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

SECTION 10. Separability Clause.— If any provision or part this Act is held illegal,
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provisions not otherwise affected
shall remain valid and subsisting.

SECTIONII. Repealing Clause.— Presidential Decree No. 577, RA 6963, and all
other laws, presidential decrees or issuances, executive orders, letters of instruction,
administrative orders, rules and regulation or parts thereof which are contrary to or
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified or amended

accordingly.
SECTION 12. Effectivity Clause.— This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after

its complete publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the country or
in the Official Gazette,whichever comes first.

Approved,