THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
1 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
SENATE 
S.B. No. * 
91 
I
/
 
' .L 
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada 
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 student youth by adopting a 
school calendar most suited to Philippine climatic conditions. It would be ironic if the 
intended twenty (20) additional days of quality schooling 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. This change is consonant with Philippine climatic conditions and the health 
and safety needs of the children and youth. 
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 
and street excavations, and to respiratory and other diseases caused 
by lower 
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. Trimesters enable tertiary level student youth to choose the 
months best suited to their available time for study and to climate conditions. 
Trimesters also enable student youth to complete courses faster, thereby saving on 
limited resources of the family. For the third trimester, 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 
September to midJanuary 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 1 I O  days required and to make up for the days lost due 
to non-seasonal, climatic aberrations, calamities and 
necessary use of school facilities for refugees. 
June to August cover the heaviest 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. 
education is as follows: 
First Semester: 
Third Semester: 
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 provision for the holidays and tradition 
graduation ceremonies. 
May to August cover hot summer and heaviest rainy months 
and student and youth may opt for the distant study plan in 
view of climatic hazards. 
Students affected by the disadvantages of heavy rain and monsoon weather 
may use the third trimester for other useful activities, livelihood projects, agri-industrial 
pursuits, or tree planting. 
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. 
Third Semester: 
This proposal seeks to begin the revised school calendar with the school year 
2005-2006 in conjunction with the lengthening of the school calendar from 200 to 220 
class days, For the pre-elementary, elementary and secondary levels this means the 
increase of ten (IO) more days per semester starting September of each calendar year. 
For the tertiary and post-secondary levels who adopt the trimester system this means 
adding seven (7) days or about a week more 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 of thirty years (1965 to 1990) at 42.6 percent of the annual 
rainfall. 
Thus, the children and youth can avoid being caught in the heaviest rainfall 
and worst typhoons which are seasonal and periodic during the months of June to 
August by starting the school calendar in September. 
The nation can no longer ignore the reality that our school children and student 
youth 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 with 
the weather the results of urbanization in school centers such as horrendous traffic 
.difficulty of commuting and the rise of respiratory diseases as the major illnesses of 
children and youth below 18 and of school age. 
Who will be benefited by this measure? 
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, with an additional enrolment of about 300,000 each year. 
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 3  
million school youth affected by the climate, traffic and commuting situation and the 
additional expenses' of going to school during rainy season and monsoon or typhoon 
conditions. 
For the sake of our children and youth, some 16.94 million of them from the pre- 
elementary level to the tertiary level, approval of this measure is urgent, reasonable and 
necessary for the protection of the future human resources of this nation-Filipino 
children and youth. 
EJERCITO ESTRADA 
Senator 


THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
) 
;;K" - . 
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada 
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 House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled 
SECTION I. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "School Calendar Act of 
2004." 
SECTION 2. School Calendar. - The annual school calendar for pre-elementary 
, 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 (1 I O )  school days per semester. The first semester shall start the first 
week of September and shall continue until 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) trimesters. There shall be two hundred twenty (220) school days for every calendar 
year or one hundred ten (I 
10) school days per semester. The first semester shall start 
the first week of September and shall continue until 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) trimesters. 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 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 school 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 school 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 require 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 days lost due to force 
mejeure, 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 courses for every trimester of the 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 starting 
school year 2005-2006 
SECTION 3. - Rules and Regulations - The Rules and Regulation 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 and the public and private post-secondary and tertiary 
level of education. . 
SECTION 4. - Resources. - Resources required for the appropriate 
implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual general appropriations 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 after publication in at least 
two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
.