Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
20th Congress 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. 676
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE EMIGDIO P. TANJUATCO III 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
It is the policy of the State to “take into account, regional, and sectoral norms 
and conditions and [shall] encourage local planning in the development of educational 
policies and programs.” (Philippine Constitution, Article XIV, Sec. 5 (1)). This mandate 
brings to mind the predicament that our public schools are facing as the school-age 
population continues to grow while the national budget for education grows as well, 
but at a rate slower than what would accommodate the former without sacrificing the 
quality of education that is being provided. This is evidenced by the high rate of 
functional illiteracy in our high school graduates, with Philippine Statistics Authority 
(Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey) data from 2024 showing that 
5.58 million of the 18.9 million who are basically literate (able to read, write, and 
compute) actually lack comprehension skills. 
Ballooning debt servicing has compromised our educational budget, resulting 
in less school buildings being constructed and fewer teachers being hired. To address 
this concern, the Department of Education has allowed extremely large class sizes, 
specially in the urban centers.  
A 2022 study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 
(OECD) among its member and partner countries show an average class-size of 21 students. 
The DepEd, to date, however is allowing a maximum of 65 students per class. Given 
numerous studies that show inverse correlation between class size and quality of education, 
it is high time that we consider limiting class sizes if we expect to improve functional literacy 
in our population. 
This bill therefore seeks to regulate class size in public schools and provide for 
additional compensation for teachers handling large classes. 
Approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
EMIGDIO P. TANJUATCO III 
July 1, 2025
8:00 am


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
20th Congress 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. 676
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE EMIGDIO P. TANJUATCO III 
AN ACT 
REGULATING CLASS SIZE IN ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title.  This Act shall be known as “The Public School Class Size Law.” 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy.  It is the declared policy of the State to protect and 
promote the right of all citizens to quality education.  It is likewise declared that the 
State shall provide just compensation and humane working conditions for public 
school teachers. 
Oversized classes in the country’s public schools adversely affect the learning 
experience provided to Filipino schoolchildren.  To ensure access to quality education, 
it is necessary to establish standards for class size. 
For their part, teachers are entitled to protection from unregulated increases in 
class size as well as to compensation commensurate to their actual workload. 
SEC. 3. Coverage. This Act shall apply to all classes in all public schools of the 
Department of Education, and to all classroom teachers therein, whether paid by the 
national or local government. 
SEC. 4. Standard Class Size.  Each class to be handled by a single teacher shall have 
a standard size of 35 students.  For purposes of this Act, any class with not more than 
35 students shall be considered a standard class. 
SEC. 5. Large Class Size.  Any class exceeding 35 students up to a maximum of 50 
students shall be considered a large class.  In no case shall a class size in excess of 
50 students be permitted. 
SEC. 6. Large Class Honorarium.  A teacher handling a large class shall be entitled to 


a large class honorarium equivalent to one percent (1.0%) of her daily rate for every 
student in excess of the standard class size of 35. 
This formula shall apply to all classes assigned to the teacher during the school 
year. 
 
SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations.  The Department of Education shall 
promulgate the rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this Act 
within a period of thirty (30) days after its effectivity. 
 
SEC. 8. Appropriations.  The amount of Two Billion Pesos (₱2,000,000,000) is hereby 
appropriated for the initial implementation of this Act.  Subsequently, the necessary 
funding shall be included in the appropriations for the Department of Education in the 
annual General Appropriations Act. 
 shall be included in the appropriations for the Department of Education in the annual 
General Appropriations Act. 
 
SEC. 9. Separability Clause.  If, for any reason, any provision of this Act is held 
unconstitutional, all other provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full 
force and effect. 
 
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause.  All laws, decrees, rules and regulations, and other 
issuances inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 11. Effectivity.  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or one (1) newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,