Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _____ 
Introduced by REP. JOSE FRANCISCO “KIKO” B. BENITEZ, Ph.D. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Arts and design are powerful media to promote and preserve our rich cultural heritage, and 
cultivate national pride. Recognizing this, the framers of the 1987 Constitution made arts and 
cultural promotion a pillar of state policy. (Sec. 17, Art. II)  
The Constitution calls on the State to harness our creative spirit, and intellectual and artistic 
traditions to catalyze economic development. The United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development calls this process building a “creative economy”.  
One way to harness our cultural capital to foster a dynamic and competitive Philippine creative 
economy is through education.  
This bill is a step towards this direction. This bill seeks to establish a school that will nurture 
the talent of the youth of Negros Occidental in the arts and design.  
The fertile volcanic soils of Negros Occidental are not only producing the country’s sweetest 
export but also the country’s best artists and artisans. Many Negrenses have gained prominence 
in different art forms, such as mezzo-soprano Conchita Gaston, National Artist for Architecture 
Leandro Locsin, writer Doreen Gamboa Fernandez, and filmmakers Peque Gallaga and Erik 
Matti.  
Artist collectives and trade associations have also put Negros Occidental in the map through 
high-turnout exhibits and fairs showcasing the creativity and craftsmanship of Negrenses. The 
VIVA ExCon, a biennal arts festival, has been drawing artists all over the Visayas for 30 years 
now, providing a venue for art criticism and artist collaboration. The Negros Trade Fair, on the 
other hand, organized by the Association of Negros Producers, has been shining a spotlight on 
Negros culinary delights, and fashion and furniture. 
A high school for the arts and design in Negros Occidental will buoy the Negrense creative 
spirit and ensure continuity of its artistic traditions. And there is no better place to host the 
school than Silay City, called the Paris of Negros for its beautifully preserved heritage houses 
that take tourists in a time travel back to the gilded age of sugar barons. 
In view of the foregoing, the enactment of this measure is earnestly sought. 
JOSE FRANCISCO “KIKO” B. BENITEZ 
July 6, 2022
5:04 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _____ 
Introduced by REP. JOSE FRANCISCO “KIKO” B. BENITEZ, Ph.D. 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE NEGROS OCCIDENTAL HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS 
AND DESIGN AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. There is hereby established a high school for the arts and design to be 
known as the Negros Occidental High School for the Arts and Design, hereinafter referred to 
as “School”. It shall be located in the City of Silay and provide quality education and skills 
development for talented individuals in the Province of Negros Occidental, and promote and 
preserve local cultural heritage. 
The School shall be under the administrative supervision of the Department of Education. 
SEC. 2. Curriculum. The Board of Trustees shall formulate, subject to the standards 
prescribed by Republic Act No. 10533, a special secondary education curriculum for the School 
to develop essential learning competencies and cultivate excellence of students within a multi-
disciplinary perspective in the following creative forms: 
a) Music (Voice and Instrument)
b) Dance
c) Theater arts
d) Visual arts, photography and graphic design
e) Fashion and interior design
f)
Creative writing (English and Filipino)
g) Audio-visual content development
h) Animation and game development
The School shall utilize different delivery modes to facilitate learning and take advantage of 
existing and emerging digital technologies to develop competencies, and enable and enhance 
the production of creative content of students.  
SEC. 3. Admission. The Board of Trustees shall determine the requirements for 
admission to the School, graduation and grant of honors. 
The School shall take affirmative action to ensure equitable access of underprivileged students, 
such as indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and poor and deserving students, to the 
programs of the School.  
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No student shall be denied admission to the School by reason solely of age, gender, nationality, 
religious belief, economic status, ethnicity, physical disability, or political opinion. 
 
SEC. 4. Board of Trustees. The governance of the School is vested in the Board of 
Trustees, hereinafter referred to as the “Board”, composed of the following: 
 
a)   the Regional Director of the DepEd Western Visayas Regional Office, as Chairperson; 
 
b)   A permanent representative of the NCCA, who shall be no lower than a Division Head; 
 
c)   the Governor of the Province of Negros Occidental; 
 
d)   the Representative of the Third Legislative District of Negros Occidental; 
 
e)   the Director of the School; 
 
f)   a representative of the School’s faculty and non-teaching personnel, to serve for two 
(2) years, selected in accordance with the rules set by all teaching and non-teaching 
personnel, regardless of status of employment; 
 
g)   six (6) members who distinguished themselves in music, dance, visual arts, design and 
animation, creative writing, and theater and film, to serve for two (2) years, subject to 
reappointment;  
 
The Regional Director of DepEd shall appoint the six (6) members representing creative 
industries from a list of nominees submitted by any person or association of good standing in 
the community.  
 
SEC. 5. Powers and Functions of the Board. The Board shall have the following powers 
and functions: 
 
a)   formulate, in consultation with stakeholders and within six (6) months since the 
approval of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of this Act, a five-year 
Development Plan that lays down specific targets and interventions to achieve and 
maintain a high quality of education, and contribute to community development 
through research and extension programs; 
 
b)   determine the criteria for the selection and admission of students, which shall include a 
written examination and/or a talent determination test; 
 
c)   approve the graduation of students and grant of honors, as recommended by the 
Executive Committee; 
 
d)   formulate the rules on student discipline, in consultation with the faculty, parents and 
students; 
 
e)   draw up a position classification and compensation plan for its faculty and staff, and 
appoint faculty members and other officials and employees, subject to the standards, 


guidelines and rules set by the Department of Education, Civil Service Commission and 
Department of Budget and Management; 
 
f)   approve the grant of fellowships, scholarships, stipends and other allowances to 
deserving faculty and students, based on merit and/or financial capacity; 
 
g)   prescribe rules for its own government and the discipline of the faculty and other 
personnel and to enact for the government of the national university such general 
policies, rules and regulations, not contrary to law, as are consistent with its purpose; 
 
h)   authorize the construction, maintenance or rehabilitation of its buildings, equipment 
and other facilities, acquisition of real property and procurement of supplies, materials 
and equipment when necessary; 
 
i)   establish linkages and partnerships with local government units, government agencies 
and institutions, private and public, local and foreign, in the furtherance of the 
purposes and objectives of the School; 
 
j)   solicit, negotiate with and receive in trust from private local and foreign sources 
legacies, gifts, donations, grants, endowments, contributions or other transfers of 
ownership and/or possession of real and personal property of all kinds and to administer 
and dispose the same when necessary for the benefit of the School, subject to the 
instructions, terms and conditions of the donor, if any, and in compliance with relevant 
accounting and auditing rules and regulations; and, 
 
k)   exercise the general powers set out in the Corporation Code. 
 
SEC. 6. Director. The School shall be headed by a Director who shall be appointed by 
the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees from a list of nominees submitted by any person or 
association of good standing in the community. The Chairperson of the Board shall appoint a 
Director within ninety (90) days since the approval of the Implementing Rules and Regulations 
of this Act.  
 
The Director shall serve for a term of five (5) years, subject to reappointment. The Director 
shall coordinate the implementation of School policies and programs with the assistance of 
such other officials appointed by the Board upon his/her recommendation. The functions, 
powers and duties of the Director, in addition to those specifically provided for in this Act, 
shall be those usually pertaining to the office of the principal of any high school in the 
Philippine education system. 
  
SEC. 7. Faculty. The faculty of the School shall exercise academic freedom. In no case 
shall gender, ethnicity, religious belief and political opinion be a matter of inquiry in the 
appointment of faculty members; Provided, That, the hiring, promotion, renewal or removal of 
faculty shall be subject to standards and guidelines set by the Board. 
 
SEC. 8. Executive Committee. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the 
Director, the heads of departments and other School officials as may be determined by the 
Director. The Committee shall screen and select the students to be admitted to the School, 
subject to the criteria approved by the Board. The Committee shall implement and execute the 


policies laid down by the Board and exercise such other functions, powers and duties as the 
Board may prescribe. 
 
SEC. 9. Organizational Structure. The Department of Budget and Management shall, 
within six (6) months since the the approval of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of this 
Act, determine the organizational structure and create plantilla positions, upon 
recommendation of the Board, to ensure the efficiency and quality of the delivery of services 
of the School. 
 
SEC. 10. Funding. The initial funding for the operations of the School shall be charged 
against the current appropriations of DepEd. Thereafter, the amount needed for the 
implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.  
 
SEC. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Department of Education, in 
coordination with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, local authorities and other 
stakeholders, shall issue the implementing rules and regulations within ninety (90) days from 
the effectivity of this Act. 
 
SEC. 12. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the other provisions 
hereof. 
 
SEC. 13. Repealing Clause. All other laws, decrees, executive orders and rules and 
regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or 
modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 14. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,