Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House BILLNo, 3184

Introduced by Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The overarching intent of this urgent measure is one of getting people aware,
educated, prepared, and more importantly, trained in saving their own lives or limbs in
times that unforeseen natural disasters or hazards occur. Some examples of these
disaster or calamities are earthquakes, floods, typhoons, fires, tsunamis, strong winds
or other such hazards that could be of consequential magnitude that would inflict deaths
or injuries and damages to properties.

Preparation is, after all, better than reaction. This approach means the
mandatory inclusion in the curriculum of the entire Philippine educational system, both
private and public, that puts in capsule form the relevant shared observations that result
when such a natural disaster strikes.

Along this line, the theoretical side of a relevant subject or course in disaster risk
management as contemplated in this proposed bill shall precisely contain modules for
practical drills or simulations in case, for example, of tsunami when people are around
beaches or coastal areas. For another, there will be training modules that will educate
school children or students on certain “dos and don'ts” during an earthquake like
avoiding use of elevators or keeping oneself safe beside a strong support like tables,
cars, or away certain types of high-rise buildings.

The one important assumption of this additional subject or course is that CHED
and Dep Ed will provide useful reading material akin to a ‘Manual of Instruction’ on what
a better informed individual should do or avoid during the unforeseen occurrence of a
natural disasters the most common of which are floods caused by heavy rains. In other
words, it is important not just to be aware of flood-prone areas but to carry with one self
a ‘survival kit’ or an acquired competency or trained experience on what to do during
prolonged floods.


In this proposed bill, the author contemplates a wide range of natural disasters or
hazards that could strike and otherwise claim several lives. Thus, when certain “dos
and don't's” are actually taught in schools or universities, this makes our youth and
students better prepared to deal with the threats to life and limb by said disasters or
similar hazards of consequential nature.

It makes sense to save lives and limbs when earthquakes such as those that
occurred recently in Bohol and Cebu do occur and such similar occurrences that exact
toll on a hundreds of lives such as in the case of Typhoon Ondoy and the like. The
competency and manual know-how that a young child or student could acquire from a
curricular subject or course could be applied at home and passed on to other members
of the household for their own protection and safety.

For unless and until any prospective victim of disaster possesses such acquired
knowledge in disaster mitigation coupled with simulation models or drills on how to go
about disasters or hazards, there will be more victims or casualties than we can
imagine when the inevitable natural disasters do confront us.

Thus, it is the aim of this bill to integrate into the curriculum in the elementary,
high school and university level a well-rounded knowledge in order to better promote
work in disaster mitigation, risk management, impact reduction and hazards defense’
Every youth and student should be able to appreciate acquired theoretical knowledge
and practical application of certain options, courses of action, techniques and minimum
competency in dealing with the dangers or threats of floods, typhoons, fires, tsunamis,
earthquake or other similar natural disaster.

In this regard, it then becomes incumbent upon the CHED to include mandatory
subject or course on this ‘Disaster Risk Management” and the same should more
extensively cover certain commonalities or modalities in dealing with such natural
hazards and disasters.

It is high time for a bill of this nature be-fa ongress, hence this

submission.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
84

HOUSE BILL NO. _318

Introduced by Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo

AN ACT
INTEGRATING INTO THE CURRICULUM IN ALL LEVELS OF THE PHILIPPINE
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC, AMANDATORY
SUBJECT OR COURSE ON DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT EDUCATION, BOTH
THEORETICAL AND WITH PRACTICAL COMPONENT AS AN EFFECTIVE PRO-
ACTIVE RESPONSE TO NATURAL DISASTERS, CALAMITIES, AND HAZARDS
LIKE FLOODS, TYPHOONS, FIRES, TSUNAMIS, EARTHQUAKES, AND STRONG
WINDS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the “Disaster Risk Management Act of
13".

SEC. 2. The Commission on Higher Education on the part of the collegiate
curriculum and the Department of Education on the part of the high school and
elementary curriculum shall prescribe a mandatory subject or course in Disaster Risk
Management Education for students and school children.

SEC. 3. Under this Act, the CHED and Dep Ed shall draft the course or subject
and integrate it as mandatory requirement in their respective curricula for college
students on the part of CHED and high school students and elementary schoolchildren
on the part of Dep Ed and same shall commence within reasonable time upon the
effectivity of this Act.

SEC. 4. No additional tuition, charge or fee shall be exacted upon those school
children and students required to take this mandatory subject or course but shall be
‘subsidized by the public or private school concerned.

Further, no additional appropriation shall be allocated separately to implement
the provisions of this Act but shall be charged to the current appropriations of CHED


and Dep Ed through cooperative collaboration with all universities or schools
concerned.

SEC. 6. This Act shall take effect sixty (60) days upon its publication in the
Official Gazette and in at least three (3) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,