Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. __37'76

Introduced by Honorable Michelle M. Antonio

EXPLANATORY NOTE

To make the current administration's crackdown on drugs truly effective,
steps must be undertaken for prevention on top of enforcement. The government
should not merely address the problems of the current drug dependents. It must
also strengthen its prevention and information dissemination campaign so that the
number of drug dependents will no longer increase.

These prevention and information dissemination campaigns must
specifically target the youth as it is a declared policy of the state to recognize the
vital role of the youth in nation-building and to promote and protect their physical,
moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being.' There is a need for our youth
to be taught the perils of drug use. To achieve this, drug education must be
mandatorily incorporated in their school curriculums.

In fact, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte himself said in his first State of the
Nation Address that schools must be required to teach students about the evils of
drugs.” However, the laws we currently have in place do not suffice. The
Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 or R.A. 9165 merely provides for
the publication and distribution of materials on dangerous drugs’, and the
establishment of special education drug centers for out-of-school youth and street

‘Article II, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitut
®SONA 2016: Duterte wants mandatory education on evils of drugs. July 25,
2016-<hitp:/wwwrappler.com/nation/140887-duterte-sona-20 16-philippines-education-evils-drugs. Accessed
September 21, 2016:

"RA 9165, $45


children.’ There is no mandate yet for the inclusion of drug education in the K to
12 curriculum.

Moreover, the current K to 12 curriculum only incorporates drug education
in the 9" grade.’ The average ninth grader is already aged 14-16. Incorporating
drug education at this late a time in a child’s life may no longer lead to the
prevention of drug use. Drug education must start an earlier age so as to inculcate
in the children’s minds that drug use poses dangers that they certainly must avoid.

This bill seeks to address these problems by requiring all public and private
schools to complete a minimum of 10 hours of drug education per academic year
per grade level. Mandatory drug education shall be integrated in the Health subject
of students from Grade 3 onwards.

Instead of just using textbooks, this bill also requires that the course include
testimonies and real life stories from former drug dependents so that the students
will realize that the dangers of drug use are real, and not merely apparent.

With this in place, students will learn the perils of drug use at an early age
and in a manner that will effective teach them that drugs must be avoided at all
costs. This will lead to early prevention, and consequently, a lower incidence of
drug use in the country.

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

Qc
* ees M. ANTONIO,
a

“Ibid $46
°K to 12 Health Curriculum Guide.<http://www.deped.gov.phisites/defaultfiles/Pinal%20Health%201-
10%2001,09.2014.pdt>


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. _ 3776 :

Introduced by HonorableMichaelina M. Antonio

AN ACT MANDATING THE IN

GRATION OF DRUG EDUCATION
IN THE K TO 12 CURRICULUM

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

Congress assembled:

Section 1. Title. —This Act shall be known as the “Mandatory Drug Education Act of

2016.7

Section 2. Declaration of State Policy. - This Act is adopted to enable the following

declared State Policies:

a.

. It is the policy of the State to appr

It is the policy of the state to recognize the vital role of the youth in nation-
building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual
and social well-being.
It is the policy of the State to protect the health of its citizens against the harmful
effects of illegal drugs.

its citizens to the detriments of drug

addiction to their phy and social well-being.

. I is the policy of the State to protect the youth from falling into drug addiction;

therefore, it should educate them as to the detriments of usage, and the penalties

for engaging in it whether as a user or as a part of the peddling business


e. Itis the policy of the State that the youth be a part of nation-building: therefore, it
should provide them with tools that will enable them to participate in eradicating
the drug Problem in the country.

Section 3.Mandatory Drug Education. ~ All public and private schools in the country

shall be required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of drug education per academic

year per grade level.

Section 4. Coverage. — Mandatory drug education shall be integrated in the curriculum of

students from Grade 3 onwards. Drug education shall be integrated in the Health Subject

of students in Grade 3 to Grade 10, and in the Physical Education and Health subject of

students in Grade 10 to Grade 11.

Section 5. Course design. — The Department of Education (DepEd), in consultation with

the Department of Health (DOH), shall be charged to develop the content matrix

(including content, content standards, performance standards, learning competency. and

learning materials) for drug education. The contents may include health detriments, penal

statutes, testimonies of former addicts, exposure trips to secured facilities for addicts, and
such other activities or contents which in the interest of effecting this Act, the

Department of Education may deem pertinent. Schools shall be encouraged to portray

real life stories of the effects of drug addiction through films, plays, and dramas.

Section 6, Teachers’ Trainings. — DepEd shallprovide trainings to K to12 teachers in

order that they may be capacitated to incorporate a reality framework in

hing students

about the eff

of drugs
Seetion 7. Appropriations. The amount necessary to carry out the implementation of
this Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriations for the DepEd

Thereafter, such sums as may be necessat

for the continued implementation of this Act

shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Section 8. Transitory Provision. — The course shall be integrated in the K to 12
curriculum in the school year following the approval of this Act. In the interim, Depld,

pursuant to Section 5 of this Act, shall undertake the development of the course module

and the iraining of the teaching staff charged with the handing of the course Far thie


purpose, the Department of Education shall provide trainings, free of charge, for teachers
both in the private and the public sector.

Section 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part thereof is held invalid or

unconstitutional, the remainder of the Act or the provision not otherwise affected shall
remain valid and subsisting.

Section 10. Repealing Clause. - All other laws, ¢

ecutive orders, presidential decrees,

rules and regulations inconsistent with any provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,
amended or modified accordingly.
Section 11. Effectivity.- This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its

publication in at least two (2) news

apers of general circulation.

Approved,