EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
]
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
]
First Regular Session 
]
S. No
SENATE
740
‘f... 
of 
m  •'M .p
•19 JUL 24 All 50
RECuiVi-L^ 
■
Introduced by SEN. SHERWIN T. GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM OF EDUCATION FOR 
ADULTS, OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTH, MEMBERS OF CULTURAL MINORITIES, 
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, AND PERSONS W ITH DISABILITIES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Education has consistently been one of the focal agenda of the Philippine 
government from the 
past administrations to the 
present, 
believing that in 
strengthening the role of education, national development and global competitiveness 
will be accelerated. Despite the concerted effort, UNESCO reports that the Philippines is 
still lagging behind their target in its initiative of Education For All (EFA), a goal which it 
has set in its commitment to achieve the 2015 Millennium Development Goal.
This bill envisions to promote non-formal education in the most convenient way. 
Its vision is to bring the ALS Program to every barangay . . . thereby "bringing 
education where the learners are." A transcript of its presentation goes on to describe 
the program as "an enabling factor, releasing people's capacities, rather than giving 
deprived individuals what they do not have." Although the concept is not altogether 
new, this legislation seeks to institutionalize the program and the support for national 
government funding in its integration into the system.


Section 2(4), Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution provides that: "The State shall 
encourage non-formal. Informal and, indigenous learning systems, as well as self­
learning, independent, and out-of-schoo! study programs particularly those that 
respond to community needs."
Hence, we seek the immediate passage of this bill.
^GATCHALIAN


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S. No.
]
SENATE
740
•19 
JUL 24 All 50
RcCu V'l j  3';.
Introduced by SEN. SHERWIN T. GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM OF 
EDUCATION FOR ADULTS, OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTH, MEMBERS OF 
CULTURAL MINORITIES, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, AND PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House o f Representatives o f the 
Philippines in Congress assembled:
1 
SEC. 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as " The Alternative
2 
Learning System (ALS) Act'.
3 
SEC. 2. Declaration o f Policy. - It is the policy of the State to promote
4 
the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate
5 
steps to make such education accessible to all. The State shall likewise give the
6 
highest priority to the enactment of measures that promote human development
7 
and the acceleration of social progress, thereby reducing social, economic, and
8 
political inequalities. Towards this end, the State shall provide the marginalized
9 
sectors of society particularly the adult citizens, out-of-school youth, members of


1 
cultural minorities, indigenous people, and persons with disabilities with
2 
opportunities to improve their knowledge, vocational efficiency, and other skills.
3 
SEC. 3. Objectives. - The ALS is a cost-effective learning alternative to
4 
the existing formal education instruction. This Act therefore seeks to attain the
5 
following objectives:
6 
a) To provide adequate attention to the learning needs of the marginalized
7 
sectors of our society particularly the adult citizens, out-of-school youth,
8 
members of cultural minorities, indigenous people, and persons with disabilities.
9 
b) To provide the opportunity of a flexible education program outside of the
10 
formal school system.
11 
c) To provide accessible training and education services in every barangay,
12 
including 
those 
unreached, 
underserved 
and 
conflict-affected 
areas 
or
13 
communities.
14 
d) To provide a Mobile Teacher Program especially for persons with disabilities
15 
taking into consideration their functional inability or difficulty to obtain
16 
instructional materials and be apprised of the learning modules in the program.
17 
e) To improve access to education and raise the level of literacy to contribute to
18 
an individual's sustainable future.
19 
SEC. 4. Coverage. - This Act shall cover adults, out-of-school youth,
20 
members of cultural minorities, indigenous people, and persons with disabilities,
21 
as defined in this Act. The ALS Program shall be institutionalized and
22 
implemented in all of the barangays across the country.
23 
SEC. 5. Definition o f Terms. - For purposes of this Act:
24 
a)Alternative Learning System (ALS) refers to the system of education
25 
which provides a parallel learning system of a viable alternative to the
26 
existing formal education. It includes the non-formal, informal, and
27 
indigenous learning systems as sources of knowledge and skills;
28 
h)Adults refer to persons at least eighteen (18) years of age and above;
29 
c)Out-of-school youth refer to children who belong to any of the
30 
categories: a) at least 7 to 14 years of age who are not enrolled in school.


1 
or b) at least 15 to 24 years of age, who are not enrolled in school, not
2 
employed, and not a tertiary level graduate;
3 
d)Cultural minorities refer to the Muslims in Mindanao and the hill tribes or
4 
upland tribal groups in the northern part of the Philippines;
5 
e)Indigenous peopie refers to a group of people or homogenous societies
6 
identified 
by 
self-ascription 
and 
ascription 
by 
others, 
who 
have
7 
continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and
8 
defined territory, sharing common bonds of language, customs, tradition,
9 
and other distinctive cultural traits or who have, through resistance to
10 
political, social and cultural inroads of colonization become historically-
11 
differentiated from the majority of the Filipinos;
12 
f)Persons with disabiiities refer to those suffering from a restriction of
13 
different abilities, as a result of a mental, physical, or sensory impairment,
14 
to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered
15 
normal for a human being. Such impairment may be permanent or
16 
transitory in nature.
17 
SEC. 6. Im plem entation o f the Program - The Department of
18 
Education (DepEd) through the Bureau of Alternative Learning System shall
19 
provide the appropriate curriculum assimilating culture and gender-sensitive
20 
formulations, training of teacher and coordinators, and the mechanism to
21 
implement the program in every barangay in the country.
22 
SEC. 7. Allocation o f the Special Education Fund. - In order to fulfill
23 
the objectives of this Act, as well as sustain its continued implementation, a
24 
portion from the proceeds of the Special Education Fund under Sections 235 and
25 
272 of Republic Act 7160, otherwise known as the "Locai Government Code o f
26 
shall be automatically set aside by the local school board, in coordination
27 
with the respective local chief executive, of every local government unit for
28 
utilization by the program.
29 
SEC. 8. Tax Incentives. - Any donation, contribution, bequest, grant, in
30 
cash or services, whether local or foreign, which may be made by individuals and


1 
organizations, including private entities which shall provide the appropriate
2 
services, materials, and delivery support services for the promotion of the ALS
3 
education program in the barangays, shall be exempt from the donor's tax and
4 
the same shall be considered as an allowable deduction from the gross income in
5 
the computation of the income tax of the donor in accordance with the
6 
provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.
7 
SEC. 9. Allocation from  the Departm ent o f Education - The DepEd
8 
shall allocate an appropriate amount from its regular budget to support the ALS
9 
education program under this Act.
10 
SEC. 10. Im plem enting Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90)
11 
days upon the approval of this Act, the DepEd shall, in consultation with the
12 
various stakeholders, formulate the rules and regulations necessary for the
13 
proper implementation of this Act.
14 
SEC. 11. Separability Clause. - If any part, section or provision of this
15 
Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other parts thereof, not affected
16 
thereby shall remain in full force and effect.
17 
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. - 
All laws, acts, presidential decrees,
18 
executive orders, administrative orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof,
19 
inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are hereby amended,
20 
modified or repealed accordingly.
21 
SEC. 13. E ffectivity- This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
22 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,