Republic of the Philippines Ly oN
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Nineteenth Congress &
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No._ 3730

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE LAARNI LAVIN ROQUE

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The 1987 Philippine Constitution in Section 13 of Article Il mandates that:

"The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building
and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual,
and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and
nationalism and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs."

According to the latest Department of Education (DepEd) report, 50% of the
population, or roughly 55 million Filipinos, are children and youth (0-24 yrs.) The SPED
Division of the Department of Education estimates that 13% of the children and youth
population in the country, or around 7.15 million, have special needs; 2% are gifted
while 10% are those with disabilities.

Children and youth with special needs (CYSNs) continue to experience barriers
to access basic social services. This is compounded by poverty, lack of data, weak
governance and discriminatory attitudes related to disability in general. They are less
likely to attend school, access medical services, or have their voices heard in society.
Their disabilities also place them at a higher risk of physical abuse and discrimination,
and often exclude them from receiving proper nutrition or humanitarian assistance in
emergencies.

It is high time that State pay close attention and address the needs of our
CYSNs, as well as take the necessary steps to help to make them productive citizens.

Education is a key foundation towards the growth and success of every
individual. Undeniably, teachers play an extraordinary part in the lives of the children
with disability. Thus, major efforts should be undertaken to give our teachers adequate
training in order to ensure quality education and to properly address the needs of the
children with disability.

As children with special needs are mainstreamed, it is critical that these children
are placed in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their needs and that their
teachers in regular classrooms have an understanding of their special needs.

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RES.

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This bill seeks to establish a comprehensive training program for teachers of
children with special needs.

Given the above premises, the urgent passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

LAARI IN ROQUE
Repfesgntative
4th District, Bukidnon


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Nineteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No._3730

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE LAARNI LAVIN ROQUE

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR
TEACHERS OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

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

SECTION 1. Short Title - This Act shall be known as the "Teachers of Children and
Youth with Special Needs (CYSNs) Enhancement Act."

SEC. 2. Definition of Children and Youth with Special Needs -

A. Children with special needs (CSNs) refer to those persons eighteen (18)
years old and below who are the mentally gifted or fast learners; and those who are
disabled, impaired and handicapped and in need of special education as well as
services for rehabilitation. They differ from the average children in mental
characteristics, sensory abilities, neuro-muscular or physical characteristics, social
attributes, to such an extent that requires the use of modified school practices or
special education services to develop them to maximum capability.

They may be classified as follows:

1. Gifted children and fast leamers are those capable of superior
performance including those with demonstrated achievement or potential
ability in one or more of the following areas: general intellectual ability, specific
academic aptitude, creative or productive thinking ability, leadership ability,
ability in the performing arts and psychomotor ability, or those individuals who
consistently manifest the following cluster of traits: above average ability
(including intelligence), high creativity (implies the developmental appreciation
of innovative ideas) and high task commitment (related to a high degree of
motivation) and those who by reason thereof, require services or activities not
ordinarily provided by the school;


2. Children with mental retardation intellectual disability are those who
have substantial limitation in present functioning characterized by significant
sub-average intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with the related
limitations in two or more of the applicable adaptive skill areas;
communication, self-care, home living, social skills, community use, self-
direction, health and safety, functional academics, leisure and work;

3. Children with visual impairment are those who are blind or having a low
vision. Persons are blind if they have a visual capacity of 20/200 or less in a
better eye after maximum correction. The low vision persons retain a relatively
low degree of vision and can read only enlarged print or regular print under
special conditions;

4. Children with hearing impairment are those who are deaf of hard-of-
hearing. The deaf persons are one whose hearing are non-functional for
ordinary purpose in life. The hard-of-hearing have a defective sense of hearing
that is functional without a hearing aid;

5. Children with behavior problems are those who cannot adjust to the
socially accepted norms or behavior and, consequently disrupt their academic
progress, in the learning efforts of their classmates and interpersonal relations;

6. Children with orthopedic/physical handicap are those whose impairment
permanently or temporarily interferes with the normal functions of the joints,
muscles or limbs;

7. Children with special health problems are those who have health
conditions that tend to keep children out-of-school or those with chronic and/or
debilitating illnesses such as cardiac (heart) diseases, asthma, diabetes,
tuberculosis and other respiratory ailments, carcinoma, epilepsy, malnutrition
and others;

8. Children with learning disabilities are those whose although normal in
sensory, emotional and intellectual abilities exhibit disorders in perception,
listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling or arithmetic. They have such
condition as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction,
dyslexia and developmental aphasia;

9. Children with speech defects are those whose speech differs from the
average so far as to draw unfavorable attention to the manner of speaking
rather than to the thought conveyed, which include communication disorders
such as stuttering impaired articulation, language impairment, or a voice
impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance;

10. Children with autism are those with developmental disabilities, the onset
of which occurs before 30 months of age which is marked by disturbance in
development, language and relationship with persons, activities and objects
and which may coexist with intellectual disability and epilepsy. Children
afflicted with this disorder have perceptual cognitive communication and social
difficulties which change over time;


11. Children with multi-handicaps are those with more than one disability
such as the deaf-blind or those diagnosed with autism and intellectual

disability.

12. Children with Specific learning Disability - A disorder in one or more of
the basic physiological processes involved in understanding or in using
language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in the imperfect ability
to listen/ think/speak/read, write, spell or do mathematical calculations. Such
term includes conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal
brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia

13. Children with Traumatic Brain Injury - An acquired injury to the brain
caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional
disability or psychosocial impairment or both, and that adversely affects a
child's educational performance. The term applies to open or closed head
injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition,
language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, problem
solving, sensory, perceptual and motor abilities, psychosocial behavior
physical functions, information processing, and speech. The term does not
apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative or to brain injuries
induced by birth trauma

B. Youth with special needs (YSNs) refer to those persons between fifteen
(15) years old to thirty (30) years old with the same characteristics are CSNs, except
those mentally gifted or fast learners. Provided, that, those persons who have mental
retardation, or autism or other chronic intellectual disabilities, shall be considered a
YSN regardless of age

SEC. 3. Program Authorized - Secretary of Education is authorized to award grants in
accordance with this Act to carry out activities and programs designed to increase the
preparedness of mainstream classroom teachers for the preparation of children with
disability in such classrooms through training program.

SEC. 4. Use of Funds - Funds provided pursuant to this Act shall be used to award
grants to state universities which shall be required to put up special training programs
for teachers. The special programs shall consist of modules designed to increase
awareness of teachers of children with disability on the special nature of such children,
with emphasis on their peculiar needs to equip them with strategies on how to reach
out to these children.

SEC. 5. Special Program Curriculum - The Secretary of Education, in coordination
with the Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), shall prescribe
the special program curriculum to be offered in state universities offering training
programs. The special program curriculum shall include special courses on child
psychology, teach the substance and teaching skills associated with handling of
CYSNs, develop special materials and methods, conduct pilot and demonstration
projects, and involve participation of experts in child psychology in the provision of
special activities designed to enhance the teaching skills of teachers of CYSNs.


SEC. 6. Application Required - Each entity desiring a grant under this Act shall submit
an application to the Secretary, at such time and in such manner accompanied by
such information as the Secretary may reasonably require.

SEC. 7. Appropriations - There shall be appropriated such sums as may be necessary
to carry out the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 8. Separability Clause - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
remain valid and subsisting

SEC. 9. Repealing Clause - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order,
letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or is inconsistent
with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.

SEC. 10. Effectivity Clause - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,