SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
Second Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Introduced by Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

6831

House Bill No.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article 15, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides:

“The State recognizes the Filipino family as the
foundation of the nation. Accordingly, it shall
strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its total
development.”

Fundamental changes in the demographics and economics of family
life in the country over the past 20 years have had a profound effect on
children and their parents.

As the number of women working outside the home has been steadily
increasing, there is a need to support community-based family resource and
‘support programs that promote healthy child development and increase
parental competency. Investment in promoting the development of family
resource and support programs will reap long-term benefits for individual
families and the nation as a whole.

This bill seeks to establish a national center for information and

technical assistance relating to all types of family resource and support
programs; hence, immediate approval hereof is earnestly recommended.

M

MAXIMO B. RODRIGUEZ, JR.


SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES —_)
Second Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Introduced by Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

6831

House Bill No.

AN ACT
TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL CENTER FOR INFORMATION AND
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE RELATING TO ALL TYPES OF FAMILY
RESOURCE AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS

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 “Family Resource
Act.”

SEC 2. Purpose. - It is the purpose of this Act to -

(1) stimulate the development and expansion of family resource and
‘support programs that are prevention oriented;

(2) encourage early intervention of such programs with families to
ameliorate problem situations before such situations become crises;
and

(3) assist parents in enhancing their children’s development to assure that
their children enter school prepared and ready to learn.

SEC 3. Definition. - As used in this Act, the term “family resource and
support programs” means community-based services that offer sustained
assistance to families at various stages in their development. Such services
shall promote parental competencies and behaviors that will lead to the
healthy and positive personal development of parents and children through-

(1) the provision of assistance to build family skills and assist parents in
improving their capacities to be supportive and nurturing parents;

(2) the provision of assistance to families to enable such families to use
other formal and informal resources and opportunities for assistance
that are available within the communities of such families; and

(3) the creation of supportive networks to enhance the childbearing
capacity of parents and assist in compensating for the increased social
isolation and vulnerability of families.

SEC 4. Establishment of National Center on Family Resource and
Support Programs. -

(a) Establishment. - The Secretary of Health shall establish, through
grant or contract, a national center for the collection and provision of
programmatic information and technical assistance that relates to all types of
family resource and support programs.


(b) Functions. - The national center established under subsection (a)
shall serve as a national information, training, technical assistance and
material development source for family resource and support programs. Such
center shallL—

4) establish a clearinghouse to develop and maintain a data base on all
types of family resource and support programs;
develop and maintain a system for disseminating information on all
types of family resource and support programs and on the state of
family resource and support program development, including
information conceming the most effective model programs;
develop and sponsor a variety of training institutes and curricula for
family resource and support program staff,
identify several model programs representing the various types of
family resource and support programs to develop technical assistance
materials and activities to assist other agencies in establishing family
resource and support programs; and
develop nationwide networks of family resource and support programs
for the purpose of sharing and disseminating information.

2)

3)

4)

5)

SEC 5. Evaluation. - The Secretary of Health shall, through grants or
contracts awarded or entered into with independent auditors, conduct
evaluations and related activities, of family resource and support programs,
including -

1) evaluations of on-going programs;

2) process evaluations focusing on implementation strategies; and

3) the development of simple evaluation models for use by local family

resource
4) and support programs.

SEC 6. Authorization of Appropriations. - To carry out the provisions of this
Act, it is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury
‘such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year.

SEC 7. 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 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation
contrary to or inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed,
modified or amended accordingly.

SEC 9. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation

Approved,