NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
]
SENATE
S.B. No.4 74
of t|}C ; :rr<in)
'22 JUL 13 flIO :44
RECEIVED BY:
Introduced by SENATOR WIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
MANDATING THE PROVISION OF ONE LAPTOP FOR EVERY LEARNER 
ENROLLED UNDER THE K TO 12 PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
EDUCATION, ESCALATING THE PROVISION OF RELIABLE AND SECURE 
INTERNET CONNECTION FOR THE USE OF SUCH LAPTOPS, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The (<One Learner, One Laptop Act is a proposition to fulfill the policy of 
the State, as enshrined in the 1987 Constitution, to promote the right of all 
citizens to quality education at all levels, take appropriate steps to make such 
education accessible to all, and assign the highest budgetary priority to 
education. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the government in this 
constitutional pursuit to deliver to Filipinos quality basic education through 
blended learning as the issue of access to online learning materials and 
instruction became the ultimate consideration for the Department of Education 
(DepEd) to prioritize the distribution of Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) over digital 
platforms. SLMs thus became the dominant means to implement the DepEd’s 
Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan.
The pertinent excuse on the lack of a reliable and safe Internet connection
1


nationwide is an issue that has persistently sparked debates worldwide whether 
Internet access is a luxury or an essential utility such as water. Some advocates 
take the argument one step further and argue that Internet access is a basic 
human right that should be provided for free to those who can’t afford it.1 
Starting 2007, the issue of the Internet has also appeared in various contexts in 
the concluding observations of the different committees of the United Nations, 
such as the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on Economic, Social and 
Cultural Rights, and the Committee on the Rights of the Child.2 While the right 
to Internet access may still be evolving and in the process of being recognized as 
anew human right, the 1987 Constitution itself mandates the State to take 
appropriate steps to make quality education accessible to all, and recognizes the 
vital role of communication and information in nation-building. As such, it shall 
provide the policy environment for the full development of Filipino capability and 
the emergence of communication structures suitable to the needs and 
aspirations of the nation - including the aspiration for the uninterrupted delivery 
of quality basic education in locations both inside and outside the physical 
premises of the classroom. This includes the duty to mandate the expansion of 
the national Internet infrastructure, and ensure its reliability and affordability 
especially among the most vulnerable and marginalized groups.
The objectives of this bill are therefore straightforward. To enable all 
learners in the public schools, their homes, and other remote locations to receive 
quality digital and distance learning at all times and under all circumstances, 
the DepEd shall provide a laptop for every learner enrolled under the K to 12 
Program in public schools, and the Department of Information and 
Communications Technology shall escalate the provision of a reliable and secure 
Internet access suitable to the needs of learners for digital and distance learning
1 The Case for Internet Access as a Human Right (Karl Bode, November 14, 2019), at 
https: / / WWW. vice, com / en/ article / 3kxmm5 / the-case-for-internet-access-as-a-human-right. 
Last accessed June 17, 2022, 11:00 a.m.
2 Szoszkiewicz, Lukasz. (2018). Internet Access as a New Human Right? State of the Art on 
the Threshold of 2020. Przeglad Prawniczy Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza. 8. 50. 
10.14746/ppuam.2018.8.03.


by:
(1) accelerating the installation, deployment and activation of the 
free public wi-fi in all public basic education institutions as mandated 
under Republic Act No. 10929 or the “Free Internet Access in Public Places 
Acf, and
(2) escalating the building of the national infrastructure for 
information and communications technology by mandating the National 
Telecommunications Commission to identify the locations for the 
construction of telecommunications tower sites, giving due priority to the 
missionary areas, and require Public Telecommunications Entities 
(PTEs) to complete the building of the targeted number of towers within 
two years from the effectivity of this Act.
PTEs are also mandated under this bill to provide free access to DepEd’s 
online educational platforms, digital libraries, and other online knowledge hubs 
and sites. No data charges shall be incurred in the download of data from these 
sites and applications. They shall also create systems and establish procedures 
to make available special sim cards, plans, and services for digital and distance 
education at minimal cost and with no data caps. For learners whose parents 
are listed as beneficiaries under the “Listahanan” of the Department of Social 
Welfare and Development, they shall be provided subsidized data plans by the 
DepEd for the use of the prescribed laptops.
I earnestly seek the support of my colleagues for the passage of this 
legislation that will make it the responsibility of government to ensure that 
learning will continue - leaving no learner behind - at all times and under all 
circumstances.
GATC


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
]
SENATE 
S.B. No.474
of t[}p ; PI,,CD
’22 JUL 13 AlO :44
RliCEIVHD BV' /\w
Introduced by SENATOR WIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
MANDATING THE PROVISION OF ONE LAPTOP FOR EVERY LEARNER 
ENROLLED UNDER THE K TO 12 PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
EDUCATION, ESCALATING THE PROVISION OF RELIABLE AND SECURE 
INTERNET CONNECTION FOR THE USE OF SUCH LAPTOPS, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the '“One Learner, 
One Laptop Acf.
Sec. 2. Declaration of Principles. - It is the policy of the State to promote 
the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, take appropriate 
steps to make such education accessible to all, and assign the highest 
budgetary priority to education. The State also recognizes the vital role of 
communication and information in nation-building, and shall provide the 
policy environment for the full development of Filipino capability and the 
emergence of communication structures suitable to the needs and 
aspirations of the nation - including the aspiration for the uninterrupted


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
delivery of quality basic education in locations both inside and outside the 
physical premises of public schools. Towards this end, the State shall ensure 
that learning will continue leaving no learner behind and with minimal or no 
disruption by providing the resources and capability for digital and distance 
learning.
Sec. 3. Objectives. - This Act aims to enable all learners in the public 
schools, their homes, and other remote locations to receive quality digital and 
distance learning at all times and under all circumstances by:
(a) providing a laptop for every learner enrolled under the K to 12 Program 
in public schools under the Department of Education (DepEd); and
(b) escalating the provision of a reliable and secure Internet access suitable 
to the needs of learners for digital and distance learning.
Sec. 4. Provision of Laptops; Department of Education. - The Secretary 
of Education, through the Bureau of Learning Resources, shall formulate the 
policies, standards, and guidelines for the implementation and management 
of providing one laptop for every learner enrolled under the K to 12 Program 
in public schools. It shall establish an efficient and sustainable system for the 
provision of this learning resource to ensure equitable access to quality digital 
learning resources online and offline.
Sec. 5. Provision of Reliable and Secure Internet Connection; Escalation 
of the Building of the National Information and Telecommunications Technology 
Infrastructure. - To ensure the availability of a reliable and secure Internet 
connection suitable to the needs of learners for digital and distance learning, 
the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) shall 
implement measures to accelerate the installation, deployment and activation 
of the free public wi-fi in all public basic education institutions as mandated 
under Republic Act No. 10929 or the “Free Internet Access in Public Places 
Act.


1 
The DICT shall likewise escalate the building of the national
2 
infrastructure for information and communications technology (ICT) by
3 
mandating the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to identify
4 
the locations for the construction of telecommunications tower sites, giving
5 
due priority to the missionary areas which remain unconnected and unserved
6 
or underserved by the Public Telecommunications Entities (PTEs), and require
7 
the PTEs to complete the building of the targeted number of towers within two
8 
years from the effectivity of this Act.
9 
The government, through the DICT, shall formulate and implement a
10 
system to provide financing or incentives to PTEs in the construction of
11 
telecommunications towers in the missionary areas.
12 
PTEs refer to entities that are duly authorized to offer voice, short
13 
messaging system or text, mobile data, value added services, or any other
14 
mobile telecommunications services to the public for a fee.
15 
For purposes of this section and pursuant to Republic Act No. 11032
16 
or the “Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act
17 
of 2018”, all relevant government agencies and local government units are
18 
required to process, approve, and issue permits and clearances for the
19 
construction of telecommunications towers within seven working days.
20
21 
Sec. 6. Free Access to DepEd’s Online Platforms; Special Services for
22 
Learners. - PTEs shall provide free access to the DepEd’s online educational
23 
platforms, digital libraries, and other online knowledge hubs and sites without
24 
any additional financial burden on all subscribers. No data charges shall also
25 
be incurred in the download of data from these sites and applications.
26 
Further, the NTC and the PTEs, in consultation with the DepEd, are
27 
hereby mandated to create systems and establish procedures in making
28 
available special sim cards, plans, and services for digital and distance
29 
education at minimal cost and with no data caps, including their expedited
30 
sale and availment.
31 
Learners whose parents are listed as beneficiaries under the National


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction, otherwise known as 
“Listahanan”, under the Department of Social Welfare and Development 
(DSWD), shall be provided subsidized data plans by the DepEd for the use of 
the prescribed laptops under this Act.
Sec. 7. Implementing Agencies. - The DICT and the DSWD shall 
coordinate with the DepEd and provide the necessary services, assistance, 
and intervention in accordance with their respective mandates and functions 
under existing laws, rules and regulations to develop and enhance the 
capacity of the DepEd to implement the provisions of this Act and 
continuously deliver quality digital basic education services.
Sec. 8. Tax Incentives. - Any donation, contribution, or grant, in cash 
or in kind, made by individuals or organizations, public or private, local or 
foreign, shall be exempt from the donor's tax and the cost of which shall be 
considered as an allowable deduction from the gross income of the donor in 
accordance with the provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, 
as amended.
Sec. 9. Mandatory Review and Impact Assessment - The DepEd, DICT, 
and DSWD shall conduct a mandatory review of the implementation of this 
Act, and submit an assessment report to Congress on its impact and 
effectiveness, not later than two (2) years from its effectivity and every two (2) 
years thereafter.
Sec. 10. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee. - There is hereby 
created a Joint Congressional Oversight Committee to oversee, monitor and 
evaluate the implementation of this Act. The Oversight Committee shall be 
composed of five (5) members each from the Senate and from the House of 
Representatives, including the Chairs of the Committees on Education, Arts


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26 
27
and Culture, and Finance of both Houses. The membership of the Committee 
for eveiy chamber shall have at least one (1) minority member.
Sec. 11. Appropriations. - The amount necessaiy for the implementation 
of this Act shall be charged against those authorized in the current 
appropriations of the DepEd. Thereafter, the amount necessary for its 
continued implementation shall be included in the annual General 
Appropriations Act.
Sec. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days 
from the effectivity of this Act, the DepEd, in consultation with the other 
implementing agencies, shall issue the rules and regulations implementing 
its provisions. The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) issued 
pursuant to this section shall take effect thirty (30) days after its publication 
in a newspaper of general circulation.
Sec. 13. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is held invalid 
or unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared shall remain in force 
and effect.
Sec. 14. Repealing Clause. - All laws, orders, and rules and regulations 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed 
or amended accordingly.
Sec. 15. Effectivity. - Notwithstanding the non-issuance of the IRR, this 
Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette 
or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,