Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
18TH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
House Bill No. __________ 
Introduced by Representative EVELINA G. ESCUDERO 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The 1987 Constitution provides that the “[t]he State shall protect and promote 
the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate 
steps to make such education accessible to all.” 1 And for this purpose, the State shall 
“[e]stablish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of 
education relevant to the needs of the people and society.”2  This mandate holds true 
even in times of public health emergencies. 
The disruption of the education system brought about by the Corona Virus 
Disease 2019 (COVID 19) has compelled the education sector to adopt distance 
learning as a means to ensure that learners have continued access to quality education 
even amid the pandemic. 
While the State continues to carry out the vaccination program, the education 
sector has already adopted blended learning. This refers to a range of learning 
possibilities in an education program in which content and instruction are presented 
by combining internet, digital media, television, or radio broadcast with established 
classroom forms that require the physical co‐presence of teacher and students3. The 
Department of Education (DepEd) has already adopted and implemented its Basic 
Education Learning Continuity Plan in the time of COVID 19 (BE-LCP), responsive to 
the challenges brought about by the virus. 
Indeed, this hybrid system of education is technology-heavy yet definitely 
current and relevant to the stakeholders.  It is thus imperative that the State aid the 
basic education teachers, both public and private, by equipping them with the 
technological hardware, ie., computers, and data allowance for access to the internet,  
so that they may effectively deliver lessons to their remote learners.   
1 Section 1 Article XIV, 1987 Philippine Constitution. 
2 Section 2 (1) Article XIV, 1987 Philippine Constitution. 
3 Integrated from Norm Friesen, Report: Defining Blended Learning, August 2012 and Heather Clayton Staker and Michael B. 
Horn, Classifying K-12 Blended Learning, Innosight Institute, Inc, May 2012 
September 6, 2021
4:19 pm
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Data from  SY 2019-2020 shows that there are more or less 805,957 public 
school teachers, and 263,430 private school teachers in the basic education4. For 
School Year (SY) 2020-2021, the DepEd reported that a total of  26,826,387 basic 
education students are enrolled in the public schools5, and  3,375,748 students,  as of 
February 2021, are enrolled in private schools. 
The prohibitive costs of the laptops and internet data, essential to this 
period’s mode of education,  are burdens that the State must shoulder, if it should 
adhere to its obligation to provide its populace quality and relevant basic 
education. It is submitted that education must be treated and dealt with in the 
same manner as public health and well-being. Indisputably, basic education is as 
equally important if the State has to remain consistent with its mandate. 
In view of the foregoing, and given the anticipated limitations due to the 
urgency of this proposed measure, deliberation and consideration of this bill to 
address the intended purpose are respectfully requested.  
EVELINA G. ESCUDERO 
4 Llego, Mark Anthony, “DepEd Basic Education Statistics for School Year 2019-2020.” Available at 
https://www.teacherph.com/deped-basic-education-statistics-school-year-2019-2020/ 
5Montemayor, Ma. Teresa,   “DepEd enrollees at 4.7M month before classes start,” Philippine News Agency August 17,2021. 
Available at https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1150776 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
18TH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
House Bill No. __________ 
Introduced by Representative EVELINA G. ESCUDERO 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING COMMUNICATION AND DATA ACCESSIBILITY 
AND ALLOWANCE TO ALL BASIC EDUCATION TEACHERS 
DURING PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY AND OTHER 
ANALOGOUS CASES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
Section. 1.  Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared as a policy of the State, 
consistent with the constitutional provisions on education and national development, 
to support the unique needs of the education sector  in times of public health 
emergencies and other similar crises. As such, school teachers whose work is essential 
in national development must be equipped with the appropriate tools and 
infrastructure for the efficient performance of their duties. 
Sec. 2.  Definition of Terms. 
a.) “Public health emergency” is as an occurrence or imminent threat of an 
illness or health condition, caused by bio terrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or 
(a) novel and highly fatal infectious agent or biological toxin, that poses a substantial
risk of a significant number of human facilities or incidents or permanent or long-term
disability6 resulting in a prolong closure of school facilities and other learning
institutions.
b.) “Other analogous cases” means any occurrence or imminent threat of any 
calamity or disaster, natural or man-made, having the same effect of prolonged 
closure of schools and other learning institutions. 
c.) “Blended learning” designates the range of learning possibilities in an 
education program in which content and instruction are presented by combining 
6 WHO/DCD, 2001 
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internet, digital media, television or radio broadcast with established classroom forms 
that require the physical co‐presence of teacher and students. 
 
Sec. 3.  Provision of Computers or Other Similar Devices to all Basic 
Education Teachers in Public and Private Schools. - To effectively execute the blended 
learning implemented during a declared public health emergency and other 
analogous cases, the national government through the Department of Education 
(DepEd), in coordination with the Department of Information and Communications 
Technology (DICT), shall provide the technologically appropriate and affordable 
computer or similar device to each basic education teachers, both in public and private 
schools.  
 
Sec. 4. Obsolescence. –  In the provision of computers or other similar devices 
in Section 3 of this Act, the DICT shall determine the appropriate and affordable 
technological capacity to mitigate the impact of obsolescence taking into consideration 
the availability of funds and the length of usability, efficiency and effectiveness.   
 
Sec. 5.  Provision of Data and Communication Allowance to all Basic 
Education Teachers in Public and Private Schools. – During the period of the declared 
public health emergency and other analogous cases, the national government through 
the DepEd in coordination with the DICT shall provide data and communication 
allowance to all basic education teachers, both in public and private schools. The 
amount of the data and communication allowance shall be determined by the DepEd 
and the DICT considering the time of execution and amount of data needed for the 
full implementation of blended learning. 
 
Sec. 6.  Subsidized Data Rates and Fiscal Incentives. - During the period of the 
declared public health emergency and other analogous cases, access to websites where 
the blended learning materials are published or posted shall be subsidized by the 
government and may be accessed free of charge. Moreover, the Department of Finance 
(DOF) through the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) shall be allowed to grant fiscal 
incentives to concerned suppliers or service providers to lessen cost provided that, 
such incentives shall not significantly prejudice revenues for the government. 
 
Sec. 7.  Applicability of the Act to the declared public health emergency due to 
Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID 19). -  The provisions of this Act shall apply to the 
public health emergency declared by the national or local government due to COVID 
19.  
 
Sec. 8.  Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The DepEd, the DICT and the 
DOF shall promulgate the corresponding implementing rules and regulations of this 
Act within sixty (60) days from the date of its effectivity.  
 
Sec. 9.  Appropriations. – The funds necessary to implement the provisions of 
this Act shall be sourced from the respective budgets of the DepEd and the DICT in 
the annual General Appropriations Act.  


 
Sec. 10. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, and rules and regulations 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified 
accordingly.  
 
Sec. 11.  Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act is held invalid 
or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and 
subsisting. 
 
Sect. 12. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation or in the Official Gazette. 
 
 
Approved,