Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
AN ACT REORGANIZING THE COUNCIL FOR THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN 
INTO THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION ON CHILDREN, APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Children have a vital role in nation building. Through proper guidance and 
support of the State, the youth can exercise their full potential towards national 
development. In order to fully bring out the motivation, passion, and determination 
of the youth to become the forefront of national development, it is only necessary 
that the State provide measures to implement and enforce laws related to the welfare 
of children and to formulate and monitor policies and programs linked with the 
youth. 
This Bill is intended to reorganize the Council for the Welfare of Children into 
the Philippine Commission on Children. The Philippine Commission on Children 
shall, among others, serve as an oversight body over committees, councils, and other 
structures and recommend areas of convergence for an improved and efficient 
coordination, information-sharing and monitoring of the safety and well-being of a 
child, and formulate integrated national policy, plans, programs, and pilot projects 
including services relative to the development of the general welfare and protection 
of the best interests of the child. The Philippine Commission on Children Act provides 
for the composition of the Commission, its powers and functions, the Technical 
Advisory Group and other provisions especially created to promote the welfare of 
children. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this Bill is earnestly sought. 
EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
February 15, 2023
5:25 pm
7196


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
AN ACT REORGANIZING THE COUNCIL FOR THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN 
INTO THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION ON CHILDREN, APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Philippine 
Commission of Children Act”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It shall be the policy of the State to 
promote the welfare of the children. As children play a big role towards the 
development of the country, it is only necessary that the formulation of policies and 
the implementation of laws relative to children’s welfare be ensured by the State. 
SECTION 3. Reorganization of the Council for the Welfare of Children 
(CWC) into the Philippine Commission on Children. – The Council for the Welfare 
of Children is hereby reorganized into the Philippine Commission on Children, 
hereinafter referred to as the “Commission”, attached to the Office of the President 
(OP). 
SECTION 4. Composition of the Commission. – The Commission shall be 
composed of a Board of Commissioners to be headed by a Chairperson who shall 
provide the leadership in the realization of the vision and mission of the Commission. 
The chairperson shall have the rank and privileges of a department 
undersecretary. The appointive commissioners shall have the rank and privileges of 
a department undersecretary. The appointive commissioner shall have the ranks and 
privileges of an assistant secretary of a department. 
The Board of Commissioners shall be composed of the following: 
a) Heads of the following government officer:
i.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD);
ii.
Department of Agriculture (DA);
iii.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM);
iv.
Department of Health (DOH);
v.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG);
7196


vi. 
Department of Justice (DOJ); 
vii. 
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); 
viii. 
National Economic Development Authority (NEDA); 
ix. 
National Nutrition Council (NNC); 
x. 
National Youth Commission (NYC); and 
xi. 
Convergence of Councils and Committees on Children (Four Cs). 
 
b) Three (3) private individuals recognized as child advocates representing 
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao; 
c) One (1) child representative; and 
d) The Executive Director of Commission. 
The Chairperson and Commissioners shall be appointed by the President from 
a list of at least three (3) but not more than five (5) nominees from each position, 
submitted by child-serving organizations or institutions in their respective areas duly 
registered with the Securities and Exchange Council (SEC). They shall serve for a 
term of three (3) years, with reappointment for another term. 
 
 
SECTION 5. Powers and Functions. -  The Commission shall have the 
following powers and functions: 
a) Formulate integrated national policy, plan, programs, and pilot projects 
including services relative to the development of general welfare and 
protection of the best interests of the child; 
b) Coordinate the implementation and enforcement of policies, plans, and 
programs relative to the promotion and protection of child’s rights and 
welfare; 
c) Set-up a system of networking and coordination with and among all 
existing government agencies and non-government organizations for the 
effective implementation of plans and strategies for children; 
d) Serve as an oversight body over committees, councils, and other structures 
and recommend areas of convergence for an improved and efficient 
coordination information, information-sharing and monitoring of the 
safety and well-being of a child; 
e) Conduct researches and studies on children in coordination with other 
government agencies, bureaus, offices, departments, or instrumentalities; 
f) Review, monitor and evaluate all local and international policies, plans, 
projects and programs on the right of the child, by establishing a third 
party monitoring and evaluation system; 
g) Advocate, recommend for approval of the President and other appropriate 
agencies, and implement on a nationwide scale when appropriate, new, 
innovative, programs and services for the general welfare and protection of 
the child; 
h) To mainstream the concerns and issues affecting children and to provide 
and maintain the necessary medium to perform such function; 
i) Provide avenues for the institutionalization, technical assistance, and the 
needed capacity building for the effective implementation of policies, 
programs and projects of the Commission, especially those that involve the 
setting up or strengthening of mechanisms for, by, and with children; 
j) Mobilize resource assistance and call upon and utilize a department, 
bureau, office, agency, or any instrumentalities thereof, public, private, or 
voluntary, for such assistance as it may require in the performance of its 
functions; 


k) Ensure convergence efforts in addressing children’s issues and concerns 
among councils and committees through an improved and efficient 
coordination in planning, data-sharing and align monitoring and oversight 
practices; 
l) Enter into contracts facilitating the implementation of undertakings for 
children and the acceptance of donations, gifts, bequests, and grants, 
among others; 
m) Submit annually to the President and to Congress a comprehensive report 
on its activities and accomplishments; and 
n) Perform such other functions as may be necessary to effectively and 
efficiently carry out the provisions of this Act. 
 
SECTION 6. Technical Advisory Group. - A Technical Advisory Group (TAG) 
shall be created under the Commission. The TAG shall deliberate on the concerns 
and _ the recommendations of the sectoral committees, sub-committees, and other 
relevant structures. It shall also submit recommendations to the Commission on 
needed policy guidelines, projects and activities for the welfare of children. It shall 
be composed of bureau and service heads or equivalent of member agencies and 
organizations as appropriate. The TAG shall also be composed of one representative 
each of the Board of Commissioners enumerated in Section 4 hereof. 
The TAG shall convene quarterly, to be attended by the heads of the 
aforementioned agencies, to submit policy and programmatic recommendations for 
adoption of the Commission. All resolutions adopted by the Commission shall be 
officially forwarded to the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, for endorsement to the 
President. The TAG may invite relevant government and non-government and other 
institutions and agencies for technical assistance, as deemed necessary. 
 
SECTION 7. Secretariat. - The Commission shall organize a secretariat that 
will serve as its executive arm to be headed by an Executive Director, assisted by a 
Deputy Executive Director, who shall ensure the implementation of resolutions and 
decisions and shall take charge of the administration, direction, and shall exercise 
general supervision and control over the personnel of the Secretariat. 
The Secretariat shall be composed of the following Bureaus organized in 
coordination with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Department of Budget 
and Management (DBM): 
 
a) Bureau on Coordinating, Planning and Programming 
i. 
Policy and Planning Division 
ii. 
Monitoring and Evaluation Division 
b) Bureau of Communication and External Affairs 
i. 
Advocacy and Communications Division 
ii. 
External Partnership Division 
c) Bureau of Localization and Regional Coordination 
i. 
Localization and Institutionalization Division 
ii. 
Regional 
Committees/Sub-Committees 
for 
the 
Welfare 
of 
Children(RC/SCWC) 
d) Bureau on Administrative, Finance and Support Services 
i. 
Administrative and Finance Division 
ii. 
Procurement and Supply Division 
iii. 
Internal Audit Division 
 
The Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director shall be nominated by 
the Board of Commissioners and shall be subsequently appointed by the President 


with the rank, privileges and emoluments Career Executives Service Officer II and 
Career Services Officer I, respectively, and shall receive such other allowances and 
benefits as may be provided by law. 
 
 
SECTION 8. Sectoral Committees and Sub-Committees. – Sectoral 
committees shall hereby be created and enumerated in the Implementing Rules and 
Regulations of this Act, following the concerns of the UN Convention of the Rights of 
the Child. Should the need arise, committees or sub-committees may be modified or 
created to address emerging or specific concerns of children. 
 
 
SECTION 9. Convergence of Councils and Committees on Children (Four 
Cs). – The Four Cs shall be created as the system of collaboration and coordination 
among all councils and committees to specifically address concerns on children. It 
shall ensure effective and harmonious work relationship among all structures on 
children and to address their issues at the national, regional and local levels. 
 
 
The Four Cs shall be composed of the Chairperson of the Councils which were 
created based on already existing laws, as follows: 
1. Committee for the Special Protection of Children; 
2. National Child Labor Committee; 
3. National Council on Children’s Television 
4. Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking; 
5. Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and their Children; 
6. Juvenile Justice Welfare Council; 
7. Inter-Agency Council Against Child Pornography; 
8. Inter-Agency Committee on Children in Armed Conflict; 
9. Early Childhood Care and Development Council; 
10. National Council on Disability Affairs. 
 
All the other and subsequent councils and committees created with direct 
implications on children shall be a part of the Four Cs. The Commissions shall issue 
a Resolution to formalize these memberships. 
 
The Four Cs shall convene quarterly, to be attended by the Chairperson or the 
Alternate Chairpersons of the member agencies, to submit policy recommendation 
for adoption of the Commission, All resolutions adopted by the Commission shall 
also be officially forwarded to the Chairperson of the Commission. 
 
The Commission shall oversee the implementation of the Resolutions among 
the members of the Four Cs. 
 
 
SECTION 10. Membership to Agencies Created by Special Laws and 
issuances on Children. – The Commission shall take the place of the Council for 
the Welfare of Children as member and ensure coordination with agencies created 
under special laws and issuances such as: 
 
 
1. The Special Committee for the Protection of Children (under Republic Act 
7610 and strengthened under Executive Order No. 53 s. 2011); 
2. The National Child Labor Committee (created under the DOLE’s Philippine 
Plan of Action against Child Labor); 
3. National Council on Children’s Television (under Republic Act No. 8370); 
4. The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (under Republic Act. No. 
9208); 
5. The Inter-Agency on Violence Against Women and their Children (under 
Republic Act No. 9262); 
6. The Juvenile Justice Welfare Council (under Republic Act. No. 9344); 


7. The Inter-Agency Council Against Child Pornography (under Republic Act 
No. 9775); and 
8. The Inter-Agency Council on Children in Armed Conflict (Executive Order 
No. 138 s. 2013). 
 
SECTION 11. Honoraria. – The Chairperson and Board of Commissioners, 
member of the sectoral committees, sub-committees, task forces and other 
structures that may be created under the Commissions shall receive honoraria which 
shall be subject to existing laws. 
 
SECTION 12. Transitory Provisions. — Upon approval of this Act, the 
officers and staff of the Secretariat of the Council for the Welfare of Children shall 
continue to perform their duties and responsibilities and receive their corresponding 
salaries and benefits. Incumbents whose positions are not included in the approved 
new staffing pattern of the Commission or not reappointed shall be deemed separated 
from the service. Such incumbents shall receive the retirement benefits to which they 
may be entitled under existing laws, rules and regulations, or shall be paid the 
equivalent of one (1) month basic salary for every year of service or the equivalent 
nearest fraction thereof favorable to them on the basis of the highest salary received, 
in addition to the retirement benefits or pensions under existing retirement laws. 
A new position structure and staffing pattern of the Commission Secretariat 
shall be determined by the Chairperson and Executive Director, in consultation with 
the Board of Commissioners, and recommended for approval by the Secretary of the 
Department of Budget and Management with due concurrence of the Civil Service 
Commission within one hundred and twenty (120) days from the approval of this Act. 
Authorized positions created thereunder shall be filled with regular appointments. 
The authority of the Executive Director shall extend to: (1) appointments and other 
personnel actions in accordance to Section 29, Chapter 6, Book IV of Executive Order 
No. 292 or the Administrative Code of 1987. 
 
SECTION 13. Delineation of Authority over the Age Groups between the 
National Youth Commission and the Philippine Commission on Children. – All 
policy and programmatic concerns of child youth, aged 15-18, shall be the sole 
mandate of the Philippine Commission on Children. The definition of children and 
youth shall be clearly differentiated in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of 
this Act. 
 
SECTION 14. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). – The 
Secretariat, in coordination with the Board of Commissioners, shall promulgate the 
IRR within ninety (90) days after its enactment; Provided, That the rules and 
regulations issued by other government agencies and instrumentalities for the 
prevention or abatement of violation of child’s rights not inconsistent with this Act 
shall supplement the rules and regulations issued by the CWC pursuant to the 
provisions of this Act. 
 
SECTION 15. Appropriations. – The amount necessary to cover the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations 
of the concerned implementing departments/agencies. 
There is hereby authorized to be appropriated the initial amount of One 
hundred million pesos (P 100,000,000.00) as additional funding for the Commission 
to be charged against the unexpended contingency funds of the Office of the 
President. 


Thereafter, the amount necessary for its continued implementation shall be 
included in the budget of the concerned agency in the annual General Appropriations 
Act. 
Adequate funds shall be appropriated annually from any funds in the National 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated but may be necessary for the operation and 
maintenance of the Commission including the effective functioning of RC/SCWs and 
LCPCs. 
 
SECTION 16. Repealing Clause. – All laws, orders, orders, rules and 
regulations inconsistent with or contrary of the provision of this act are deemed 
amended, modified or repealed accordingly. 
 
SECTION 17. Separability Clause. – If any part or provision of this Act is 
declared unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectiveness of 
the other provisions hereof. 
 
SECTION 18. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of the general circulations. 
 
Approved,