FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
1 
9 
JIL-”~ 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
Senate Bill No. 
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I 
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INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The position of provincial or city or municipal social welfare and 
development officer is a very crucial one. He/she not only formulates measures 
for the approval of the local sanggunian, but helshe also provides technical 
assistance and support to either the governor or the mayor in carrying out 
various measures to ensure the delivery of basic services and provisions of 
adequate facilities relative to social welfare and development services as 
provided for in the Local Government Code of 1991. 
As officer-in-charge of the office on social welfare and development 
services, he/she develops and implements, upon approval by the governor or 
mayor, plans and strategies pertaining to social welfare programs and projects. 
Helshe not only identifies the basic needs of the needy, the disadvantaged and 
the impoverished and develops and implements appropriate measures to 
alleviate their problems, but he/she also provides relief and appropriate crisis 
intervention for victims of abuse and exploitation by being in the frontline of 
service delivery, particularly those of which have to do with immediate relief and 
assistance during the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters and 
calamities. 
Thus, there is an urgent need to professionalize the delivery of various 
basic social services by making the qualifications of these social welfare and 
development officers equivalent and comparable with their counterparts in the 
local government units. Setting certain parameters as to who would qualify as 
social welfare and development officers and making mandatory their appointment 
in municipal governments are steps in the right direction. Hence, the early 
passage of this bill is earnest sought. 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
7 
%!\I. -? 
First Regular Session 
) 
Senate Bill No. 646 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
AN ACT 
AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7160, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 
LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF 1991, BOOK 3, TITLE 5, ARTICLE 13, 
SECTION 483, AS AMENDED 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of fhe Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTlON f ,  Section 483, Article 13, Title 5, Book 3 of Republic Act No. 
7160, otherwise known as the The Local Government Code of 1991, as 
amended, is hereby further amended to read a follows: 
"SEC 483. Qualifications, Powers and Duties, 
(a) 
No person shall be appointed social welfare 
and 
development officer unless he/SHE is a citizen of the 
Philippines, a resident of the local government unit 
concerned, of good moral character [,] AND a duly licensed 
social worker [or a holder of college degree preferably in 
sociology or any other related course from a recognized 
college or university, and a first grade civil service eligible or 
its equivalent]. HelSHE must have acquired experience in 
the practice of social work for at least five (5) years in the 
case of the provincial or city social welfare and development 
officer, and three (3) years in the case of the municipal social 
welfare and development officer. 
The appointment of a social welfare and development 
officer is mandatory for the provincial, [and] city I,] and 
[optional for] municipal government." 
SEC 2. Separability Clause. 
If any provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional or the application thereof to any person, circumstance or 
transaction is held invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions of this Act or 
the applicability of such provision to other persons, circumstances or transactions 
shall not be affected thereby. 
SEC 3. Repealing Clause. The provisions of all other laws, decrees, 
orders, rules or regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby 
repealed accordingly. 


SEC 4. 
Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation. 
Approved,