Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO., 4835

Introduced by HON. LORNA P. BAUTISTA-BANDIGAN

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article 14 of the Philippine Constitution states that “The 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. Provide adult citizens,
the disabled, and out-of-school youth with training in civics, vocational efficiency
and other skills.” Thus, the highest law of the land expressly affirms that education
is a primordial and fundamental mandate to the State that cannot be evaded without
just reason.

It is for this reason that the constituencies of the Province of Davao
Occidental seek the assistance of the Legislature in the conversion of Molmol
Elementary School into an Integrated School to serve the student population of
Barangay Molmol and its peripheral barangays in the Municipality of Jose Abad
Santos of Davao Occidental. Though there are schools near Barangay Molmol like
Kalbay High School, Edna Guillermo High School, and E. Alegado Integrated High
School, the latter being a part of Sarangani Province, it takes more than three and a
half hours to reach them by foot during dry season and takes a little longer during
the rainy season. A number of graduates of Molmol Elementary School do not
proceed to above cited secondary schools due to expenses incurred in pursuing
higher education in said institutions. This led several young people to get married
at an early age, while there are others, mostly children who for lack of opportunity
to pursue higher learning opted to work in the coconut fields.

The municipality of Jose Abad Santos is a coastal town where the inhabitants
are mostly subsistence farmers and small fisher folks. Livelihood is minimal and
while some parents would like to see their children achieve secondary educations
the odds stacked against are difficult to hurdle.

Currently, learner population numbers 545, and is increasing annually from
345 since SY 2008-2019 with teachers numbering 18. Started in Molmol since 1961,
the elementary school have up to Grade 6 only, and the parents are requesting that


grade levels be upgraded to include Grade 7 as initial program for Junior High school
up to Grade 10.

With the steadily increasing student population, total number of projected
enrollment in Barangay Molmol is as follows SY 2019-2020, 824; SY 2020-2021,
935; SY 2021-2022, 1109; SY 2022-2023, 1144; and SY 2023-2024, 1165.
Projection shows that from SY 2019-2020 there is an approximately 141% increase
in enrollment five years thereafter.

While Davao Occidental would like to be a vigorous partner in providing
education to their young population, social and physical infrastructures a very much
wanting, hence the passage of this Bill is earnestly sought.

/
LORNA P, BAUTISTA-BANDIGAN
Representative
Lone District - Davao Occidental


cD
Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 4835

Introduced by: HON. LORNA P. BAUTISTA-BANDIGAN

AN ACT CONVERTING THE MOLMOL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BARANGAY
MOLMOL, MUNICIPALITY OF JOSE ABAD SANTOS, PROVINCE OF DAVAO
OCCIDENTAL INTO AN INTEGRATED SCHOOL TO BE KNOWN AS MARIANO
ANOY SANGAY INTEGRATED SCHOOL AND APPOPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SEC. 1. The Molmol Elementary School in Barangay Molmol, Municipality of
Jose Abad Santos, Province of Davao Occidental is hereby converted into an integrated
school to be known as Mariano Anoy Sangay Integrated School.

SEC. 2. All personnel, assets, liabilities, and records of the Molmol
Elementary School are hereby transferred to and absorbed by the Mariano Anoy
Sangay Integrated School.

SEC. 3 The Secretary of Education shall immediately include in the
Department's program the operationalization of the Mariano Anoy Sangay Integrated
School, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act

SEC. 4. Within one hundred twenty (120) days from the approval of this Act, the
Secretary of Education shall formulate the rules and regulations implementing the
provisions of this Act.

SEC. 5 This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,