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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
Second Regular Session ) 18 MAR I9 P4:17

s.No. 1752

Introduced by Senator Grace Poe

AN ACT
PROVIDING A UNIFIED SYSTEM OF EXTENDING AND PROCESSING
SCHOLARSHIP GRANTS, STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMS, SUBSIDIES,
BURSARIES AND OTHER FINANCIAL SUPPORT WINDOWS FOR THE
FILIPINO YOUTH, ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
COMMISSION, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Explanatory Note!

In June 2017, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released a report in
relation to “out-of-school children and youth” (OSCY) based on the results of the
2016 “Annual Poverty Indicators Survey” or APIS. Almost 10% of the estimated 39
million Filipinos aged 6 to 24 years old were OSCY. Said study/survey/report found
out that:

* Of the 3.8 million OSCY, 87.3% were 16 to 24
years old, 7.7% were 12 to 15 years old and 5% were6 to 11
years old. The proportion of OSCY was higher among females than
males.

* The most common reasons among OSCY for not attending school
were marriage or family matters (42.3%), high cost of education or
financial concerns (20.2%), and lack of personal interest (19.7%).
Among females, marriage or family matters was the main reason
for not attending school with 59% while it is the lack of personal
interest among males with 36.5%. Nationwide, about 53% of OSCY
belong to families whose income fall at the bottom 30% based on
their per capita income.

* A counterpart bill has already been filed by 1-Ang Edukasyon Partylist Representative Salvador B.
Belaro, Jr. in the House of Representatives.



It bears stressing that half of the 3.8 million OSCY are members of families
whose income fall at the bottom 30% based on their per capita income. Ever since,
formal education had taken the backseat for our countrymen with insufficient and/or
low income. Formal education had not been considered as a priority and/or necessity
for our less fortunate kababayans. Though formal education leads to a lot of
opportunities, generation of income and future means of livelihood, the investment
needed for it is too gargantuan. Thus, the cycle of poverty becomes very difficult to
break.

This proposed legislative measure seeks to establish an inter-agency
government body that shall have the following key duties and/or functions:

a. Generate, safe-keep and update a comprehensive
database of out of school children and youth (OSCY) and other
qualified individuals nationwide, including pertinent data and/or
circumstances of said OSCY;

b. Identify and pin-point the reasons, issues and/or
controversies that are keeping children and youth out of schools and
formal education, as well as the needs of OSCY;

c Reach out to the OSCY and other qualified individuals
and gather information and/or data that could help them get back to
formal education;

d. Proactively and effectively disseminate information
regarding existing regular and/or special scholarships, educational
grants and the like to OSCY and qualified individuals;

e. Proactively and effectively generate and/or solicit
scholarships, educational grants and the like for OSCY and qualified
individuals; and

f. Assist OSCY and qualified individuals who opt to avail of
scholarships, educational grants and the like and facilitate with the
necessary procedures and/or processes.

It is the goal of this proposed legislative measure to bring available existing
and future free education to OSCY and other qualified individuals for the latter to
meaningfully avail of the same in an attempt to slowly significantly bring down the
number of OSCY and take them out of the cycle of poverty.

It is for the foregoing reasons that the immediate passage of this bill is

earnestly sought.
fo—
GRACE POE



Bor
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
Second Regular Session )

SENATE
RECEI 9 1 a
s.No.__1752 fC

Introduced by Senator Grace Poe

AN ACT
PROVIDING A UNIFIED SYSTEM OF EXTENDING AND PROCESSING
SCHOLARSHIP GRANTS, STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMS, SUBSIDIES,
BURSARIES AND OTHER FINANCIAL SUPPORT WINDOWS FOR THE
FILIPINO YOUTH, ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
COMMISSION, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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

Section 1. - Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “National
Scholarship Commission Act of 2018”.

Sec. 2. — Declaration of Policy. - 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.

The State shall also establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants,
student loan programs, subsidies, bursaries, and other incentives which shall be
available to deserving students and individuals in both public and private schools,
especially to the underprivileged.

It is the goal of the State to substantially bring down the number of out of
school youth and encourage them to continue seeking formal education, with the
goal of expanding their horizons with additional opportunities in the future, thereby
fully maximizing their full potential.

Sec. 3. - Duties and Functions of the National Scholarship Commission. - The
following shall be the duties and functions of the National Scholarship Commission
(the “Commission”):

18 MARIS P47



1 a. Generate, safe-keep and update a comprehensive

2 database of out of school children and youth (OSCY) and other
3 qualified individuals nationwide, including pertinent data and/or
4 circumstances of said OSCY;

5 b. Identify and pin-point the reasons, issues and/or
6 controversies that are keeping children and youth out of schools and
7 formal education, as well as the needs of OSCY;

8 c Reach out to the OSCY and other qualified individuals
9 and gather information and/or data that could help them get back to
10 formal education;

1 d. Proactively and effectively disseminate information
12 regarding existing regular and/or special scholarships, educational
13 grants and the like to OSCY and qualified individuals;

14 e. Proactively and effectively generate and/or solicit
15 scholarships, educational grants and the like for OSCY and qualified
16 individuals; and

v7 f. Assist OSCY and qualified individuals who opt to avail of
18 scholarships, educational grants and the like and facilitate with the
19 necessary procedures and/or processes.
20 Sec. 4. - Composition of the National Scholarship Commission. - The
21 Commission shall be composed and governed by the following:

22 a. The Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd),
23 or his/her duly authorized representative, as a co-chairperson of the
24 Commission;
25 b. The Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education
26 (CHED), or his/her duly authorized representative, as a co-chairperson
27 of the Commission;

28 c The Secretary of the Technical Education and Skills
29 Development Authority (TESDA), or his/her duly authorized
30 representative, as a co-chairperson of the Commission;



d. The Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD), or his/her duly authorized representative, as
member of the Commission;

e. The Secretary of the Department of the Interior and
Local Government (DILG), or his/her duly authorized representative, as
a member of the Commission.

f. The Chairperson of the National Youth Commission (NYC)

‘as a member of the Commission; and

g. A representative from the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK),
who shall be elected by all SK Provincial Federation Presidents, as a
member of the commission.

Sec. 5. - Staffing and the National Scholarship Commission’s Secretariat. —
The Commission's staff, secretariat and personnel shall be appointed by the
Commission. The Commission shall convene immediately upon the effectivity of this
Act to organize and come up with its internal rules and procedures necessary for its
daily operations and the carrying out of its duties and functions as spelled out in this
Act.

Sec. 6. - Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Commission shall
likewise promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act
within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act.

Sec. 7. — Appropriation. — The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of
this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following the
enactment of this Act. In the meantime, the initial funding, prior to the inclusion in
the regular budget, shall be provided from the existing budgets of the DepEd, CHED
and TESDA.

Sec. 8. - Repealing Clause. - All laws, orders, issuances rules and regulations
or parts thereof inconsistent with any provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,
modified or amended accordingly.

Sec. 9. — Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is
declared unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected
thereby shall remain in force and effect.



1 Sec. 10. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days
2. following the completion of its publication either in the Official Gazette or in a
3 newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines.

Approved,