EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
S E N A T E
S. No. 586
^ c u a r :
i'y 'iS ttu f  of tljf 
• '
'19 
JUL 17 
P5 5 4
Introduced by Senator Grace Poe
RECtWcDBS;
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 2018, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released a report in 
relation to "out-of-school children and youth" (OSCY) based on the results of the 
2017 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey or APIS1. About 9% of the estimated 39.2 
million Filipinos aged 6 to 24 years old were OSCY. Said study/survey/report found 
out that:
• 
Of the 3.6 million OSCY, 83.1% were 16 to 24 years old, 11.2% were 12 to 
15 years old and 5.7% were 6 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 (37.0%), high cost of education or financial 
concerns (17.9%), and lack of personal interest (24.7%). Among females, 
marriage or family matters was the main reason for not attending school with 
57% while it is the lack of personal interest among males with 43.8%.
1 Philippine Statistics Authority. Nine Percent o f Filipinos Aged 6 to 24 years are Out o f School (Results from the 
2017Annual Poverty Indicators Surve/}. Retrieved from https://psa.gov.ph/income-
expenditure/apis/title/Nine%20Percent%20of%20Filipinos%20Aged%206%20to%2024%20years%20are%200u
t%20of%20School%20%28Results%20from%20the%202017%20Annual%20Poverty%20Indicators%20Survey
%29


Nationwide, about 50% of OSCY belong to families whose income fall at the 
bottom 30% based on their per capita income.2
It bears stressing that half of the 3.6 million OSCY are members of families 
whose income fall at the bottom 30% based on their per capita income. Ever since, 
formal education has taken the backseat for our countrymen with insufficient and/or 
low income. Formal education has not been considered as a priority and/or necessity 
for our less fortunate kababayans. Though formal education leads to a lot of 
opportunities, income generation 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;
2 A counterpart bill has already been filed by 1-Ang Edukasyon Partylist Representative Salvador B. Belaro, Jr. in 
the House of Representatives.


e. Proactively and effectively generate and/or solicit scholarships, educational 
grants and the like for OSCf 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.
f f  
G R -i C E f o /
^


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
S E N A.T 
S. No.
of tljf di-cr-. tnrp
J 2 .
17 
P5 :54
Introduced by Senator Grace Poe
RECEiJcOttV;
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 o f Representatives o f the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as the "National Scholarship
2 
Commission Act of 2019".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  The State shall protect and promote the right
4 
of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to
5 
make such education accessible to all.
6 
The State shall also establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants,
7 
student loan programs, subsidies, bursaries, and other incentives which shall be
8 
available to deserving students and individuals in both public and private schools,
9 
especially to the underprivileged.
10 
It is the goal of the State to substantially bring down the number of out of
11 
school youth and encourage them to continue seeking formal education, with the
12 
goal of expanding their horizons with additional opportunities in the future, thereby
13 
fully maximizing their full potential.
14 
Sec. 3. Duties and Functions o f the National Scholarship Commission. -  The
15 
following shall be the duties and functions of the National Scholarship Commission
16 
(the "Commission");


1 
a. Generate, safe-keep and update a comprehensive database of out of school
2 
children and youth (OSCY) and other qualified individuals nationwide,
3 
including pertinent data and/or circumstances of said OSCY;
4 
b. Identify and pinpoint the reasons, issues and/or controversies that are
5 
keeping children and youth out of schools and formal education, as well as
6 
the needs of OSCY;
7 
c. Reach out to the OSCY and other qualified individuals and gather information
8 
and/or data that could help them get back to formal education;
9 
d. Proactively and effectively disseminate information regarding existing regular
10 
and/or special scholarships, educational grants and the like to OSCY and
11 
qualified individuals;
12 
e. Proactively and effectively generate and/or solicit scholarships, educational
13 
grants and the like for OSCY and qualified individuals; and,
14 
f. Assist OSCY and qualified individuals who opt to avail of scholarships,
15 
educational grants and the like 
and facilitate with the necessary procedures
16 
and/or processes.
17 
Sec. 4. 
Composition o f the Nationai Schoiarship Commission. -  The
18 
Commission shall be composed and governed by the following:
19 
a. The Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), or his/her duly
20 
authorized representative, as a co-chairperson of the Commission;
21 
b. The Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), or his/her
22 
duly authorized representative, as a co-chairperson of the Commission;
23 
c. The Secretary of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
24 
(TESDA), or his/her duly authorized representative, as a co-chairperson of the
25 
Commission;
26 
d. The Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),
27 
or his/her duly authorized representative, as member of the Commission;
28 
e. The Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government
29 
(DILG), or his/her duly authorized representative, 
as a member of the
30 
Commission;
31 
f. The Chairperson of the National Youth Commission (NYC) as a member of the
32 
Commission; and.


1 
g. A representative from the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), who shall be elected
2 
by all SK Provincial Federation Presidents, as a member of the commission.
3 
Sec. 5. Staffing and the National Scholarship Commission's Secretariat -  The
4 
Commission's staff, secretariat and personnel shall be appointed by the Commission.
5 
The Commission shall convene immediately upon the effectivity of this Act to
6 
organize and come up with internal rules and procedures necessary for its daily
7 
operations and the carrying out of its duties and functions as spelled out in this Act.
8 
Sec. 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. -  The Commission shall likewise
9 
promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act within
10 
ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act.
11 
Sec. 7. Appropriation. -  The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of
12 
this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following the
13 
enactment of this Act. In the meantime, the initial funding, prior to the inclusion in
14 
the regular budget, shall be provided from the existing budgets of the DepEd, CHED
15 
and TESDA.
16 
Sec. 8. Repealing Clause. -  All laws, orders, issuances rules and regulations or
17 
parts thereof inconsistent with any provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,
18 
modified or amended accordingly.
19 
Sec. 9. Separability Clause. -  If any portion or provision of this Act is declared
20 
unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall
21 
remain in force and effect.
22 
Sec. 10. Effectivity. -  This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days
23 
following the completion of its publication either in the Official Gazette or in a
24 
newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines.
Approved,