FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
Second Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 14, Section 1 provides that: 
SEC. 1. 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. 
As our nation progresses further into globalization, we have continuously been 
challenged to improve our skills. Our students, instead of rising to the challenge, seem to be left 
behind, as evidenced by the poor national achievement test scores. As we take on the great 
information superhighway, or the Internet, we need to develop not only our skill to read, but also 
our skill to write in order to better communicate with the rest of the world. 
Good writing skills are essential to employment, both locally and internationally. 
Furthermore, it is also important in the performance of civic duty and participation in the 
national development. 
The Department of Education, for all their effort, at times has struggled to increase the 
quality of education due to lack of personnel and expertise. However, the Philippines have been 
blessed with numerous non-profit organizations that aims to develop the writing skills of our 
youth. 
This bill seeks to encourage the cooperation between the government and the private 
sector in developing a program that will develop the writing skills of our youth. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUsLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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8 ~ C T  
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Second Regular Session 
1 
S. No. ”Y8%3 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO CREATE A NATIONAL WRITING PROGRAM 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall he known as the “National Writing Program 
Act.” 
SECTION 2. Purposes. - The purposes of this Act are - 
A. to support and promote the expansion of a network of sites so that teachers in 
every region of the country will have access to a national writing program; 
B. to ensure the consistent high quality of the sites through ongoing review, 
evaluation, and technical assistance; 
C. to support and promote the establishment of programs to disseminate effective 
practices and research findings about the teaching of writing; and 
D. to coordinate activities assisted under this subpart with activities assisted under 
this Act. 
SECTION 3. Authorization - The Secretary of Education, hereafter referred to as 
“Secretary,” is authorized to award a grant to a nonprofit educational organization that has as its 
primary purpose the improvement of the quality of student writing and learning, hereafler 
referred to as the “Grantee,” to improve the teaching of writing and the use of writing as a part of 
the learning process in our country’s classrooms. 
SECTION 4. Grant Requirements. -The grant shall provide that-- 
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A. the Grantee will enter into contracts with institutions of higher education or other 
nonprofit educational providers, hereafter in this section referred to as “Contractors,” 
under which the contractors will agree to establish, operate, and provide the non- 
government share of the cost of teacher training programs in effective approaches and 
processes for the teaching of writing; 
B. funds made available by the Secretary to the Grantee pursuant to any contract entered 
into under this section will be used to pay the government share of the cost o€ 
establishing and operating teacher training programs as provided in this Act; and 
C. the Grantee will meet such other conditions and standards as the Secretary determines 
to be necessary to assure compliance with the provisions of this Act and will provide 
such technical assistance as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
SECTION 5. Teacher Training Program. - The teacher training programs described in 
the previous section shall - 
A. be conducted during the school year and during the summer months; 
B. train teachers who teach grades kindergarten through college; 
C. select teachers to become members of a writing project teacher network whose 
members will conduct writing workshops for other teachers in the area served by each 
writing project site; and 
D. encourage teachers from all disciplines to participate in such teacher training 
programs. 
SECTION 6. Government Share. - Except as provided in paragraph A or B, the term 
“government share” means 50 percent of such costs to the contractor. 
A. WAIVER- The Secretary may waive the provisions of this section on a case-by-case 
basis if the National Advisory Board described in Section 7 determines, on the basis 
of financial need, that such waiver is necessary. 
B. MAXIMUM- The National Advisory Board shall determine the maximum amount of 
the government share of the costs of teacher training programs conducted pursuant to 
this Act. 
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SECTION 7. National Advisory Board. - The National Writing Project shall establish 
and operate a National Advisory Board. 
A. COMPOSITION- The National Advisory Board shall consist of- 
1. national educational leaders; 
2. leaders in the field of writing; and 
3. such other individuals as the Grantee deems necessary 
B. DUTIES- The National Advisory Board established pursuant to this section shall- 
1. advise the Grantee on national issues related to student writing and the 
teaching of writing; 
2. review the activities and programs of the Grantee; and 
3. support the continued development of the Grantee. 
SECTION 8. Evaluation. - The Secretary shall conduct an independent evaluation by 
grant or contract of the teacher training programs administered pursuant to this subpart. Such 
evaluation shall specify the amount of funds expended by the Grantee and each contractor 
receiving assistance under this section for administrative costs. The results of such evaluation 
shall be made available to the appropriate committees of Congress. 
SECTION 9. Application Review. - 
A. REVIEW BOARD - The Grantee shall establish and operate a National Review 
Board that shall consist of- 
1. leaders in the field of research in writing; and 
2. such other individuals as the Grantee determines necessary. 
B. The National Review Board shall- 
1, review all applications for assistance under this subsection; and 
2. recommend applications for assistance under this subsection for funding by 
the Grantee. 
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SECTION 10. Appropviations. - To carry out the provisions of this Act, such amount as 
hereby necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury. 
SECTION 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or is inconsistent 
with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 13. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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