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Republic of the Philippines AN

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES [Ss "RECEIVED 4

Constitution Hills, Quezon Ci EL DATE Ln)

Quezon City ME O30 :

TWENTIETH CONGRESS G SAAR S y
First Regular Session &

Luo ae
House Bill No. 3655

Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE ERIC L. OLIVAREZ

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The state has the responsibility to provide free access to education for its
citizens, especially those who have difficulty availing the same. Article XIV of
the 1987 Constitution mandates the State to 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. Indeed, state intervention becomes so crucial and
imperative when it comes to providing services to the group that need government
attention the most. In short, the idea is to equally serve its constituents, no matter
how vastly different they are.

Aside from the poor, children with special needs also need to be attended
to as this group is very vulnerable because of their medical condition,

Special children (or children with special needs) are children with a variety
of different disabilities and their situation requires special intervention, services,
or support. These kids need constant monitoring and treatment and usually entail
very challenging parenting and nurturing. However, these kids, we must all
recognize, are still capable of learning and growing as people just like all the other
normal kids, except only that they acquire information and knowledge rather
differently. They are capable of understanding although it usually entails a special
method or program to get them to absorb learning materials.

As such, this group of people needs the intervention and the help of the
State not just to provide them the education that they want, but also to encourage
them to seize the opportunity to be educated and make them their families realize
that special children can excel in their own fields, in their own ways without
regard to their disabilities.


This bill seeks to compel every city in this country to provide special
education centers that will exclusively serve the needs of our special children and
that will enhance and hone their special abilities, talents and skills, which other
public schools might fall short on giving. With the establishment of special
education centers with special curricula and programs, these children will be
given sufficient focus and attention which can help expedite their learning
process.

Certainly, education is a very important and powerful weapon one can
possess to fight poverty and repression. Therefore, it is only right only right that
our government ensures that all people who are capable of learning and who are
eager to learn, have access to free education regardless of their mental, physical
or psychological condition, and have equal opportunity to grow and develop their
intelligence for a more secure future ahead of them.

Itis only for this reason that the approval of this bill is being sought.

ew ce
ERIC L. OLIVAREZ


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Constitution Hills, Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 3§55

Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE ERIC L. OLIVAREZ

“AN ACT ESTABLISHING AT LEAST ONE SPED CENTER FOR
EVERY COMPONENT CITY AND AT LEAST TWO SPED CENTERS.
FOR EVERY HIGHLY URBANIZED CITY”

SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “SPED Centers
Act of 2025”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. It shall be the policy of the State to
ensure that Filipino children with special needs shall have easy and adequate
access to special education, with programs adjusted or tailor-fit to their individual
learning abilities.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. The following terms as used in this Act
shall be taken to mean, as follows:

Child — a person not more than eighteen (18) of age, or over eighteen
(18) but is incapable of self-support due to any mental and/or
physical defect and/or disability.

Special Child — a child who has been medically determined to
require special attention and specific necessities that other children
do not;

SPED Center — (Special Education Center); an institution that offers
education to children with special needs. SPED centers are required
to be established under this Act by any component city and highly
urbanized city.

Joint SPED Center — a SPED center established and maintained
under this Act by a group of cities, each of which cither having


insufficient income to maintain its own SPED CENTER, and/or
having relatively small population of special children so as to make
it impractical to establish and operate one SPED center exclusively
for its disproportionately few constituents (i.e. special children)
only.

Indigent special child — any special child belonging to a household
with an aggregate annual income of not more that P100,000.00, or
any special child that is orphaned and/or not living with his/her
immediate family.

SECTION 4. Establishment of One SPED Center for each Component
City and Two SPED Centers for every Highly Urbanized City. Every component
city in the Philippines is hereby mandated to establish at least one (1)SPED Center
to cater to its constituents and every highly urbanized city hereby mandated to
establish at least two (2) SPED Centers to cater to a higher population.

SECTION 5. Joint SPED Center. In special circumstances, instead of
establishing separate SPED centers, two or more component cities described in
Section 4, each of which either having insufficient income to maintain its own
SPED center and/or having relatively small population of special children so as
to make it impractical to establish and operate one (1) SPED center for its
disproportionately few constituents only, with the approval in writing of the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), may enter into an
agreement to establish and maintain a joint SPED center for their constituents.
Provided, that the component cities contemplated by this Section shall refer to
neighboring or adjacent cities. Provided further, that the site where the SPED
Center shall be established shall be the most accessible location to all the
constituents of the component cities concerned. Provided finally, that the proposal
to establish a joint SPED center, along with other requirements required under
the Implementing Rules of this Act, shall first be submitted to and approved by
the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

SECTION 6. Administration Committee. The City Mayors shall appoint
an administration committee who shall act as the governing body of the SPED
Centers, The compensation of the members of the Administration Committee
shall be subject to the determination of the Sangguniang Panglungsod of the city
or cities concerned.

SECTION 7. Composition of the Administration Committee. The
administration committee shall be composed of one (1) Chairman and two (2)
members whose qualifications and term of office shall be prescribed by the
DSWD.


Site Requirements

SECTION 8. Ocular inspection and Site Visit. Before selecting or
acquiring a site where the SPED center shall be erected, the City Mayors together
with the representatives of the DSWD shall conduct an ocular inspection of the
site to determine whether it will best serve the programs of the center and the best
interests of the potential special children who might avail of such free services,
and shall conduct a survey of the community and review of population
requirements in accordance with the rules and regulations to be prescribed by the
DSWD.

SECTION 9. Eminent Domain. Any private lands, properties, highways
and/or roads may be acquired by the local government unit concerned for the
purpose of constructing the SPED center and all the necessary building or facilities
thereof provided that due compensation shall be made to the owners of the said
private lands, properties, highways and/or roads.

Staffing

SECTION 10. Core Organization Hierarchy. Each SPED center shall have
one (1) principal and shall have as many teachers as necessary who are trained in
special education.

SECTION 11. Appointment of Staff. The Administration Committee of a
SPED center shall appoint such number of staff members as the DSWD will
prescribe to facilitate the enrollment of children with special needs for the
processing of papers and records of students therein and for the proper and
efficient operation of the said center.

SECTION 12. Resident Physician. The Administration Committee of a
SPED Center shall appoint a legally qualified medical practitioner, preferably with
experience in dealing with children with special needs, as the resident physician
of the SPED Center, and who shall be responsible for the medical, paramedical
and nursing care and services provided to the students therein.

SECTION 13. Other Employees. The Administration Committee shall
hire all other staff members and employees whose duties are deemed necessary
and desirable to the operation and maintenance of the said SPED center.


SECTION 14. Eligibility. All special children as defined under this Act
shall have the right to enroll in the SPED Center established in the city where he
or she resides, without having to pay any kind of fee.

SECTION 15. Admission of Applicants. The SPED Center shall admit all
special children residing in the city where the said center is established without
regard to sex, religion, income of the household where he or she belongs and
degree of disability. However, indigent special children, as defined in this Act,
may be extended privileges and/or priorities in the special assistance programs
for SPED Center students e.g. free books, free school supplies, etc. which the local
government or any third person may provide.

SECTION 16. Non-admission of Applicants. An applicant may only be
denied admission to a SPED Center for compelling medical reasons. Special
children whose health or general well-being might be jeopardized by having to
go to sped center every day, or for any other legitimate reason connected thereto,
shall not be allowed to enroll provided that the SPED Center denies the same only
after acquiring a certification from a public hospital and the DSWD attesting that
the special child is unfit to go to the center.

SECTION 17. No Tuition and other Fees Collection Permitted. \t shall
be unlawful for any city, or any Administration Committee, its officers or
employees, or any other person to demand, charge and accept tuition and other
fees and any other payments from any applicant (i.e. the child, his/her parent,
guardian or any person enrolling him or her) as a prerequisite for the child’s
admission in the SPED Center. However, donations may be accepted provided the
same was not obtained through inducement, stealth, strategy, manipulation or
force.

CURRICULUM and PROGRAM

SECTION 18. Standard Curriculum. The Department of Education
(DepED) shall prescribe a standard curriculum for special children which shall
be based on the methods, strategies, and lessons that would best cater to the
special needs of its students.

SECTION 19. Specialized Programs. The SPED Center may take the initiative to
devise its own specialized program in addition to, but must not be contrary or
inconsistent with, the standard curriculum prescribed by the DepED. Considering that
the DepEd cannot anticipate every individual need of all special children, this
specialized program shall be geared towards addressing the peculiar needs of SPED
students and which the DepED’s standard academic program falls short in addressing.


SCHOOL POLICIES

SECTION 20. Applicable Policies. All policies and regulations being
implemented by the DepEd in all public schools, in so far as not inconsistent with
this Act, shall likewise be applicable to all SPED Centers.

SECTION 21. Information Campaign. The DepEd, the DSWD, and all
the local government units concerned shall conduct an extensive information
campaign for the public to know the existence, programs and respective locations
of the SPED Centers.

SECTION 22. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Dep-Ed and
DSWD in coordination with the Department of Interior and Local Government
shall jointly promulgate the implementing rules and regulations for the effective
and immediate implementation of this Act.

SECTION 23. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is
judicially declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions of this
Act not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect,

SECTION 24. Effectivity Clause. This act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days following its publication in two (2) newspapers of the general circulation.

APPROVED.