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

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Third Regular Session

8968
HOUSE BILL

Introduced by ACT Teachers Party-List
Rep. ANTONIO L. TINIO and Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

On May 16, 2018 during the first conference on Education Support Personnel in Brussels,
Belgium, Education International, a global union federation representing organizations of
teachers and other education employees, launched the first World Education Support
Personnel Day and adopted the Declaration on the Rights and Status of Education Support
Personnel. This landmark document affirms that administration of quality education is
impossible without teaching assistants; registrars and clerks; school doctors, nurses, and
psychologists, guidance counselors; librarians; and the rest of professional, administrative,
technical, and general staff working in education sector.

Education International raised concerns on the increased exploitation of ESP, the absence of
decent work conditions, and the violation of fundamental human and labor rights such as the
right to organize and bargain collectively—which El partly attributed to outsourcing, labor
cost-cutting and austerity measures, and privatization in the education sector.

Education support personnel in the Philippines are ignored and undervalued just like their
international counterparts. Non-teaching personnel in public and private education are paid
inadequate salaries and benefits. The minimum pay for regular employees is far below the
living wage, and the salaries of non-regular employees are even lower.

Also alarming is the lack of sufficient education jobs which forces teachers to act as nurses,
librarians, encoders, and processors for school data, janitors, security guards, and others,
causing them severe overwork and contributes to the decline of quality of education in
general.

Other concerns include lack of security of tenure; abuse of job order, contract of service, part-
time, and limited-term hiring, endo, and other forms of contractualization; overwork and
inhumane working conditions; unsafe and unhealthy work environment; and lack of
professional support and guidance as well as possibilities for career development.


This bill sets aside May 16 as a special working holiday in the honor of education support
personnel, to enable society to celebrate and value their important role. More importantly,
this will highlight government's duty to take concrete steps to promote and protect their
status, rights, and conditions of service, foremost of which is increasing the budget to be spent
directly for our public schools and education support personnel, and the institution of policies
to counter and resolve the above issues in both public and private education.

For these reasons, passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

- ANTONIO L. TINIO Rep. BRANCE, )
ACT Teachers Party-List AGA TeacherParty-List



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

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Third Regular Session
8968
HOUSE BILL

Introduced by ACT Teachers Party-List
Rep. ANTONIO L. TINIO and Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO

AN ACT
RECOGNIZING THE ANNUAL OBSERVANCE OF WORLD EDUCATION SUPPORT PERSONNEL
DAY, DECLARING FOR THE PURPOSE THE SIXTEENTH DAY OF MAY OF EVERY YEAR AS
NATIONAL EDUCATION SUPPORT PERSONNEL DAY IN THE PHILIPPINES

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

Section 1. National Education Support Personnel Day. This Act shall be known as the “National
Education Support Personnel Day Act.”

Section 2. Education Support Personnel refers to a wide range of professional, administrative,
technical, and general staff working within the education sector such as teaching assistants;
school doctors, nurses, and psychologists; registrars and clerks; guidance counselors;
librarians; and bus drivers, among others.

Section 3. In recognition of the observance of the World Education Support Personnel Day,
the Sixteenth day of May of every year is hereby declared as “National Education Support
Personnel Day”.

To ensure a meaningful observance of this special working holiday, all heads of government
agencies and instrumentalities, including government-owned and -controlled corporations
especially those directly involved with education, including local government units, and
employers in the private sector, shall encourage and afford sufficient time and opportunities
for their employees to engage and participate in any activity conducted within the premises
of their offices or establishments in the celebration of “National Education Support Personnel
Day.”


Section 4. Lead Agencies. Pursuant to the observance of National Education Support
Personnel Day, the annual program of activities shall be prepared and implemented with the
Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education as the lead agencies.

Section 5. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen days after its complete publication in
the Official Gazette or in at least two newspapers of general circulation, whichever comes

earlier.

Approved,