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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, 7078

Introduced by KABATAAN Partylist Representative Sarah Jane I. Elago

With technological developments, we already live in a society that is "media saturated,
technologically dependent, and globally connected."" Media is treated not as a parrot of
information, but also as an influencer of public opinion. For this reason, the role and importance
of media is a double-edged sword and calls for a more critically-minded public.

Being less reliant on print media with the accessible online news, the public are exposed to
various information, may it be truthful or not. Without thorough assessment and fact-checking, it
is no longer unacceptable to say that the public is exposed to a wide variety of news, the
truthfulness of which ranging from most reliable to most questionable. How the Duterte
administration spent about PhP 10-million, according to a study of the University of Oxford,
only proves how media can now be used for propaganda and spreading false information,

The dangers of historical revisionism, not only in memes or informal posts but also in history
books used in schools, have also become more apparent. To erase the struggle of the Filipino
people by allowing the students and the youth to absorb incomplete, or worse, false, information,
is a disgrace to the martyrs of the struggie for genuine democracy.

While media literacy is @ core subject in the Kindergarten to 12 (K-12) program of the
government, it is not mandatorily provided in all schools. Moreover, the curriculum itself treats
an individual as a passive receiver of information given by the media, obviously ignoring the role
of an individual as a contributor to the media, especially online. Other than media-related courses
in the tertiary level of education, many students do not receive any education on media literacy.

Itis, therefore, the strong recommendation of this representation to have a mandatory course not,
only on media literacy, but on critical media literacy, defined by Kellner and Share (2007) as:

“The type of critical media literacy that we propose includes aspects of the three pre-
vious models, but focuses on ideology critique and analyzing the politics of
representation of crucial dimensions of gender, race, class, and sexuality; incorporating
alternative media production; and expanding textual analysis to include issues of social
context, control, resistance, and pleasure.

“A critical media literacy approach also expands literacy to include information
literacy, technical literacy, multimodal literacy, and other attempts to broaden print
literacy concepts to include different tools and modes of communicating (Kellner,1998).
In addition to these elements, critical media literacy brings an understanding of
ideology, power, and domination that challenges relativist and apolitical notions of most
media education in order to guide teachers and students in their explorations of how
power and information are always linked. This approach embraces the notion of the
audience as active in the process of making meaning, as a cultural struggle between

" Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2007). Critical media literacy, democracy, and the reconstruction of
education. In D. Macedo & S.R. Steinberg (Eds.), Media literacy: A reader (pp. 3-23). New York
Peter Lang Publishing.


dominant readings, oppositional readings or negotiated readings (Ang, 2002; Hall,
1980)."

The creation of a critical media literacy curriculum, in accordance with the growth and
understanding not only of high school students but even primary/elementary students will help in
cultivating a more informed and well-educated public not only to combat the surge of false
information in the wake of technological advancements but also in developing critical thinking
skills at a very young age.

This representation earnestly seeks the passage of this bill at the most immediate possible time.
Let this be a model for the international community, a step closer to a more informed, dynamic,
and critical public crucial for democracy.

Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago
Kabataan Partylist

2 Douglas, K. & Shae, J (2007). Critical media literacy is not an option. Springer Science + Business Media, LLC
2007.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 7078

Introduced by KABATAAN Partylist Representative Sarah Jane I. Elago

AN ACT PROMOTING CRITICAL MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY IN THE,
PHILIPPINES AND PRESCRIBING ITS ENHANCED INCLUSION IN THE
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AND CURRICULUM IN THE PHILIPPINES, FOR SUCH
OTHER PURPOSES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

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 "Critical Media Literacy Act of
2020",

TITLE
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the State to integrate
the development of critical media literacy among Filipinos at an early age (1) to develop an
understanding of media, whether mainstream or alternative, and its importance in sharing
opinion, and (2) to create an environment conducive for critical thinking by raising awareness on
how to combat false and misleading information being circulated in different forms of media.

TITLE I
DEFINITION OF TERMS

SECTION 2. Definition of Terms.

a) Alternative Media refers to media contents (print, broadcast, film, radio, etc.) contents
that fall outside the mainstream or dominant contents. Alternative media contents are
progressive, critical, and pro-people. They are usually produced and distributed
independently.

b) Basic Education encompasses kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education, as well
as alternative learning systems for out-of-school learners and those with special needs.”

©) Critical Media Literacy is an educational response that expands the notion of literacy to
include different forms of mass communication, popular culture, and new technologies. It
deepens the potential of literacy education to critically analyze relationships between
media and audiences, information, and power. Along with this mainstream analysis,
alternative media production empowers students to create their own messages that can
challenge media texts and narratives.*

4) Literacy involves gaining the skills and knowledge to read, interpret, produce texts and
artifacts, and to gain the intellectual tools and capacities to fully participate in one's
culture and society.

° section 3, Republic Act No. 10533,
Douglas Kellner and Jeff share:


©) Media Literacy provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate and create messages in
a variety of media forms (print, broadcast, film, radio, etc.) from print to video to the
Internet.

Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential
skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.

Media literacy, therefore, is about helping students become competent, critical, and
literate in all media forms so that they control the interpretation of what they see or hear
rather than letting the interpretation control them. To become media literate is not to
memorize facts or statistics about the media, but rather to learn to raise the right questions
about what you are watching, reading, or listening to.

TITLE IV
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR MEDIA LITERACY

SECTION 4. National Commission for Media Literacy. -- A National Commission for Media
Literacy (NCML) shall be established immediately after the effectivity of this law, composed of
the following:

a) Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT);

b) Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd);

©) Commission of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED);

d) A maximum of five (5) representatives from different organizations that advocate for
critical media literacy;

¢) A maximum of three (3) representatives from different mainstream broadcasting
networks; and

f) A maximum of three (3) representatives from different alternative media networks

SECTION 5. Functions and Responsibilities of the NCMLP. - The NCML shall have the
following functions and responsibilities:

1. To provide for trainings and programs that shall help develop and enhance the skills and
knowledge of instructors, teachers, and professors who teach critical media literacy and
information among the students;

2. To conduct a thorough review of existing curricula about critical media literacy and
information courses and to draft a standardized curriculum for all schools and universities,
following the principles and guidelines set therefor;

3. To hold consultations with the public in order to further enhance its programs, curriculum,
and projects for a better understanding of critical media literacy and information for all
Filipinos;

TITLE UL
SCOPE OF MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION

SECTION 4. Responsible Agencies. ~ The following government departments, agencies,
instrumentalities, and non-government organizations shall be responsible for promoting critical
media information and literacy among all Filipinos:

a) Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)
b) Department of Education
©) Commission on Higher Education


SECTION 3. Scope. ~ All Filipinos starting from grade level one shalll receive critical media
literacy education, the curriculum being adjusted based on child development and his/her
capacity to understand.

TITLE IV
PRIORITY PROGRAMS AND POLICIES

SECTION 5. Curriculum Development and Review. — All existing curricula that already
include critical media literacy shall be reviewed and amended.

All schools, universities, and colleges that do not have a curriculum on critical media literacy
and information shall develop one.

In both cases of curriculum development and review, the following principles shall be adhered
to:

1. Media is a COMPETENT TOOL. Media is a competent tool, not only in gathering
information, but also as a tool for critical analysis of various social issues. (shapes
opinion)

2. Media is EVOLVING (technology)

3. Media takes DIFFERENT FORMS. (alternative and mainstream)

4. Media can be CONTROLLED (hegemony)

SECTION 7. Curriculum Committee . - The Department of Education (DepEd) and the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED), in partnership with (1) non-government organizatons
that advocate for critical media literacy and information, (2) mainstream and alternative media
outlets, and (3) nationwide alliances of student councils and publications, shall ensure that all
schools in the Philippines shall have an effective curriculum on critical media literacy and
information.

SECTION 8. Curriculum Implementation. — ‘The Curriculum Committee should be able to
develop, revise, or improve the curriculum on critical media literacy and information within six
(6) months after the effectivity of the law.

SECTION 6. Capacity-building and Training. ~ The Department of Information and
Communications Technology (DICT), in partnership with DepEd and CHED, and (1) non-
‘government organizations that advocate for critical media literacy and information, (2)
mainstream and alternative media outlets, (3) nationwide alliances of student councils and
publications, and (4) nationwide alliances of teachers or professors and their unions, shall create
appropriate programs for teachers, professors, or instructors who teach critical media literacy and
information at all levels.

TITLE V
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

SECTION 4. Rules and Regulations. — The Department of Budget and Management shall
promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the implementation of the provisions of this
Act.

SECTION 5. Appropriations. — The amounts necessary to carry out the initial implementation
of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriation of the agencies. Thereafter,
the amounts necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the
annual General Appropriations Act

SECTION 6. Separability Clause. — If for any reason any section or provision of this Act is


declared unconstitutional, other provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue
to be in full force and effect.

SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. — Any laws, decrees, or laws, decrees, or rules and
regulations which are inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are hereby
amended or repealed.

SECTION 8. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the publication in
the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,

Rep. SARAH JANE I. ELAGO
Kabataan Party-list