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TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
 ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES  
 ) 
First Regular Session     
 ) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.B. NO. 3417
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE EMMARIE “LOLYPOP” OUANO-
DIZON 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE PRIVATE BASIC EDUCATION VOUCHER 
PROGRAM, PROVIDING FOR THE CREATION OF THE BUREAU 
OF PRIVATE EDUCATION, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 2, 3, 4(2), 4(3), 
5, 6, 7, 12, 14, AND 15 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8545, OTHERWISE 
KNOWN AS THE "EXPANDED GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO 
STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN PRIVATE EDUCATION ACT", WHICH 
AMENDED REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6728, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 
"GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN 
PRIVATE EDUCATION ACT" 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The 1987 Constitution provides that “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”. 
While the public school system remains the primary channel for delivering 
free basic education, persistent challenges such as classroom shortages, congestion 
in urban schools, and uneven teacher-student ratios continue to affect learning 
outcomes. These issues have been compounded by rapid population growth and the 
increasing demand for quality accessible education. 
To address these challenges, it is necessary to harness the capacities of both 
public and private education sectors in delivering basic education services. Republic 
August 11, 2025
8:00 am


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Act No. 6728, as amended by Republic Act No. 8545, otherwise known as the 
“Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education 
Act (E-GASTPE)” was enacted to provide financial support to students and teachers 
in private educational institutions. Private schools help fill gaps especially in areas 
where public schools are congested or unavailable. However, private schools have 
seen declining enrolment largely due to financial hardship among families and 
limited government support.   
The proposed Private Basic Education Voucher Program (PBEVP) seeks to 
institutionalize a national voucher system that will provide financial support to 
Filipino learners, especially the underprivileged, to enroll in qualified private basic 
education institutions for kindergarten, elementary, and high school when public 
schools are overcrowded or inaccessible. It shall establish clear eligibility criteria, 
accreditation standards for participating schools, and transparent mechanisms for 
voucher allocation. The Bureau of Private Education under the DepEd will also be 
established to oversee and regulate all matters related to private basic education, 
ensuring accountability and effective management of assistance programs.  
This measure likewise assists qualified teachers in private education 
institutions through the provision of in-service training fund, scholarships, and 
government-funded training and provides salary subsidies to teachers of private 
basic education. It mandates the DepEd to create a system that allows students and 
parents to select their preferred schools from a registry of participating schools. 
Through the PBEVP, the government can maximize existing educational 
infrastructure across sectors, alleviate pressure on the public school system, and 
provide Filipino learners with more choices for quality education. 
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
EMMARIE “LOLYPOP” OUANO-DIZON 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _____ 
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE EMMARIE “LOLYPOP” OUANO-
DIZON 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE PRIVATE BASIC EDUCATION VOUCHER 
PROGRAM, PROVIDING FOR THE CREATION OF THE BUREAU 
OF PRIVATE EDUCATION, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 2, 3, 4(2), 4(3), 
5, 6, 7, 12, 14, AND 15 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8545, OTHERWISE 
KNOWN AS THE "EXPANDED GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO 
STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN PRIVATE EDUCATION ACT", WHICH 
AMENDED REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6728, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 
"GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN 
PRIVATE EDUCATION ACT" 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Private Basic 
Education Vouchers Assistance Act". 
3417


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SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of 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. As part of its mandate, it 
is the State's policy to establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, 
subsidies, and other incentives which shall be available to deserving students, as 
determined by the guidelines, in both public and private schools, especially to the 
underprivileged. Likewise, the State recognizes the complementary roles of public 
and private educational institutions in the educational system and the invaluable 
contribution that the private schools have made and will make to education. 
 
The State shall provide the mechanisms to augment the resources and enhance 
the quality of private basic education, specifically promoting the complementary 
roles of public and private schools and thus recognize the government's priority of 
providing basic elementary and secondary education to all Filipino students. 
 
SEC. 3. Coverage. This Act shall cover all private basic education institutions 
that receive government assistance in the form of vouchers for qualified students, 
teachers and schools. This covers all the years of basic education. 
 
The programs of assistance for students under this Act shall be extended 
only to citizens of the Philippines. 
 
SEC. 4. Criteria for Voucher Assistance. - The programs for voucher 
assistance shall be based on a set of criteria which include among others, the 
following: 
 
(a) Criteria for Students. - The voucher assistance will be provided to students 
from middle-income families, as determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority 
(PSA), who attended public schools identified by the Department of Education as 
congested or those living in areas with congested public schools or without a nearby 
public school who wish to enroll in private basic education schools. 
 
Students who are most vulnerable and underprivileged shall receive a higher 
voucher amount as determined by the Basic Education Assistance Council (BEAC). 
 
(b) Criteria for Schools. - The participating private basic education schools 
shall receive assistance based on Quality Assurance under Section 6 of this Act, and 
the geographic spread and size of student enrollment, as likewise determined by the 
BEAC, except schools with gaps in resources and facilities which are located in 
geographically isolated and disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas, or GIDCA 


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schools. Private schools shall undergo the process of recognition and periodic 
assessment to be able to participate in the programs for voucher assistance. 
 
SEC. 5. Empowering Student Choice. - The Department of Education 
(DepEd) shall create a system that allows students and parents to select their 
preferred schools from a registry of participating recognized schools, subject to 
availability of slots. 
 
The registry of participating recognized private basic educational institutions 
shall include their schools' information, such as location, number of available slots, 
number of students per classroom and level, extra-curricular programs, current 
tuition fees, and top-up required in cases where the voucher amount is less than the 
tuition fee, among others. 
 
SEC. 6. Quality Assurance. - The DepEd shall establish, operate and 
maintain a system and mechanism for monitoring program outcomes to ensure 
accountability of participating recognized private basic educational institutions. This 
covers the following areas: 
 
(a) Improved Student Performance - Appropriate performance indicators to 
determine the extent and outcome of the government assistance and subsidies (GAS) 
programs including youth literacy rates, national and international assessment 
scores, among others. For this purpose, the National Achievement Tests and all 
national assessment examinations generally given by the DepEd shall be 
administered to all eligible students in all participating private basic education 
institutions; 
(b) Improved Student Outcomes - Tracer system to collect and evaluate the 
career and employment path of its graduates; 
(c) School Performance - School performance data indicating the mean, 
median and mode of the scores of the students in the national examinations, and such 
other measures of quality education delivery; and 
(d) Priority Subsidy for Underprivileged Students - Distribution of the GAS 
programs while ensuring that funding is equitably allocated following the order of 
priority groups. 
 
SEC. 7. Other Forms of Assistance. - The following shall consist of 
assistance to private basic education institutions and teachers participating in the 
voucher program under this Act: 
 


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The forms of assistance granted to teachers in the participating recognized 
private basic education schools include: 
 
(a) In-service training fund for teachers in private basic education schools;  
(b) Scholarships for qualified private basic education teachers enrolled in 
quality graduate programs; and 
(c) Participation in government-funded in-service training for basic education 
teachers. 
 
The DepEd may establish a program of assistance for the development of 
qualified recognized private basic education schools to cover the following areas of 
school operation: 
 
(a) Institutional Development; 
(b) Organizational Development; 
(c) Human Resource Development; 
(d) Curriculum and Instructional Development; 
(e) Research and Planning; and 
(f) Facilities and School Improvement. 
 
Consistent with Section 10 of Republic Act No. 10533, or the "Enhanced 
Basic Education Act of 2013", the DepEd, in consultation with the Department of 
Budget and Management (DBM), may develop other forms of financial 
arrangements and engage the services of private basic education schools based on 
the complementary roles of public and private institutions in the educational system. 
 
SEC. 8. Basic Education Voucher Program. - Under the basic education 
voucher program, kindergarten, elementary, and secondary students enrolled in 
recognized private basic education schools charging school fees shall be provided 
by the government with vouchers in such amount as may be determined by the 
DepEd: Provided, That the amount shall not be less than the amount currently 
provided by the DepEd: Provided, That the government shall disburse payment of 
the vouchers to the schools concerned within sixty (60) days from the submission of 
complete documents to the DepEd. 
 
The budget for the basic education voucher program shall be equitably 
allocated and distributed among all regions including the Bangsamoro Autonomous 
Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) based on official data sources including, 
but not limited to, congestion data and open seats, giving priority to underprivileged 
students. 


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Pursuant to Section 2(V), Article V of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the 
Bangsamoro Government shall exercise its authority over education for the areas 
under the BARMM and will directly implement the same program to be charged 
against their block grant. The DepEd shall provide technical assistance in the 
implementation of the GAS programs, when necessary. 
 
Schools participating in the basic education voucher program may increase 
tuition on the condition that seventy percent (70%) of the amount of the tuition 
increases shall go to the payment of salaries, wages, allowances, and other statutory 
benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel, except administrators who are 
principal stockholders of the school, and may be used to cover salary increase as 
provided for in the collective bargaining agreements existing or in force at the time 
when this Act is approved and made effective. At least twenty percent (20%) of the 
tuition increases shall go to the improvement or modernization of buildings, 
equipment, libraries, laboratories, gymnasia and similar facilities and to the payment 
of other costs of operation. For this purpose, schools shall maintain a separate record 
of accounts for all assistance received from the government, any tuition increase, 
and the detailed disposition and use thereof, which record shall be made available 
for periodic inspection as may be determined by the DepEd. 
 
SEC. 9. In-Service Training Fund or Inset Fund. - For the purpose of 
improving the quality of teaching in private basic education, there is hereby 
established in the DepEd an Inset Fund to provide for training programs for the 
upgrading of knowledge and teaching competencies in critical subject areas and for 
the modernization of teaching techniques and strategies, including training of the use 
of computers and of other multi-media educational technologies to assist instruction: 
Provided, That the amount of Inset Fund available to private basic education shall 
not exceed that available to public basic education as per capita basis: Provided, 
further, That the training programs shall be approved by the DepEd. 
 
SEC. 10. Teachers' Salary Subsidy Fund. - A Teachers' Salary Subsidy 
Fund is hereby established in the DepEd to grant government subsidy to teachers in 
recognized private basic education schools participating in the programs of 
assistance under in this Act: Provided, That the government shall provide the 
teachers with salary subsidy, to be determined by the DepEd: Provided, further, That 
the government shall disburse payment within sixty (60) days after the close of the 
school year upon submission of complete documents, including but not limited to 
qualification and actual teaching service, to the DepEd: Provided, furthermore, That 
the present allocation out of increases from tuition and other income shall be 
maintained: Provided, finally, That the teacher's salary subsidy received by the 


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teacher shall form part of the exclusions from taxable gross income in accordance 
with Section 32(B)(7)(e) of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as 
amended. 
 
SEC. 11. Creation of the Bureau of Private Education. - The Bureau of 
Private Education (BPE) under the DepEd shall be created to serve as the focal office 
for the administration, supervision, and regulation of all matters relating to private 
basic education institutions, including government assistance and subsidies. It shall 
be headed by a Bureau Director. 
 
It shall have the following powers and functions: 
 
(a) Monitor and assess the implementation of the private basic education 
institutions of the policies, plans, and programs established by the DepEd as 
recommended by BPE; 
(b) Set and enforce minimum standards for programs and institutions learning, 
subject to public hearing; of 
(c) Ensure that the activities, efforts, and performance of private basic 
education institutions shall meet the high standards of excellence and accountability; 
(d) Administer and implement the policies and programs related to the 
assistance and subsidies given by the government to students, teachers, and schools 
in private education; 
(e) Establish and support partnerships with individual private education 
institutions to respond effectively to the pressing needs of students and teachers, and 
to provide learning solutions to underserved communities; 
(f) Monitor and ensure compliance of private basic education institutions to 
the promulgated rules and regulations of the DepEd in all matters concerning private 
schools, including tuition fee increases; and 
(g) Such other powers and functions as may be necessary for the effective and 
efficient implementation of this Act. 
 
SEC. 12. Program Administration and Implementation. - The BEAC shall 
be responsible for policy guidance and direction, monitoring and evaluation of new 
and existing programs while the Government Assistance and Subsidies Service 
(GASS) under the BPE shall be responsible for the day-today administration and 
implementation on the programs of assistance to private basic education. 
 
The BEAC shall be composed of the Secretary of the DepEd, as Chairperson, 
and the Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) 
and the Secretary of the DBM, as members. 


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The alternate representative of the Chairperson shall possess the rank of an 
Undersecretary while the alternate representatives of the members shall possess the 
rank of not less than an Assistant Secretary in order to secure a quorum. 
 
The BEAC shall meet, from time to time, as the need arises, to assess the 
effectivity of the programs under this Act and to propose to Congress other forms of 
assistance to participating students and schools. 
 
The GASS shall serve as the permanent secretariat for the implementation of 
the GAS programs under this Act. 
 
The DepEd may engage the services of a third party co-implementor of the 
GAS programs under this Act. 
 
SEC. 13. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriation 
of the DepEd. Thereafter, such amount shall be included in the annual General 
Appropriations Act. 
 
SEC. 14. Penalties. - In case of violation of this Act by a private school, the 
DepEd may bar, after due process, such school from participating in or benefiting 
from the programs of this Act, and from other programs of the DepEd, without 
prejudice to administrative and criminal charges that may be filed against the school 
or its responsible officers under existing laws. 
 
SEC. 15. Transitory Provision. - Subject to the availability of funds, the 
implementation of the provisions stipulated in this Act for the kindergarten and 
elementary levels shall gradually commence in school year 2026-2027, as may be 
determined by the DepEd. 
 
SEC. 16. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days 
from the approval of this Act, the DepEd shall, in consultation with the NEDA, the 
DBM, and other concerned stakeholders from the national associations of private 
basic education institutions, promulgate the rules and regulations implementing the 
provisions of this Act. 
 
SEC. 17. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is held invalid 
or unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared shall remain in full force 
and effect. 
 


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SEC. 18. Repealing Clause. - Sections 2, 3, 4(2), 4(3), 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, and 15 
of Republic Act No. 8545, or the "Expanded Government Assistance to Students and 
Teachers in Private Education Act", which amended Republic Act No. 6728, or the 
"Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act", are 
hereby repealed. All other laws, decrees, orders and rules and regulations contrary 
to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended 
accordingly. 
 
SEC. 19. Effectivity. Notwithstanding the non-issuance of the implementing 
rules and regulations, this Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication 
in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,