EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
]
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
]
First Regular Session 
j
SENATE
20 
!1f\Y 12 P1 ;28
S.B. No
Introduced by SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
CREATING THE NATIONAL EDUCATION COUNCIL, 
DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
A study and its recommendations on the management of the 
Philippine education system was conducted by the 1991 Congressional 
Commission on Education (EDCOM). The EDCOM’s recommendation to split 
the huge education bureaucracy into three separate agencies led to the 
restructuring and tri-focalization of the management of the country’s 
educational system. This was intended for the agencies to focus on their 
basic mandates to deliver and produce the outcomes expected of them.1
The Tri-focalization of Education System in 1994 was thus enacted 
into law, creating the Commission on Higher Education to handle higher 
education; the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority to 
handle technical and vocational education; and then Department of 
Education, Culture and Sports to focus on basic education covering
http: / / apcj.alcob.org/journal/article.php?code=21276&ckattempt-1


elementary and secondary levels.2
While tri-focalization has led to greater focus and depth in the 
planning and implementation of development programs of the three co-equal 
education sub-sectors, the Presidential Commission on Educational Reform 
(PCER) - created in 1998 to continue and build on the work of the EDCOM 
to further strengthen the role of education in accelerating national 
development and global competitiveness - pointed out that “the salutary 
effects of trifocalization of education notwithstanding, there are perceived 
concerns and issues arising from possible overlaps and gaps as well as 
inconsistencies in and non-alignment of policies, plans and programs.”3 To 
ensure effective coordination, planning and allocation of scarce resources 
among the three sub-sectors of education and training, PCER reiterated and 
adopted the EDCOM’s recommendation to put in place a National 
Coordinating Council for Education (NCCE), which led to the creation of the 
NCCE under Executive Order (EO) No. 273, s. 2000 under then President 
Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
In 2007, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued EO No. 632, 
s. 20074, which amended EO No. 273 by abolishing the NCCE, and 
mandating a Presidential Assistant to exercise its functions of assessing, 
planning and monitoring the entire educational system. In the same year. 
President Arroyo created the Presidential Task Force to Assess, Plan and 
Monitor the Entire Educational System under EO No. 652, s. 2007,5 in the 
discharge of the functions and responsibilities of the NCCE, as exercised by 
the Office of the PA for Education, to commission highly qualified 
experts/specialists and/or education consultancy groups to provide specific
2
3 Executive Order No. 273, s. 2000, Institutionalizing the System of National Coordination, 
Assessment, Planning and Monitoring of the Entire Educational System.
4 Executive Order No. 632, s. 2007, Amending Executive Order No. 273 (Series of 2000) 
and Mandating a Presidential Assistant to Assess, Plan and Monitor the Entire Educational 
System.
5 Executive Order No. 652, s. 2007, Creating the Presidential Task Force to Assess, Plan 
and Monitor the Entire Educational System


services.0
While these past issuances and efforts attempted to effectively 
coordinate the operations of the three sub-sectors of education and training, 
the Philippine education system has not fully delivered the outcomes it 
sought to achieve under tri-focalization, thus raising the urgent need for 
further reforms, including the recent pivot from access to quality to improve 
the Philippine education system. This was expressed in Senate Joint 
Resolution No. 6, filed on September 22, 2010 under the 15th Congress, 
which stated that “among the major recommendations [of the EDCOM] that 
were not acted upon was the creation or institutionalization of a permanent 
National Coordinating Council for Education (NCCE) that would coordinate 
and harmonize the policies and programs of the three education agencies 
and dovetail them to national development plans.”
This bill is a bold attempt to place education at the center of the 
country’s development policies and creates a National Education Council to 
develop a national education agenda, set its goals, priorities, and long-term 
national strategy, and institutionalize a system of national coordination, 
planning, monitoring, evaluation, and management among the three sub­
sectors. It seeks to promote a culture of long-term, strategic and 
collaborative planning among these sub-sectors - compelling the adoption of 
a long-term vision and focused priorities and investments in education. It 
seeks to improve education governance in the country and ensure effective 
coordination to eliminate fragmentation of education policies and programs 
by strengthening the integration and collaboration of the three sub-sectors 
to improve education outcomes and achieve the goals set under the national 
education agenda.
This measure recognizes the indispensable role of a national council 
on education, as recommended by the EDCOM, to develop an effective and 
efficient education ecosystem that will enable the three sub-sectors to
6 Ibid.


implement policies and programs coherently, while engaging other 
government agencies, local government units, the business sector, the 
academe, and other public and private stakeholders who play a crucial role 
in the education sector.
In view of the foregoing, immediate consideration and passage of this 
bill is earnestly sought.
IN GATCHALIAN


]
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
]
First Regular Session 
]
SENATE
12 PI '28
Introduced by SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
CREATING THE NATIONAL EDUCATION COUNCIL, 
DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “National
2 
Education Council Act.”
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the
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State to make education as a critical component of human capital
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development, socio-economic equality, inclusive growth, and sustainable
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development. Pursuant to Article XIV of the Constitution which mandates
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the State to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education
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at all levels, take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all,
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and establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated
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system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society, the
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State hereby adopts the following policies:


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a. The State shall place education at the center of its development
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policies, guided by a clear and long-term set of goals in the form of a
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national education agenda that is a product of a long-term planning
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and strategic investments in education;
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b. The three sub-sectors of education, namely the Department of
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Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical
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Education and Skills Development Authority, shall strategically
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implement the policies and programs under this national education
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agenda in a coordinated and harmonized education ecosystem so
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that investments in education will lead to the achievement of the goal
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of developing the country’s human capital as an essential factor to
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national development; and
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c. The State recognizes that to develop such an effective and efficient
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education ecosystem, the role of a national council on education is
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indispensable in enabling the three sub-sectors to implement policies
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and programs coherently, while engaging other government agencies,
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local government units (LGUs), the business sector, the academe,
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and other public and private stakeholders who play a crucial role in
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the education sector.
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Sec. 3. Objectives. - The objectives of this Act are as follows:
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a. Promote a culture of long-term, strategic, and collaborative planning
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among the three sub-sectors through the formulation and
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implementation of a national education agenda that will compel the
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adoption of a long-term vision and focused priorities for the education
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sector;
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b. Improve education governance in the country and ensure effective
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coordination and eliminate fragmentation 
of education policies and
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programs among the three sub-sectors; and
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c. Establish an efficient institution through the creation of the National
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Education Council with the necessary authority to mandate the


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integration of education policies and programs, and strengthen the
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collaboration of the three sub-sectors to improve education outcomes
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and achieve the goals set under the national education agenda.
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Sec. 4. The National Education Council. - The National Education
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Council, hereinafter referred to as the NEBCO, is hereby created and
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attached to the Office of the President, to develop the country’s national
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education agenda, goals, priorities, and long-term national strategy, and
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institutionalize a system of national coordination, planning, monitoring,
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evaluation, and management among the three sub-sectors.
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The NEBCO shall be composed of the following:
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a. President of the Philippines - Chairperson;
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b. Secretary of the Bepartment of Education - Co-Vice Chairperson;
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c. Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education - Co-Vice
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Chairperson;
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d. Birector General of the Technical Education and Skills Bevelopment
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Authority - Co-Vice Chairperson;
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e. President of the Senate - Member;
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f. Speaker of the House of Representatives - Member;
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g. Birector General of the National Economic and Bevelopment
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Authority - Member;
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h. Secretary of the Bepartment of Science and Technology - Member;
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i. Secretary of the Bepartment of Trade and Industry - Member;
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j. Secretary of the Bepartment of Information and Communications
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Technology - Member;
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k. Secretary of the Bepartment of Budget and Management - Member;
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1. Secretary of the Bepartment of Interior and Local Government -
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Member;
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m. Secretary of the Bepartment of Labor and Employment - Member;
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n. Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission - Member;


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o. National Statistician and Civil Registrar General of the Philippine
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Statistics Authority - Member;
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p. Chairperson of the Professional Regulation Commission - Member;
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and
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q. Four (4) Members to be appointed by the President from each of the
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following stakeholders: education sector, business sector, academe,
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and other sectors, whether public or private, with a direct stake in
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education to ensure broad-based consultation and planning.
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The NEDCO shall meet at least twice a year. The President may
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designate the Executive Secretary to attend on his behalf and preside
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over the meetings of the NEDCO. The other members may not designate
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alternate representatives other than their respective undersecretaries, or
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the officers next-in-rank to such members, to the meetings.
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Majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.
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Sec. 5. The National Education Council; Powers and Functions. - The
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NEDCO shall have the following powers and functions:
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a. Develop the country’s strategic vision for education as anchored on
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national development plans, long-term and medium-term goals, plans
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and priorities, strategies for a coordinated and coherent
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implementation, and recommendations on the corresponding
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investments and appropriations in the form of a national education
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agenda;
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b. Institutionalize a system of national coordination in the planning,
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monitoring, evaluation, implementation, and management of the
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national education agenda to ensure coherent strategic direction by
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the three sub-sectors and avoid possible overlaps, gaps, and
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inconsistencies that may result from non-alignment of policies, plans
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and programs;


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c. Serve as a regular forum for inter-sub-sectoral consultations and
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proposals for intervention to address cross-cutting policies and
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programs of the three sub-sectors;
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d. Ensure effective, harmonized, and coordinated planning among the
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three sub-sectors on issues critical to the education sector including
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but not limited to the following: a teacher education program that will
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equip teachers with the required skills, trainings, and competencies
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and is suitable and responsive to the needs of the three sub-sectors,
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taking into account the real demand of the labor market and needs of
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the industry; an integrated curriculum that will deliver the desired
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education goals, priorities, and outcomes under the national
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education agenda; and a K to 12 graduates employment plan that
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ensures a job-skills match between senior high school graduates vis-
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a-vis the qualifications and needs of the government and the private
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sector;
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e. Coordinate with government agencies, LGUs, and other relevant
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sectors to promote policy and program coherence;
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f. Regularly monitor, evaluate, review, and update the education
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programs under the national education agenda, as well as existing
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programs, for tighter inter-sub-sector coordination;
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g. Communicate, whenever it deems necessary, the country’s national
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education agenda, policies, priorities, and programs to both local and
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international communities, including the public reporting of the State
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of Philippine Education Address;
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h. Implement an action agenda for the development of the country’s
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capacity for, and success in, education as measured by the National
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Achievement Test, Programme for International Student Assessment,
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Education Index, Education for All Development Index, and other
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indices and measures that it may deem appropriate in measuring the
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growth and development of the education sector in the country, or
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among countries;


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i. Submit annual reports to the Philippine Congress on the progress of
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implementation of this Act; and
Perform other functions as may be necessary for its implementation.
Sec. 6. The National Education Agenda. - The national education 
agenda shall be anchored on national development plans and establish the 
country’s strategic vision for education, long-term and medium-term goals, 
plans and priorities, strategies for a coordinated and coherent 
implementation, and recommendations on the corresponding investments 
and appropriations in the form of a national education agenda. It shall 
provide a road map for improving education governance through clear-cut 
delineation and complementation of education polices and programs across 
the three sub-sectors and other stakeholders. It shall also identify areas and 
strategies to stimulate the role of other government agencies and LGUs in 
the attainment of its vision.
The national education agenda shall have a minimum of five (5)-year 
horizon, to be updated annually and reviewed periodically by the NEBCO. 
The three sub-sectors, concerned government agencies, and concerned 
stakeholders shall strictly comply with the national education agenda and 
shall incorporate its pertinent policies in their respective programs.
The national education agenda shall be developed by the NEBCO, in 
consultation with other relevant government agencies, LGUs, and other 
stakeholders. It shall be completed within six (6) months from the effectivity 
of this Act.
Sec. 7. The NEDCO Secretariat. - To provide support to the NEBCO, a 
Secretariat shall be established within the Office of the President and shall 
be under its control and supervision. It shall be headed by an Executive 
Birector who shall be nominated by the NEBCO and appointed by the 
President of the Philippines. The Executive Birector shall have at least ten 
(10) years of experience and practice in the field of education to qualify for


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nomination and appointment.
The NEDCO shall determine its organizational structure, staffing 
pattern, and compensation schedule as it may deem necessary, and shall 
appoint officers and employees in accordance with Civil Service law, rules 
and regulations.
The initial staffing structure and complement of the Secretariat shall 
be submitted by the NEDCO to the Department of Budget and Management 
for funding. Pending the creation of the appropriate plantilla positions, the 
NEDCO shall constitute an interim Secretariat within one (1) month from 
the effectivity of this Act, through the temporary detail of competent 
personnel from the three sub-sectors.
The NEDCO shall define the duties and responsibilities of the 
Secretariat which shall, in turn, formulate and adopt its own internal 
operating rules and procedures.
Sec. 8. Educational Mapping and Statistics for the National Education 
Agenda. - To ensure an evidenced-based formulation and crafting of the 
national education agenda, the Philippine Statistics Authority is hereby 
mandated to:
a. strengthen its core unit that is dedicated to the generation, analysis, 
utilization, and dissemination of all education and literacy statistics 
and information, including the mapping of data related to education 
as a dimension of poverty under Republic Act No. 11315 or the 
“Community-Based Monitoring System Act”;
b. develop and manage a nationwide database of such statistics and 
information;
c. systematize its administrative and operational linkages with the 
statistical or mapping units of the three sub-sectors; and
d. coordinate with other government agencies whose mandate requires 
the conduct of community mapping programs that are relevant to the 
education sector such as the Department of Interior and Local


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Government and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Sec. 9. Annual Report. - The NEDCO shall submit an annual report to 
the President and both houses of Congress on or before the last day of May 
to provide an assessment of the NEDCO’s implementation of the national 
education agenda and present strategies to remedy implementation gaps. 
The report shall also be made available to the public through the respective 
portals of the three sub-sectors.
Sec. 10. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be sourced from the current appropriations 
of the Office of the President. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the 
continuous implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual 
General Appropriations Act.
Sec. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days 
after the effectivity of this Act, the Office of the President and the three sub­
sectors, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, shall formulate and 
promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for its effective 
implementation.
Sec. 12. Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act shall 
be held invalid or unconstitutional, the other parts or provisions hereof 
which are not affected shall remain in full force and effect
Sec. 13. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, rules, executive orders, 
and other administrative issuances and parts thereof which are inconsistent 
with this Act are hereby repealed, superseded or modified accordingly.
Sec. 14. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.


Approved,