Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
5144

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos

EXPLANATORY NOTE

‘The 1987 Constitution states that The State recognizes the vital role of the
youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral,
spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth
patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic
affairs.

Such is the driving force and rationale behind a myriad of the government’s
programs and policies towards development. However, despite our best efforts,
there still exists gaps in our efficient and effective delivery of services to our youth.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, there are more or less 4 million
young people who are out of school, not gainfully employed, and have not finished
college or post-secondary course.

‘The Department of Education and the National Youth Commission, way
back in 2014, had thought of a solution to such problem. It launched the Abot-
Alam program, which is a convergence of multiple government agencies and
instrumentalities, seeking a reduction in the number of out-of-school youth in the
country and to empower them through a tailor-made program intervention suited
to the needs of each and every one of the out-of-school youth. It is a noble initiative
and such, it is with best intentions in mind that such program have the full
support of the government through the program’s institutionalization into law.

‘The cliché goes that the youth are the hope of our nation. In order to uplift
the lives of Filipinos in the peripheries and the provinces, we must take every
possible measure to ensure that the youth have access to quality and relevant
education.

It is for these foregoing premises that the approval of this bill is earnestly
sought.

ALFRED C. DELOS SANTOS
Representative, Ang Probinsyano Party List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 5144

Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ABOT-ALAM PROJECT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREOF

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 “Abot-Alam Act”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared a policy of the State
to be more proactive in addressing the issues that face out-of-school youth (OSY),
recognizing their role in nation-building and in both public and civic affairs. As
such, the State shall undertake the necessary steps to ensure that these OSYs are
fully equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills that they need to become
productive members of society.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. As used in this Act:
a) “Out of School Youth (OSY) - refers to individuals aged 15 to 30 years old
who:
a. Have not yet finished basic education and are currently not in
school, whether employed or unemployed;
b. Have not yet finished higher education or any technical/vocational
skills training and are currently not in school, whether employed
or unemployed.

b) OSYs Mapped - refers to OSYs who have been mapped and registered in
the Abot-Alam database either through the household targeting done by
the local DepEd or barangay, or online through the Abot-Alam website.

c) Alternative Learning System (ALS) - is a parallel learning system to
provide a viable alternative to the existing formal education instruction. It
encompasses both the nonformal and informal sources of knowledge and
skills.

d) ALS Partner — refers to an individual or group, organization and agency
(e.g. LGUs, NGOs, private institutions/companies, religious groups, etc.)
that implements ALS programs in different areas using their own


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resources and/or that provides technical assistance or other resources in
support of ALS programs at any level.

SECTION 4. Coverage. - This Act shall apply to all OSYs as the primary
beneficiaries.

SECTION 5. Objective. - This Act seeks to enroll OSYs in programs where
they will acquire their desired knowledge and skills to enable them to become more
productive members of society and to help improve their current economic
conditions. This shall be done through two phases: the data-gathering phase and
the program intervention phase.

‘The Data Gathering phase of the program consists of the organization or
convening of the local alliances headed by the LGUs and the Schools Division
Office, the data gathering and community mapping of the barangays and the OSYs
therein, the mapping of programs for OSYs by the National Abot-Alam Council, and
the program matching of the OSYs to their desired programs by the local alliances.
The data gathered in community mapping shall be inputted into a National Abot-
Alam database. Data on children 14 years old and below and adults above 30 years
old who are out-of-school and have not yet finished basic education may be
included in the mapping but will be enlisted in the existing ALS data collection
processes

The Program Intervention phase shall consist of the enrollment or referral of
OSYs Mapped to their desired programs, capacity-building for newly-
hired/assigned teachers for the implementation of the program, and learner
assessment and certification.

SECTION 6. The National Abot-Alam Council. — There shall be created a
National Abot-Alam Council, hereon referred to in this Act as the National Council,
to oversee the implementation and realization of the directives as set forth in this
Act. The council shall be composed of the following:

a) Secretary of Education

b) Chairperson of the National Youth Commission

©) Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education

) Director-General of the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority

¢) Secretary of the Labor and Employment
f) Secretary of Social Welfare and Development

g) Convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission

h) Chairperson of the Presidential Commission For the Urban Poor.

‘The National Council shall be co-chaired by the Secretary of Education and
the Chairperson of the National Youth Commission. The Department Secretaries

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and other members may not designate alternate representatives other than their
respective undersecretaries or the equivalent of such to the meetings of the
National Council.

SECTION 7. Functions of the National Abot-Alam Council. - The National
Council shall have the following functions:

a) Develop goals and key performance indicators in the implementation of
this Act;

b) Develop strategies to ensure smooth and effective implementation of this
Act’s objectives;

c) Map existing programs and services that are offered by various
organizations or agencies at each locality and provide such to the
appropriate Multi-Sectoral Local Alliance. Such menu of programs must
be furnished to the Multi-Sectoral Local Alliances within sixty (60) days
from the constitution of the National Council;

d) Monitor and assess the effectiveness of the program as laid out by this
Act;

¢) Administer the appropriations as established in this Act;
f) Ensure equitable prioritization and selection of recipients of the program;

g) Submit reports and recommendations to Congress for needed
adjustments in the existing legal framework to better carry out the policy
of the State as declared in this Act.

SECTION 8. Secretariat to the National Abot-Alam Council.- A Secretariat to
the National Council shall be established within the National Youth Commission, to
be headed by an Executive Director who shall be appointed by the President and
shall have the rank of Undersecretary. The Executive Director shall have at least
seven (7) years of experience and practice in the fields of education, social work, or
community development to qualify for appointment. The Executive Director shall be
nominated by the National Council.

‘The Secretariat of the National Council is hereby established whose staffing
structure and complement shall be submitted by the NIC to the Department of
Budget and Management for funding. Pending the creation of the appropriate
plantilla positions, the National Council shall constitute an interim Secretariat
within one (1) month from the approval of this Act, through the temporary detail of
personnel from its member agencies.

‘The Secretariat shall have the following functions:

a) Provide secretariat support to the National Council, including the
preparation of draft strategies, priorities, and other outputs to be adopted
by the NIC;

b) Consult with experts who can offer vital insights on policy-making and
priority setting;


c) Coordinate with various agencies of the government, the private sector,
and other sector stakeholders to produce a comprehensive menu of
programs and interventions available for OSYs;

d) Perform other functions as may be directed by the National Council.

SECTION 9. Multi-Sectoral Local Alliances. - There shall be Local Multi-
Sectoral Alliances created at the provincial and city/municipal levels headed by the
Schools Division Office (SDO) and the LGU. It shall be further composed of both
government and non-governmental agencies/organizations and other stakeholders
as would be determined by the SDO and the LGU. The commitment of relevant
private organizations and stakeholders shall be formalized through a Memorandum
of Agreement or Understanding among them.

The LGUs shall, in coordination with the SDOs and other relevant
stakeholders, conduct the data gathering activities to map the households in all
barangays and record information of OSYs. Such information shall be encoded
appropriately for integration in the National Abot-Alam database. The information
gathered will at least be a list of OSYs per barangay, with all the data necessary to
assess their needs.

Such mapping of OSYs shall be done continuously until all barangays have
been covered and all OSYs have been registered to the program.

The Multi-Sectoral Local Alliances shall also be in charge of matching the
OSYs to the appropriate or desired programs from the menu of available services
provided by the National Council to their locality. These Local Alliances shall also
ensure the delivery of the matched programs and services to their OSYs mapped.

The Multi-Sectoral Local Alliances shall be given the discretion to enact
measures in order to ensure compliance on the part of the OSYs to accomplish the
responsibilities set out by their availed government program or service.

SECTION 10. Appropriations. - The funds necessary for this Act’s
continuous and effective implementation shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.

Subject to the availability of funds, a revolving fund in the initial amount of
50 million pesos (P50,000,000.00) is hereby allocated for the initial year’s
implementation of this Act.

SECTION 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The National Council
shall formulate and promulgate the implementing rules and regulations and other
issuances as may be necessary to ensure the effective implementation of the
provisions of this Act within sixty (60) days from the approval thereof. The
implementing rules and regulations issued pursuant to this section shalll take effect
(30) days after its publication in any newspaper of general circulation.

SECTION 12. Penalties. - Failure to carry out any of the provisions of this
Act will be ground for the filing of criminal or administrative cases, as may be
warranted, under the Administrative Code of 1987, RA No. 6770 (The Ombudsman
Act of 1989); RA No. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public
Officials and Employees); RA No. 7160 (Local Government Code of 1991), and all
other applicable general and special laws.

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SECTION 13. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, and
proclamations, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act, are
hereby amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 14. Separability Clause. ~ If any provision of this Act is held invalid
or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain in
full force and effect.

SECTION 15. Effectivity. ~ This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,