NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez 
House Bill No.  _____ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article XIV, Section l of the 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”.  Thus, education has always enjoyed the 
highest budgetary priority in the annual budget of government as mandated by the Constitution 
itself. 
However, the meager resources of government led to the stagnation of budgetary 
allocation across all sectors including education.  As a result, the resources provided for 
education has not kept pace with the growing student population.  Massive backlog in 
classrooms, textbooks, desks and even teachers has continued to plague the public education 
system. 
The passage of the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private 
Education (GASTPE) Program in l989 and its subsequent amendment in l998 tapped the 
potential of the private education system to fulfill the Constitutional mandate to make education 
accessible to all Filipinos.  It made use of the otherwise unutilized capacity of the private 
schools to cater to students which cannot be accommodated by the public education system. 
Since its inception in 1989, GASTPE has provided support to over 700,000 
beneficiaries in private schools.  It has helped more than 1,400 private schools which enrolled 
in the program.  The program has been very successful but has not achieved full potential due 
to budgetary constraints. According to the Department of Education, at least P2 billion pesos 
is needed on top of the annual appropriations for the program to achieve the desired level of 
500,000 beneficiaries at P4,000 per grantee. 
In addition to this, the scarce resource for the program has made its appropriation 
centered on the student beneficiary and has left little or none at all for teachers who are also 
intended to be provided with the proper training.   
This bill seeks to increase the funding for the GASTPE Program in order to address 
the deficiency in the public education sector.  It allocates P1 billion pesos exclusively to 
teachers to upgrade their training skills for the delivery of quality education to students. 
In addition, it seeks to institute a voucher system in place of the current tuition fee 
supplement program to further improve benefits to students enrolled in private schools. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is earnestly sought. 
RUFUS B. RODRIGUEZ 
March 16, 2023
7:00 pm
7666


NINETEENTH CONGRESS  
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session  
 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez 
House Bill No.  _____ 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR AN EXPANDED VOUCHER SYSTEM IN THE ELEMENTARY AND 
SECONDARY EDUCATION, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6728, 
AS AMENDED 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1.  Section 2 of Republic Act No. 6728, otherwise known as the “Government 
Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act”, as amended, is hereby 
further amended to read as follows: 
“SEC 2. Declaration of Policy.  It is a declared policy of the state 
in conformity with the mandate of the Constitution, to promote and make 
quality education accessible to all Filipino citizens.  The State also 
hereby 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. For these purposes, the State shall provide the mechanisms 
to improve quality in private education, recognizing in the process the 
government’s responsibility to provide basic elementary and secondary 
education, post secondary vocational and technical education and 
higher education as having priority over its other functions. 
“Elementary education is the first six (6) years of basic 
education, excluding pre-school and grade seven, the completion of 
which is attested by a certificate issued by or with permission of the 
Department of Education, [,Culture and Sports], Secondary education 
is the next four (4) years of basic education, the completion of which is 
attested by a high school diploma issued by or with permission of the 
Department of Education [, Culture and Sports]. 
“Post-secondary education may be education and training in 
non-degree vocational and technical courses offered in post-secondary 
vocational and technical institutions or education in degree courses 
offered by higher educational institutions, the completion of which are 
attested by a certificate or diploma issued by or with permission of the 
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) or the 
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) respectively.  
SEC 2.  Section 3 of Republic Act No. 6728, as amended, is hereby further amended 
to read as follows: 
“SEC 3. Criteria for Assistance.  The programs for assistance 
shall be based on a set of criteria which include among others, tuition 
AND OTHER fees charged by the schools, the socio-economic needs 
of each region giving priority to the [the Social Reform Agenda (SRA) 
provinces] 
THE 
POOREST 
REGIONS, 
PROVINCES 
OR 
MUNICIPALITIES, overall performance of the schools, the academic 
7666


qualifications and the financial needs of the schools, as well as the 
geographic spread and size of student ENROLLMENT. 
“In addition to the foregoing criteria, within which such 
reasonable time as the respective State Assistance Council may 
determine, student grantees under the Private Education Student 
Financial Assistance Program shall be enrolled in schools which have 
accredited programs or are applying for accreditation as may be 
recognized by the respective State Assistance Council. 
  “Preference shall be given to students whose ANNUAL family 
income is [not more than Seventy-two thousand pesos (P72,000.00) or 
such amounts as may be determined by the respective councils, as 
defined hereinafter] BELOW THE POVERTY THRESHOLD INCOME 
LEVEL 
IN 
THEIR 
RESPECTIVE 
REGION, 
PROVINCE, 
OR 
MUNICIPALITY AS MAYBE DETERMINED BY THE APPROPRIATE 
GOVERNMENT AGENCY, OR IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH DATA, 
THE NATIONAL POVERTY THRESHOLD INCOME LEVEL AS 
MAYBE 
DETERMINED 
BY 
THE 
NATIONAL 
ECONOMIC 
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. 
“For purposes of this Act, programs of assistance to students 
and teachers of private post-secondary vocational and technical 
institutions and higher educational institutions shall likewise be 
extended to students and teachers of community colleges in degree and 
non-degree programs. Implementation of the program shall encourage 
students to undergo post-secondary vocational and technical and 
higher education courses in the same region where their families reside. 
“The programs of assistance under this Act shall be extended 
only to students who are citizens of the Philippines. 
“The State Assistance Council, jointly with the Department of 
Education) DepEd, [Culture and Sports (DECS) and the TESDA shall 
formulate measurement standards for the evaluation of the quality of 
courses as well as the standing and status of the recipient institutions. 
Within five (5) years from the approval of this Act, the assistance 
shall be given to schools: Provided, That The  present allocation of the 
tuition fee and other income of the schools shall be used at the same 
proportion and allocation as provided by law. 
 
SEC 3.  Section 4 of Republic Act No. 6728, as amended, is hereby further amended to read 
as follows: 
SEC 4.  Forms of Assistance.  Assistance to private education 
shall consist of assistance to students [and], assistance to teachers and 
ASSISTANCE TO SCHOOLS. 
“The following are forms of assistance to students in private education:  
“(1) 
Tuition fee supplements for students in private [high] 
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY schools, including students 
in vocational and technical courses; 
“(2) 
[High  School] Textbook Assistance Fund:  Provided, That the 
textbook assistance per student in private ELEMENTARY OR 
SECONDARY [high] schools shall  be determined by the council 
and shall not exceed what students in public ELEMENTARY OR 
SECONDARY schools are provided on a per student basis 
[under a comprehensive textbook, program of the Secondary 
Education Development Program (SEDP)]:  Provided, further, 
That the textbook assistance shall be granted only to 
beneficiaries of tuition fee supplements and educational service 
contracting scheme provided in this Act; 


“(3) 
Expansion of the existing Educational Service Contracting 
(ESC) Scheme; 
“(4) 
The voucher system of the Private Education Student Financial 
Assistance Program (PESFA); 
“(5) 
Scholarship grants to students who graduated as valedictorians 
and salutatorians from ELEMENTARY AND secondary schools; 
“(6) 
Tuition fee supplements to students in private colleges and 
universities; and] 
“(7) 
Education Loan Fund 
The following are forms of assistance to teachers and faculty in private 
education: 
“(1) 
In-service training fund for teachers in private [high] ELEMENTARY OR 
SECONDARY schools; and  
“(2) 
College Faculty Development Fund. 
 
THE FOLLOWING ARE FORMS OF ASSISTANCE TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS: 
(1) 
UTILIZATION OF THEIR UNUSED CAPACITY THROUGH 
THE EXPANDED EDUCATION SERVICE CONTRACTING 
SCHEME; 
(2) 
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR QUALIFIED ELEMENTARY AND 
SECONDARY 
TEACHERS 
ENROLLED 
IN 
QUALITY 
GRADUATE PROGRAMS; 
(3) 
PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT FUNDED IN-SERVICE 
TRAINING FOR PRIVATE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 
TEACHERS; 
(4) 
ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT FUNDED LABORATORY 
FACILITIES 
ESPECIALLY 
FOR 
SCIENCE 
AND 
TECHNOLOGY. 
 
SEC 4.  Section 5 of Republic Act No. 6728, as amended, is hereby further amended to read 
as follows: 
“SEC 5.  Tuition Fee Supplements for Students in Private [High] 
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY Schools. 
(1) 
Financial Assistance for tuition of students in private [High] 
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY schools shall be provided 
by the government through a voucher system in the following 
manner: 
“(a) 
For students enrolled in schools charging an amount 
as may be determined by the State Assistance 
Council, the government shall provide them with a 
voucher in such an amount as may be determined by 
the council:  Provided, That the government shall 
reimburse the vouchers from the schools concerned 
within one hundred twenty (120) days from the close 
of the registration period. 
(2) 
Assistance under paragraph (1), subparagraph (a) shall be 
guaranteed to all private [high] ELEMENTARY AND 
SECONDARY schools participating in the program for a 
number of slots as of the effectivity of this Act as the  total 
number of students who availed of tuition fee supplements for 
school year 1997-1998:  Provided, that The State Assistance 
Council may in subsequent years determine additional slots 
and/or 
additional 
participating 
ELEMENTARY 
AND 
SECONDARY [high] schools as may be deemed necessary. 
SEC 5.  Section  6 of Republic Act No. 6728, as amended, is hereby further amended to read 
as follows: 


“SEC 6. [High School] Textbook Assistance Fund.  There shall be 
established in the Department of Education [,Culture and Sports (DECS)] 
DepEd, a [High School] Textbook Assistance Fund, so that assistance on a 
per student basis shall be given to students enrolled in private schools 
exclusively for the purchase of ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY [high] 
school textbooks, [in support of the implementation of the Secondary 
Education Development Program]:Provided, That the textbook assistance 
per student in private ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY [high] schools shall 
be determined by the council and shall not exceed what students in public 
ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY [high] schools are provided on a per 
student basis;  Provided, further, That the textbook assistance shall be 
granted only to beneficiaries of tuition fee supplements and educational  
service contracting scheme provided in this Act. 
 
SEC 6.  Section 7 of Republic Act No. 6728, as amended, is hereby further amended to read 
as follows: 
“ SEC  7.  Expansion of the Existing Educational Service Contracting 
(ESC) Scheme.  
“(a) 
The Department of Education [,Culture and Sports (DECS)] DepEd 
shall continue to enter into contracts with private schools whereby the 
government shall shoulder the tuition and other fees of 
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY [high] school students who shall 
enroll in private [high] schools under this program.   PRIORITY SHALL 
BE GIVEN TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN COMMUNITIES WHERE 
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS CAN NO LONGER ACCOMMODATE THE 
STUDENTS DUE TO THE INCREASE IN STUDENT POPULATION,  
who shall enroll in private [high] schools under this program. 
“(b) 
The Department shall also enter into contracts with private schools in 
communities where there are no public ELEMENTARY OR 
SECONDARY [high] schools, in which case the Department shall 
shoulder the tuition and other fees of students who shall enroll in said 
private schools. 
“(c) 
The amount of assistance to be given by the government under this 
section shall not exceed that determined as the per student cost in 
public [high] ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY schools. 
“(d) 
The Department shall fully pay the subsidized amount to participating 
schools not later than one hundred eighty (180) days from the close 
of the registration period. 
“(e) 
The amount of assistance AND THE NUMBER OF SLOTS SHALL 
BE DETERMINED BY THE STATE ASSISTANCE COUNCIL AND 
ALLOCATED [shall be allocated and distributed] among the sixteen 
(16) regions in proportion to the total population as well as the [high] 
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY school age population for the first 
school year; Provided, That starting school year 1998, an equalization 
scheme shall be implemented by the State Assistance Council. 
“(f) 
The amount of assistance to private [high] ELEMENTARY AND 
SECONDARY schools participating in the program shall be 
guaranteed for a number of slots as of the effectivity of this Act as the 
number of students availing of educational service contracting 
assistance for school year 1997-1998; Provided, That the State 
Assistance Council may, in subsequent years determine additional 
slots and/or additional participating private [high] ELEMENTARY AND 
SECONDARY schools as may be deemed necessary. 
 


SEC 7.  Section 8 of Republic Act No. 6728 as amended, is hereby further amended to read 
as follows: 
“SEC 8.  Assistance to College Freshmen. - (a) The Voucher System of 
Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) Program. The 
existing Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) Program 
which covers degree and non-degree vocational/technical courses shall be 
expanded so that all qualified enrolling first year students can benefit from a 
scholarship, plus an allowance.  Such financial assistance shall be granted to 
deserving underprivileged students, who shall be selected on the basis of 
family income, geographic spread and results of competitive examinations to 
be given by the CHED for degree course and the TESDA for non-degree 
vocational/technical courses in all secondary schools in coordination with the 
[DECS] DepEd.  The program shall be equitably allocated to provinces and 
cities in accordance with regional and national plans to priority courses as 
determined by the CHED and the TESDA. 
“For purposes of this Act, an underprivileged student shall refer to a 
student whose gross income, if any, and that of the combined annual gross 
income of his/her parents do not exceed [Seventy-two thousand pesos 
(P72,000.00) THE POVERTY THRESHOLD INCOME LEVEL IN THEIR 
RESPECTIVE REGION, PROVINCE, OR MUNICIPALITY AS MAY BE 
DETERMINED BY THE APPROPRIATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY, OR IN 
THE ABSENCE OF SUCH DATA, THE NATIONAL POVERTY THRESHOLD 
INCOME LEVEL AS MAY BE DETERMINED BY THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC 
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. 
 
SEC 8.  Section 12 of Republic Act No. 6728, as amended, is hereby further amended to read 
as follows:  
“SEC 12.  In Service Training Fund (Inset Fund). For the purpose of 
improving the quality of teaching in private secondary education, there is 
hereby established  in the Department of Education, DepEd [Culture and 
Sports] an Inset Fund to provide for the upgrading of knowledge and teaching 
competencies in critical subject areas and for the modernization of teaching 
techniques and strategies, including training in the use of computers and of 
other multi-media educational technologies to assist instruction:  Provided, 
That the Inset Fund shall be available only to qualified licensed teachers in 
participating private ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY [high] schools as 
determined by the State Assistance Council:  Provided, further, That the 
amount of Inset Fund available to private ELEMENTARY AND secondary 
education shall not exceed that available to public ELEMENTARY AND 
SECONDARY education as per capita basis. 
 
SEC 9.  Section 14 of Republic Act No. 6728, as amended, is hereby further amended to read 
as follows: 
“SEC 14.  Teacher’s Salary Subsidy Fund.  A Teacher’s Salary  
Subsidy Fund is hereby established in the [DECS] DepEd to grant 
government subsidy to teachers in private [high] ELEMENTARY AND 
SECONDARY schools participating  in the programs of assistance 
provided in this Act:  Provided, That the total monthly salary which 
includes the subsidy to be received by such private [high] 
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY school teachers shall not be more 
than eight percent (80%) of the salary of his counterpart in the public 
sector.  Provided, further, That the amount of monthly subsidy shall not 
exceed exceed the amount of any monthly salary increase that teachers 
in public [high] ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY schools shall 
receive after the effectivity of this Act:  Provided, further, That private 


[high] ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY school teachers qualified to 
receive subsidy under this Act are duly licensed by the Professional 
Regulation Commission:  Provided, further, That the government shall 
provide them with a voucher for the salary subsidy which shall be 
reimbursed directly to the teachers within sixty (60) days after the close 
of the school year upon submission of proof of qualification and actual 
teaching service in a participating private [high] ELEMENTARY OR 
SECONDARY school; Provided, further, That the present allocation out 
of increases from tuition and other income shall be maintained;  
Provided, finally, That in case of insufficiency of funds, priority shall be 
given to married teachers supporting a family. 
 
SEC 10.  Section 15 of Republic Act No. 6728, as amended, is hereby further amended to 
read as follows: 
“SEC 15.  Program Administration Rules and Regulations. The 
State Assistance Council  shall be responsible for policy guidance and 
direction, monitoring and evaluation of new and existing programs, and 
the promulgation of the rules and regulations, while the Department of 
Education [Culture and Sports] DepEd, the TESDA and the CHED shall 
be responsible for the day to day administration and program 
implementation 
for 
the 
programs 
of 
assistance 
to 
private 
ELEMENTARY AND secondary education, post secondary vocational 
and technical education and higher education, respectively.  Likewise, 
it may engage the services and support of any qualified government or 
private entity SUCH AS THE FUND FOR ASSISTANCE TO PRIVATE 
EDUCATION (FAPE) AS A PERMANENT SECRETARIAT for its 
implementation. 
“The State Assistance Council, hereinafter known as the 
Council, shall be headed by the Secretary of Education, [Culture and 
Sports] as chairperson, the chairperson of the CHED and the Director 
General of the TESDA as co-chairpersons, with representatives from 
the National Economic Development Authority, the Department of 
Budget and Management, the Department of Science and Technology, 
and representatives from duly organized nationwide associations of 
teachers, students, parents and school administrators concerned with 
ELEMENTARY, secondary, post-secondary vocational and technical 
education and higher education as members.  The last FOUR (4) [three 
(3)] members shall be appointed by the Council upon the 
recommendation of their respective sectors for a term of THREE (3) 
[one (1)] school years subject to reappointment [for a maximum term of 
four (4) school years] UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THEIR 
RESPECTIVE SECTORS.  A representative from the Committee on 
Education of both Houses of Congress shall be designated resource 
persons to the Council.      
 “The Council shall meet, from time to time, as the need arises, 
to assess the effectivity of the programs and  to ensure that the 
ELEMENTARY AND secondary schools, post-secondary vocational 
and technical institutions and higher educational institutions may 
continue to enroll students and teachers/faculty as recipients of 
government assistance under this Act. 
 
 
SEC 11.  Section 16 of Republic Act No. 6728, as amended, is hereby further amended to 
read as follows:  
“SEC 16.  Appropriations.  The amount needed to implement 
these programs shall be provided for in the Annual  General 


Appropriations Act  [for] BEGINNING the year [1998] 2008.  The 
ANNUAL  appropriations of [One billion pesos (P1,000,000,000.00) 
already appropriated under the General Appropriations Act of 1998 
shall be used for this purpose] the DepEd TO CARRY OUT THE 
PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT SHALL BE INCREASED TO THREE 
BILLION PESOS (P3,000,000,000.00) OF WHICH THE AMOUNT OF 
ONE BILLION SHALL BE ALLOCATED AS ASSISTANCE TO 
ELEMENTARY 
AND 
SECONDARY 
TEACHERS 
OF 
THE 
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS.  LIKEWISE, TO DO THE SAME, THE 
CHED AND TESDA APPROPRIATIONS SHALL BE INCREASED TO 
FIVE MILLION PESOS (P5,000,000.00) TWO HUNDRED FIFTY 
MILLION PESOS (P250,000,000.00), RESPECTIVELY. 
“All funds appropriated for this purpose shall be constituted as a 
trust fund to be administered by the   State  
Assistance Fund, which shall be SEPARATE AND DISTINCT FROM 
THE REGULAR APPROPRIATIONS OF THE DepEd AND SHALL BE 
RELEASED BY THE DepEd, CHED AND TESDA DIRECTLY TO 
THEIR RESPECTIVE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS [directly and 
automatically released to the different regional offices of the DECS]. 
 
SEC 12.  Section 17 of Republic Act No. 6728, as amended, is hereby further amended to 
read as follows: 
“SEC 17.  Penalties.  In case of violations of the provisions of 
this Act or the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto by 
an institution, the Department of Education, [Culture and Sports] 
DepEd, the TESDA and the CHED, upon the recommendation of the 
Council, may bar the institution from participating in or benefiting from 
the programs of this Act, and from other programs of the Department, 
without prejudice to administrative and criminal charges as may be filed 
against the school and/or its responsible officers under existing laws. 
 
SEC 13.  Repealing Clause.  All laws, decrees and such letters of instructions, rules and 
regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or 
modified accordingly. 
 
SEC 14.  Separability Clause.  If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional, the 
same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of other provisions not affected thereby. 
 
SEC 15.  Effectivity Clause.  This Act shall take effect immediately upon its complete 
publication in two newspapers of general circulation. 
 
Approved,