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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
(!y!f1ft \~f tl{~' :~rntt.4H~ 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First RegUlar Session 
) 
']3 
.JUL 23 
1\ 9 :59 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No, .10 '7 4 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The 1987 Constitution, Article XIV, Section 1 mandates the State to 
protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and 
to make quality education accessible to all. The sad fact, however, is that 
Philippine education is now in crisis and appropriate reform measures should be 
implemented by the national government. 
Data from the Department of Education· show that out of 100 children who 
enroll in Grade 1, only 65 complete Grade 6 and only 43 complete high school. 
The greatest drop-out rates occur between grades 1 and 3, where more than 
65% of children are actually already over-age. For children who remain in school, 
only 23% students in Grade 6 achieve reading with comprehension and only 7%, 
2% and ·16% of 4th year high school students achieve the required mastery of 
English, Science and Math respectively Of the college graduates who apply for 
jobs in the ICT sector, only 2% to 7% are accepted. 
The proposed bill seeks to identify strategic education reforms aimed at 
specific quality and quantity targets for each stage of education. Access to quality 
elementary education is widened by requiring the use of the mother tongue as a 
mode of instruction in the early years of elementary schooling, investing in 
teacher training so this can be done effectively, and providing nutrition 
interventions that will help young children overcome the health problems that 
hinder them from attending and completing their education. Access to quality and 
relevant high school education is improved by establishing a two-track curriculum 
that will equip stUdents for either academic or business pursuits. Basic education 
is expanded to a full twelve (12) years and pre-school is made universal and 
compulsory. To further ensure that quality outcomes benchmarked to 
international norms are achieved, this bill provides for intensive in-service 
teacher training especially in the sciences and mathematics. 
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly requested 
Senator 


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First RegUlar SesSion 
) 
'13 
JUL 23 A 9 :59 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No • .1 0 7 -1 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
AN ACT 
MANDATING ATTAINMENT OF GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE EDUCATION 
OUTCOMES, ADOPTING AN OMNIBUS EDUCATION REFORM PROGRAM, 
IDENTIFYING FOR THAT PURPOSE THE STRATEGIC COMPONENTS OF 
SUCH PROGRAM, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
CHAPTER 1 
GENERAL PROVISIONS 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Omnibus 
Education Reform Act of 2013". 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State recognizes the primacy of 
basic education to secure the future of the youth and to achieve the development 
of our nation. Towards this end, it is hereby declared a policy of the State to 
establish and maintain a more responsive system of education designed to 
ensure that education outcomes benchmarked to international standards in basic 
education are achieved, specifically that every child be literate and numerate by 
the third year of elementary school; that every child have a solid foundation in 
Math and Science by the last year of elementary school; that every child be 
proficient in English and Filipino by the second year of high school; and that 
every high school graduate will have the competencies to pursue a higher degree 
of learning or be prepared to enter the world of work by establishing a two-track 
secondary education program that allows for both academic and practical fields. 
In pursuance to the State's mandate under Article XIV, Section 2(1) of the 
1987 Constitution to establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate and 
integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society, 
the State shall give priority to educational reforms that address gaps in the 
country's education program by establishing a twelve (12) year basic education 
system in recognition of .the global norm; investing in teacher updating, training 
and 
specialization to ensure the quality of teaching in the country; 
institutionalizing the use of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction for 
young school children and adopting nutritional and other cost-effective 
interventions that will ensure the enrollment in and retention of young children in 
the first three years of schooling. 


.' 
The State also declares as a policy the imperative to broaden access of 
the youth to quality education through appropriate prioritization of education 
spending in order to ensure that Inputs critical to the teaching and learning 
process are provided for. 
SEC. 3. Coverage. - The strategic education reform program established 
by this Act shall be applicable to all public and private schools nationwide with 
primary and secondary education programs. 
SEC. 4. Strategic Education Reform Program. - Within sixty (60) days 
from the enactment of this Act, Department of Education, through the Secretary, 
in consultation with the appropriate government agencies and experts in the field 
of education management and administration, shall formulate a ten (10) year 
operational education investment plan that will achieve the mandatory targets 
identified in Section 2 above through the use of the education reform program 
components set forth in Chapter 2 hereinafter. 
CHAPTER 2 
STRATEGIC EDUCATION REFORM PROGRAM COMPONENTS 
SEC. 5. Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction. - The mother tongue 
or first language shall be used as the medium of instruction for Grades 1, 2 and 3 
for all subjects. Filipino and English shall be taught as separate subjects. 
As used in this Act, mother tongue shall refer to the language first learned 
by the child and customarily used at home. 
SEC. 6. School-Feeding Program. - The implementation of an in-school 
direct feeding program shall henceforth be mandatory for Grades 1 and 2 in all 
public schools located in food poor provinces and food poor municipalities as 
identified by the National Nutrition Council. The School-Feeding Program shall be 
implemented by the Department of Education as the lead agency, together with 
the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Local Government 
Unit concerned. 
All public schools shall be encouraged to continue the implementation of 
the in-school feeding program beyond the required Grade levels to sustain the 
health and nutrition of school children. 
SEC. 7. Performance Standards. - A diagnostic test shall be conducted 
for every student at the end of Grades 3 and 6 for purposes of identifying those 
individuals who will require special learning assistance as they proceed to the 
next grade level, provided that, !?uch diagnostic tests shall be designed and 
administered by a third-party non-governmental consortium or organization of 
experts in the field of education, to be identified or organized by the President for 
this purpose. The diagnostiC tests shall measure performance standards in 
conformity with the following guidelines: 
(1) Every student, having completed Grade 3, shall be reading 
independently based on international reading tests and be numerate; 


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(2) Every student, having completed Grade 6, shall be reading 
independently in English and Filipino, with comprehension, and have solid 
science and math competencies; 
SEC. 8. Twelve (12) Years of Basic Education. The Department of 
Education shall prescribe a twelve (12) year basic education curriculum for all 
public and private schoolchildren nationwide, including the number of years to be 
assigned to the elementary and high school levels, to be implemented on the 
sixth year of the effectivity of this Act. 
SEC.9. Revision of Secondary School Curriculum. - All high school 
institutions shall employ a curriculum, duly approved by the Department of 
Education, designed to ensure that every student will be provided an opportunity 
for either qualifying for university education or being prepared for the world of 
work. The curriculum for the early years of high school shall be aimed to 
reinforce the Science, Math, English, and Filipino competencies of the student. 
Thereafter, a two-track curriculum, duly approved by the Department of 
Education, shall be used for the latter years of high school. There shall be 
integrated in this two-track curriculum various elective courses which will equip 
the student with the knowledge and skills to meet his/her more advanced 
academic goals or work goals, such as but not limited to business, agribusiness, 
information technology and other specialized fields, provided however, that the 
Regional Offices of the Department of Education shall certify that the business or 
trade-oriented elective courses offered by secondary schools within their 
jurisdiction are relevant and valuable to the respective local economies and will 
provide the student an opportunity for gainful employment. 
SEC. 10. Teacher Qualifications, Education and Deve/opment-
A. Licensure Examinations. - A certification of proficiency in English shall 
be mandatory for all applicants for the Teachers Licensure Examination, provided 
that, all teachers with a license duly issued by the Professional Regulation 
Commission at the time of the effectivity of this Act shall be required to show the 
same certification of proficiency in English as a requirement for any promotion, 
position upgrading or change of assignment or post. 
B. In-service Training. - All primary school teachers who handle classes 
for Grades 1 to 3 shall undergo an intensive teacher training program which will 
focus on teaching methods using the mother tongues as medium of instruction. 
An in-service training program to upgrade the quality of English, Science and 
Math teaching shall be completed by all Non-Majors teaching English, Science 
and Math in high school within the next five (5) years. 
Thereafter, all primary and secondary school teachers involved in the 
teaching of science, math and specialized subjects shall undergo a continuous 
teacher training program that concentrates on their field of specialization and 
eleotive oourses handled onoe every five (5) years. 
The . results of the . foregoing' training programs and examination 
requirements shall also be the basis for any promotion and amount of teaohing 
load to be given. 
C. Hiring of Part-time Teaohers. - The Department of Eduoation, within 
sixty (60) days from the implementation of this Aot, shall provide the mechanisms 


for hiring of part-time secondary school teachers qualified to teach in Science 
and Math which will implemented as part of this Act. 
SEC. 11. Compulsory Year of Pre-School Education. - The Department 
of Education, in consultation with other government agencies and experts in the 
field of education administration, shall develop and implement a comprehensive 
plan and budget which will make attainment of critical readiness-for-school 
indicators among children entering Grade 1 universal and compulsory beginning 
the sixth year from the effectivity of this Act. Towards attaining this goal, the 
Department shall work with local governments and other community-based 
organizations to universalize the population coverage of a compulsory year of 
pre-school education. 
Pre-school center teachers shall undergo training in order to teach reading 
and writing using the mother tongues as the medium of instruction. 
CHAPTER 3 
IMPLEMENTING MECHANISM 
SEC. 12. Schedule of Implementation. The implementation of the 
strategic education reform components identified in Chapter 2 of this Act shall be 
programmed so as to achieve the specific quality targets embodied in Section 2 
above within ten (10) years from the effectivity of this Act, provided that the 
following quantitative outcomes shall be accomplished within ten (10) years: 
(1) Grades 1-6 cohort survival rate of 83%; 
(2) Grade 6 to 1st year high school transition rate of 99%; 
(3) High school cohort survival rate of 85% 
(4) Overall completion rate, from Grade 1 to last year of high school, of 
70%. 
SEC. 13. Education Planning and Budgeting-
A. The Department of Education shall henceforth formulate rolling budget 
plans with continuous five (5) year planning horizons, consistent with both 
quantity and qualitative target outcomes, enabled by multi-year budget ceilings 
established by the Department of Budget and Management, Department of 
Finance and the National Economic Development Authority which will provide for 
a specific annual increase in the education budget ceiling, allocating majority of 
the increase to the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses and Capital 
Outlay. 
B. The Commission on Higher Education shall earmark such amount as 
the Chairman may determine for the following priority areas: 
(1) Science and Math courses; 
(2) Engineering courses: and 
(3) Education courses. 
The Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education 
shall also develop a system of matching grants in order to leverage increased 
and focused local school board spending toward outcomes and programs set 


forth in Sections 2,6,8,9 and 10 above a~ well as reward quality parent 
voluntarism in communities. 
SEC. 14. Reportorial Requirements . • The Secretary of Education shall 
submit an annual report of its performance OR the implementation of this Act to 
the Office of the President and to the Congressional Oversight Committee 
hereinafter created, provided that, the report shall have been subjected to an 
independent validation and evaluation by the consortium or organization 
identified in Section 7 above. It shall also submit all other reports and information 
as may be required by the Congressional Oversight Committee. 
The annual report shall contain the status of the following: 
(1) Reading and Numeracy skills of Grade 3 pupils; 
(2) Science and Math competencies, of graduating elementary school 
students; 
(3) EngliSh and Filipino proficiency of 2nd year high school students; 
(4) Tertiary school acceptance rates of graduating high school students; 
(5) Year to year cohort survival rate of elementary and high school 
students; 
(6) Such other information or data that may be required by the Office of 
the President or the Congressional Oversight Committee. 
The Department of Education shall also keep and maintain records and a 
database containing the above-enumerated information, which shall be made 
readily available to the public. 
SEC. 15. Rules and Regulations. - The Department of Education, in 
consultation with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and other 
relevant government agencies, Shall, within one hundred twenty (120) days frolii 
the effectivity of this Act, promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to 
effectively implement the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 16. Congressional Oversight Committee. - For the effective 
implementation of this Act, there shall be created a Congressional Oversight 
Committee, hereinafter referred to as the Congressional OverSight Committee for 
Education Reforms, to be composed of four (4) members each from the Senate 
and the House of Representatives, which shall meet bi-annually to oversee 
implementation of this Act. The Congressional Oversight Committee for 
Education Reforms shall be jointly chaired by the Chairpersons of the Senate 
Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and the House Committee on Basic 
Education and Culture. 
CHAPTER 4 
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
, 
SEC. 17. Appropriations. For the initial implementation of this Act, the 
amount of Nineteen Billion Pesos (Php 19,000,000,000.00) shall be appropriated 
to the Office of the Secretary of Education~ in addition to the budget of the 
Department of Education. Such amount as may be necessary for the effective 
implementation of the ten (10) year education investment plan formulated under 
Section 4 hereof and for the continued implementation of this Act shall thereafter 
be provided for in the General Appropriations Act, consistent with the budget plan 
created pursuant to Section 12 of this Act. 
. 


SEC. 18. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any section or 
provision of this Act shall be held unconstitutional or invalid, the other section or 
provision not otherwise affected shall remain in full force and effect. 
SEC. 19. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive 
orders, proclamations, rules and regulations which are inconsistent with the 
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 20. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
from its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of 
general cir'cuhiti6ri. 
Approved,