SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF TI-IE REPUBLIC 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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Second Regular Session 
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OEC 22 P 4 :1;:; 
SENATE 
S. B. No ... 2S3--4 
Introduced by Senntor Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO PROVIDE FOR DIGITAL EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS [ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 2, Section 17, provides: 
The State shaH give priority to edncation, science and technology, 
arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate 
social progress, and promote total human libcration and deVelopment. 
In 1994, the US Congress and the Department of Education collaborated to make a 
long-term, meaningful, ,md public investment in tht' principlc that high-quality pre-school 
television programming will help children be ready to learn by the time children entered 
ilrst grade. 
The Ready-to-Learn Television Program through Public Broadcasting Service 
(PBS) and local public television station~ has proven to be extremely cost-effective 
national response to improving early childhood development and helping parents, 
caregivers, and professional child care providers learn how to use television as a means to 
help children learn, develop, and play creatively. 
Independent research shows that parents who participate in Ready-To-Learn 
workshops are more critical consumers of television and their children are more active 
viewers. 
A University of Alabama study showed that parents who have attended a 
Ready·To-Learn workshop read more books and stories to their children and read more 
I This bill was originally filed during the Thit1eenth Congress, First Regular Sc')siot!. 
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minutes each time than non-attendees. The parents did more hands-on activities related 
to reading with their children. The parents engaged in more word activities and for more 
minutes each time. The parents read less for entertainment and more for education. The 
parents took their children to libraries and hookstores more than non-attendees. 
Further, six (6) months aner participating in Ready·Ta··Learn workshops, parents 
who attended generally had set rules for television viewing by their children. These rules 
related to the amount of time the children were allowed to watch television daily, the 
hours the children were allowed to watch television, and the tasks or chores the children 
must have accomplished before the children were allowed to watch television. 
Hence, this bill seeks to incorporate ready-to··learn television programming in the 
country by forging partnership between the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports 
and eligible television and broadcasting entities in order to develop, produce, and 
distribute educational and instructional video progmmming for preschool and elementary 
school children and their parents. 
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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
--~-------~-~ 
) 
) 
) 
lntroc1ucec1 by Sem(or Miriam Defensor Santiago 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled' 
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AN ACT 
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TO PROVIDE FOR DIGITAL EDUCA nON PARTNERSHIPS 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Digital Education 
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Act." 
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SECTION 2. Ready-To-rearn digitailelevision. -
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(1) IN GENERAL - The Secretary of Education is authorized to award 
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grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements wilh, eligible television and 
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broadcasting entities to develop, produce, and distribute educational and instructional 
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video programming Jar pre-school and elementary school chilc1ren and their parents, 
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patterned after the Ready-To-Learn television progrmll in the United States. 
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(2) AVAILABILITY - In making such grants, contracts, or cooperative 
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agreements, the Secretary shall ensure that eligible entities make programming widely 
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available, with support materials as appropriate, (0 young children, their parents, and 
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childcare workers. 
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SECTION 3. Educational programming. -
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(\ ) AWARDS -- The Secretary shall award grants, contracts, cooperative 
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agreements (0 eligible entities to-
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(A) facilitate the development directly, or through contracts with 
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producers of children and family educational television programming, of-
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(i) educational programmmg for pre-school and elementary 
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school children; and 
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(ii) accompanying support materials and scrvices that promote 
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the effective use of such programm ing; 
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(B) facilitate the development of programming and digital content 
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especially designed for nationwide distribution over public television 
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stations' digital broadcasting channels and Tnternet, containing Ready-to-
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Learn-based children's programming and resources for parents and 
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caregivers; and 
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(C) enable eligible entities to contract with entities (such as public 
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telecommunications entities) so that programs developed under this section 
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are disseminated and distributed --
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(i) to the widest possible audience appropriate to be served 
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by the programming; and 
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Oi) by the most appropriate distribution technologies. 
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(2) ELlGJl3LE ENTITIES- To be eligible to receive a grant, contract, or 
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cooperative agreement under subsection (1), an entity shall be -
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(A) 
a public telecommunications entity that is able to demonstrate 
a capacity for the development and national distribution of educational and 
instructional television programming of high quality for preschool and 
elementary school children; and 
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(B) able to demonstrate a capacity to contract with the producers of 
children's television programming [or the purpose of developing 
educational television programming or high quality for preschool and 
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elementary school children 
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(3) CULTURAl, EXPERlFNCES- Programming developed under this 
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section shall reflect the recognition of diverse cultural experiences and the needs and 
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experiences of both boys and girls in engaging and preparing young children for 
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schooling. 
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SECTION 4. Duties of the Secretary. - (1) To award grants, contracts, or 
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cooperative agreements to eligible entities, local pnblic television stations, or community-
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based organizations of demonstrated effectiveness, for the purpose of -
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(A) 
addressing the learning needs of young children in limited 
English proiicient households, and developing appropriate edncational and 
instructional television programming to foster the school readiness of such 
children; 
(B) developing programming and support materials to increase 
family literacy skills among parents to assist parents in teaching their 
children and utilizing educational television programming to promote 
school readiness; and 
(C)developing and disseminating training materials, inc\uding-
(i) interactive programs and programs adaptable to distance 
learning technologies that are designed to enhance knowledge of 
children's social and cognitive skiJI development and positive adult-
child interactions; and 
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(ii) support materials to promote the effective use of materials 
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developed under subparagraph (B) among parents, early childhood 
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development personnel, elementary school teachers, public libraries, 
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and after-school progrmn personnel caring for preschool and 
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elementary school children; 
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(2) to establish within the Department a clearing-house to compile and 
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provide information, referrals, and model program materials and programming obtained 
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or developed under this part to parents, child care providers, and other appropriate 
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individuals or entities 10 assist such individuals and entities in accessing programs and 
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projects under this part. 
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SECTION 5. Application. -- Each entity desiring a gram, contract, or cooperative 
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agreement shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time. in such manner, and 
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accompanied by such information as the secretary may reasonable require. 
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SECTION 6. Reports and evaluations. -
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(1) ANNUAL REPORT TO SECRETARY- An eligible entity receiving 
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funds under this Act shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an annual report which 
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contains such information as thc Secretary may requirc. At a minimum, the report shall 
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describe the program activities undertaken with funds received, including--
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(A) 
the programming that has been developed directly or 
indirectly by the eligible entity, and the target population of the programs 
developed; 
(13 )the support materials that have been developed to accompany the 
programming, and the method by which such materials are distributed to 
consnmers and users of the programming; 
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(C)the means by which the programming developed under this 
section has been distribllted. induding the distance learning technologies 
that have been utilized to make programming available and the geographic 
distribution achieved through such technologies; and 
(D) 
the initiatives undertaken by eligible entity to develop public-
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private partnership to secure support for the development, distribution and 
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broadcast of educational and instruct ional programming. 
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(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS _. The Secretary shall prepare and submit to 
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the relevant committees of Congress a hianm131 report which includcs-
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(A) 
a summary of activities assisted; and 
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(B)a dcscription ofthe training materials made available, the manner 
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in which outreach has been conducted to inform parents and child care 
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providers of the availability of such materials, and the manner in which 
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such materials have bcen distributed in accordance with such section. 
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SECTION 7. Funding. - There are authorized such sums as may be necessary to 
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carry out the provisions of this Act. 
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SECTfON 8. Separability Clause . . If any provision, or part hereof, is held invalid 
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or unconstitutional. the remainder ofthe law or the provision shall remain valid and 
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subsisting. 
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SECTION 9. Repealing Clause - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
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executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulations contrary to 
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or inconsistent with, the proviSions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended 
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accordingly. 
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SECTION 10. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
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after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved. 
Imam! 
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