Introduced by SENATOR EDCARDO j. ANCARA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The shortage in the number of public school buildings to accommodate the 
increasing number of enrollees in our public schools, associated with the 
deteriorating quality of our education system, has always been a perennial problem. 
To date, the national classroom - student ratio for elementaty and secondary 
public schools is a lamentable 1:65, due largely to the free education program, 
which has not been met by a corresponding increase in the number of classrooms. 
In her various policy pronouncements, President Gloria Arroyo has 
repeatedly promoted her "education for all" program. 
However, following the 
General Appropriations Act FY 2005, the proposed allocation for school building 
program will be 50% lower than the 2004 allocation. From a Php 2 Billion 
allocation in 2004, it is now only Php 1 Billion for 2005. The said cut in the 
classroom construction budget is inconsistent with the funding requirement 
prescribed by the department to eliminate backlog by 2008. Without doubt, this 
will bring modest answers to the pressing need of addressing classroom shortage. 
As per DepEd records, the total nationwide classroom shortage is 51,947 for 
2004. Using official estimates that PI billion or $17.95 million can construct 2,500 
classrooms, the Phpl Billion allocated for school buildings in the 2005 GAA will 
reduce the classroom shortage by a mere 4.8%. This estimate does not even include 
those classrooms that have to be rehabilitated. DepEd further reported that 20% of 
the country's classrooms have no proper ventilation, 27% have no lighting, 55% do 
not have electricity, and 25% have no ceilings. It also added that in 2005, 20% of 
elementary and secondary schools did not have science laboratories. 
The bill seeks to create a comprehensive program which will address the 
problem of classroom shortage. A salient feature of this bill is the provision of build- 
operate-transfer, build-lease-transfer, build-transfer, rehabilitate-operate-transfer, and 
other contractual arrangements that will allow the use of both government and 
private funds to finance the construction of needed school buildings, and the 
creation of an inter-agency committee to formulate and ensure the effective 
implementation of the program by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. 
The program also provide for the integration of all the necessary information for the 
effective monitoring and maintenance of existing school buildings. 


Reducing the shortage in classrooms will not automatically reduce the class 
size to the ideal 25, however. Today, the actual class size in public schools is 60 to 
110. This pales in comparison to Thailand (18), Malaysia [19), China (241, Taiwan 
(14), and Indonesia (22). 
It is hoped that with the passage of this bill, class sizes will be reduced to a 
manageable and ideal proportion level for a more conductive learning environment 
and thus result in the improvement of the quality of our education. 
Towards this end, I urge my colleagues in the Chamber to immediately pass 
this bill. 
EDCA 
L'*,p 
DO J. Q%- 
A 'CARA 
Senator 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
I 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
S E N A T E  
S.B. No. 
1912 
Introduced by SENATOR EDGARDO I. ANGARA 
A N  ACT ESTABLISHING A PROGRAM 
FOR THE ACQUISITION OF SCHOOL SITES 
AND THE CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE, REHABILITATION, 
AND REPAIR OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS IN THE PUBLIC ELEMENTARY 
AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the 
Philippines in Congress Assembled: 
SECTION 1. 
Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “School Building 
Program Act of 2005.” 
SECTION. 2. 
School Building Program Objectives. - There shall be 
established a comprehensive and continuing School Building Program, hereinafter 
referred to as the “Program”, which shall have the following objectives: 
1. To provide a system for an accurate inventory of all existing public 
prirnary and secondary school buildings, with proper indications as to its 
location, size, capacity, condition, and compliance with basic building 
safety requirements; 
2. To provide appropriate studies for determining the yearly school building 
requirements base on projected increases in enrollment and other 
appropriate indicators; 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
SECTION. 3. 
Infer-Agency Committee. - To formulate and ensure the 
effective implementation of the program, there is hereby created an inter-agency 
committee, to be headed by the Secretary of the Department of Education, Culture 
and Sports (DECS) as Chairperson, and the respective Secretaries of the Department 
of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Budget and Management 
(DBM), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), as members. 
The committee shall within one (1) year from the approval of this Act, submit to the 
Committee on Education of both houses of Congress and every year thereafter, the 
comprehensive school-building program herein established. 
SECTION. 4. 
Implementation of the Program. - Consistent with the 
provisions of Republic Act No. 7880, otherwise known as the ”Fair and Equitable 
Access to Education Act,” the committee shall determine and supervise the 
acquisition and/or construction of priority school building projects to be 
implemented by the DECS as provided in the Program. The DECS is hereby 
authorized to enter into contracts with duly pre-qualified private contractors for the 
design, financing, construction, maintenance and other aspects of school buildings 
through the build-operate and transfer, build and transfer, build-lease and transfer, 
rehabilitate-operate and transfer and such other contractual arrangement schemes as 
provided under the Build - Operate and Transfer Law (Republic Act No. 6957). 
SECTION. 5. 
Release of Maintenance and Other Operafing Expenditures. 
- For the purpose of ensuring compliance of such contractual arrangement as may 
hereinafter be entered, the appropriation of DECS for the School Building Program 
and for Maintenance and other Operating Expenditures shall be directly released to 
DECS according to the work and financial schedule stipulated in the program. 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
3. To provide for the effective monitoring and supervision of all school 
building facilities with respect to its proper and adequate maintenance, 
replacement, rehabilitation and repair; 
4. To provide a comprehensive plan for the acquisition and/or construction 
and adequate school sites, buildings and facilities for all public 
elementary and secondary schools nationwide, with the aim of reducing 
the classroom-students ratio to an ideal proportion within a period of five 
(5) years upon approval of this Act; 
5. To provide the mechanism for the selection of public schools to prioritize 
in the school-building projects nationwide; 
6. To provide a specific time schedule for the construction of school 
buildings which shall be strictly followed so as to prevent unnecessary 
delays and backlogs; 
7. To provide for necessary mechanisms which will facilitate a closer 
coordination between the Department of Budget and Management 
(DBM), Department of 
Public Works and Highways (DPWH), 
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Depaarnent of 
Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) to expedite the implementation of 
the Program; 
8. To formulate guidelines for the bidding procedures that will be used for 
the school 
building program including that of the contractual 
arrangement schemes; and 
9. To provide for a definite work and financial schedule for the construction, 
operation and maintenance of school buildings under any of the 
contractual arrangement schemes. 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
SECTION. 6. 
Appropriation. - The amount necessary to attain the 
objectives of this Act shall be authorized to be appropriated out of the unallocated 
share of the national government in the income of the Philippine Amusement 
Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), for a period of five (5) years. 
If the above amount be deemed inadequate, such amount as may be 
necessary to augment said annual appropriations shall be included in the General 
Appropriations Act. 
SECTION. 7. Separability Clause. - If any provision in this Act is declared 
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the other 
provisions hereof. 
SECTION. 8. 
Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and 
regulations and all other issuances of parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this 
Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION. 9. Effectivity Clause. -This Act shall take effect upon its 
approval. 
Approved,