SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENAT2 
S.B. No. 
615 
Introduced by Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. 
'15 
FEB '-2 P5 :38 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING AT LEAST ONE (1) SPECIAL EDUCATION (SPED) 
CENTER FOR EACH SCHOOL DIVISION AND AT LEAST THREE (3) SPED 
CENTERS IN BIG SCHOOL DIVISIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS 
(CSN), PROVIDING GUIDELINES THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Children who are either gifted with advance knowledge and skills or physically 
and mentally impaired and handicapped are classified as children with special needs, 
These children need special attention since their needs are more than the ordinary, 
These children need education and training more advanced and basically different from 
those given to "ordinary" children, Special programs should be given to children with 
special needs so that their mental and physical capacities may be enhanced, 
In order to facilitate these special programs, trained educators and staff are 
needed, alongside the assistance of the Government In this regard, this proposed 
measure seeks to establish special education centers to be situated in strategic places 
with the end in view of providing accessible services to children with special needs, 
These special education centers take significance in the administration of special 
education that takes into consideration the unique needs of these children, 
By orienting these children starting at an early age, they shall learn to overcome 
their "handicap" and thus consider themselves as no different and certainly no less than 
any other member of the society, 
In view of the foregoing, passage of this bill is earnestly sought 


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
'I') IER -2 I'') :38 
SENATJ;: 
S.B. No. 
i:! 615 
Introduced by Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING AT LEAST ONE (1) SPECIAL EDUCATION (SPED) 
CENTER FOR EACH SCHOOL DIVISION AND AT LEAST THREE (3) SPED 
CENTERS IN BIG SCHOOL DIVISIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS 
(CSN), PROVIDING GUIDELINES THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Congress assembled: 
1 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Special Education (SPED) Act of 
2 
2015". 
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4 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to protect 
5 
and promote the rights of children with special needs (CSN) to quality education and to 
6 
take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to them. The State 
7 
recognizes their vital role in society and endeavors to include their needs as integral 
8 
part of national development strategies. 
9 
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It is also the policy of the State to give full support for their welfare and 
11 
development, ensure their full integration in society, as well as facilitate their active 
12 
participation in the affairs of the State. Towards this end and also pursuant to the 
13 
mandate stated in the 1987 Constitution (Section 13, Article II; Section 13, Article XIII; 
14 
and Sections 1 and 2, paragraphs 1 and 3, Article XIV), Article 3 of Presidential Decree 
15 
No. 603 (The Child and Youth Welfare Code) and Sections 12, 13 and 14 of Republic 
16 
Act No. 7277 (Magna Carta for the Disabled), the State shall institutionalize an 
17 
adequate and relevant educational program for every CSN through the establishment of 
18 
SPED centers and the provision of vital support mechanisms for such. Thus, all CSN, in 
19 
any degree of sensory, physical or intellectual disability or needs, shall have the 
20 
opportunity to be developed in the most enhancing environment consistent with the 
21 
provision of a quality education that best meets their needs. 
22 
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SEC. 3. Objectives. - The objectives ofthe SPED Act of 2013 are: 
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(a) To provide CSN access to basic education through the formal system and 
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other alternative delivery services in education; 
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1 
(b) To facilitate integration of CSN with mainstream education; 
2 
(c) To ensure that CSN fully develop their potentials towards self-sufficiency and 
3 
become more effective partners in the affairs of the country; 
4 
(d) To ensure that CSN understand, appreciate and respect differences amongst 
5 
groups and members in society and also to understand the nature of society in which 
6 
they live; 
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(e) To identify gifted and talented children from ages three (3) to sixteen (16); 
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(f) To provide the parents with information on the full continuum of SPED 
9 
services and possible placement options for their children, thus enable them to make 
10 
informed choices and decisions; 
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(g) To enhance the role of parents, teachers and other caregivers as primary 
12 
educators and caregivers of the children by equipping them with capabilities to identify, 
13 
prevent, refer or intervene with the developmental disorders and disabilities of children; 
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(h) To involve private groups, local government units (LGUs) and national 
15 
agencies other than the Department of Education (DepED) in the education of CSN; 
16 
and 
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(i) To create significant and positive changes in community attitudes towards 
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disability and the need to provide special education and proper care for CSN. 
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SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. -
For purposes of this Act, the following terms are 
21 
defined: 
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(a) Disability refers to any of the following: 
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(1) A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one (1) or more 
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psychological, physiological or anatomical function of an individual or activities of such 
26 
individual; 
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(2) A record of such an impairment; or 
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(3) Being regarded as having such an impairment. 
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(b) Impairment refers to any loss, diminution or aberration of psychological, 
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physiological or anatomical structure or function. 
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(c) Handicap refers to a disadvantage of an individual, resulting from impairment 
32 
or a disability, that limits or prevents the function or activity that is considered normal 
33 
given the age and gender of the individual. 
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(d) Persons with disabilities (PWD) refer to those suffering from restriction or 
35 
different abilities, as a result of a mental, physical, sensory or neurological impairment, 
36 
to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human 
37 
being. 
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(e) Marginalized/disadvantaged persons with disabilities refer to disabled 
2 
persons who lack access to rehabilitative services and educational opportunities due to 
3 
poverty, abandonment, illness and other forms of neglect. For purposes of this Act, the 
4 
word "poor" refers to persons who either have no means of livelihood or have incomes 
5 
below the poverty threshold as determined by the National Statistics Coordinating Board 
6 
(NSCB). 
7 
(f) Children with special needs (CSN) refer to those who are gifted or are fast 
8 
learners; and those who are disabled, impaired or handicapped and in need of special 
9 
education as well as services for rehabilitation. They differ from the average children in 
10 
mental characteristics, sensory abilities, neuromuscular or physical characteristics and 
11 
social attributes, to such an extent that requires the use of modified school practices or 
12 
special education services to develop them to maximum capability. They may be 
13 
classified as follows: 
14 
15 
(1) Gifted children and fast learners are those capable of superior performance 
16 
including those with demonstrated achievement or potential ability in one (1) or more of 
17 
the following areas: general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative or 
18 
productive thinking ability, leadership ability, ability in the visual or performing arts and 
19 
psychomotor ability, or those individuals who consistently manifest the following cluster 
20 
of traits: above average ability (including intelligence), high creativity (implies the 
21 
developmental appreciation of innovative ideas) and high task commitment (related to a 
22 
high degree of motivation) and those who, by reason thereof, require services or 
23 
activities not ordinarily provided by the school; 
24 
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(2) Children with mental retardationlintel/ectual disability are those who have 
26 
substantial limitation in present functioning characterized by significant subaverage 
27 
intellectual functioning existing concurrently with related limitations in two (2) or more of 
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the applicable adaptive skill areas: communication, self-care, home living, social skills, 
29 
community use, self-direction, health and safety, functional academics, leisure and 
30 
work; 
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(3) Children with visual impairment are those who are blind or have low vision. 
33 
Persons are blind if they have visual capacity of 20/200 or less in the better eye after 
34 
maximum correction. The low vision persons retain relatively low degree of vision and 
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can read only enlarged print or regular print under special conditions; 
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(4) Children with hearing impairment are those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. 
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Deaf persons are those whose hearing are nonfunctional for ordinary purposes in life. 
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The hard- of-hearing have a defective sense of hearing that is functional with or without 
2 
a hearing aid; 
3 
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(5) Children with behavior problems are those who cannot adjust to the socially 
5 
accepted norms of behavior and consequently disrupt their academic progress, the 
6 
learning efforts of their classmates and interpersonal relations; 
7 
8 
(6) Children with orthopedic/physical handicap are those whose impairment 
9 
permanently or temporarily interferes with the normal functions of the joints, muscles or 
10 
limbs; 
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12 
(7) Children with special health problems are those who have health conditions 
13 
that tend to keep children out-of-school or those with chronic and/or debilitating 
14 
illnesses such as cardiac (heart) diseases, asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis and other 
15 
respiratory ailments, carcenonza, epilepsy, malnutrition and others; 
16 
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(8) Children with learning disabilities are those who although normal in sensory, 
18 
emotional and intellectual abilities exhibit disorders in perception, listening, thinking, 
19 
reading, writing, spelling or arithmetic. They have such conditions as perceptual 
20 
handicap, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia or developmental aphasia; 
21 
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(9) Children with speech defects are those whose speech differs from the 
23 
average so far as to draw unfavorable attention to the manner of speaking rather than to 
24 
the thought conveyed; 
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(10) Children with autism are those with developmental disabilities, the onset of 
27 
which occurs before thirty (30) months of age and which is marked by disturbance in 
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development, language and relationship with persons, activities and objects and which 
29 
may coexist with intellectual disability and epilepsy. Children afflicted with this disorder 
30 
have perceptual, cognitive, communication and social difficulties which change over 
31 
time; and 
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(11) Children with multi-handicaps are those with more than one (1) disability 
34 
such as the deaf-blind or those diagnosed with autism and intellectual disability. 
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(g) Auxiliary aids and services refer to services that are basically noneducation, 
37 
but enhance on the education process of the child with speCial needs. These include: 
38 
(1) Therapy; 
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(2) Qualified interpretations or other effective methods of delivering materials to 
2 
individuals with hearing impairments; 
3 
(3) Qualified reading, taped tests or other effective methods of delivering 
4 
materials to individuals with visual impairments; 
5 
(4) Acquisition or modification of equipment or devices; and 
6 
(5) Other similar services and actions or all types of aids and services that 
7 
facilitate the learning process of people with mental disability. 
8 
(h) Special instructional materials refer to textbooks in Braille, large type or any 
9 
other medium or any apparatus that conveys information to a student or otherwise 
10 
contributes to the learning process. 
II 
(i) Private sector participation refers to all forms of indispensable, substantial and 
12 
meaningful participation of private individuals, partnerships, groups or entities, 
13 
community-based organizations or nongovernmental organizations in the delivery of 
14 
educational and rehabilitative services for students and CSN. 
15 
0) Basic education refers to kindergarten, at least six (6) years of elementary 
16 
education and at least four (4) years of secondary education. 
17 
(k) Special education refers to basic education that takes into account the special 
18 
needs of both disabled children and gifted children. This is a systematic and deliberate 
19 
process that enables CSN to achieve functional literacy and the highest level of their 
20 
individual potential and capacity. It is also defined as that type of education tailored to 
21 
meet the needs of children 
22 
who cannot profit because of exceptional abilities. SPED is geared towards integration 
23 
of CSN with mainstream education. 
24 
(I) Functional literacy refers to the level of literacy necessary for the student or 
25 
child to become a useful citizen and an effective member of society. 
26 
27 
SEC. 5. Coverage. - This Act shall cover all students and CSN nationwide. 
28 
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SEC. 6. SPED Centers in Regular Schools. - At least one (1) SPED center for each 
30 
school division and at least three (3) SPED centers in big school divisions shall be 
31 
established in regular schools, where there are no existing SPED centers. These SPED 
32 
centers shall be administered by the principal of the regular school. 
33 
34 
The SPED center shall function as the resource center for the implementation of 
35 
inclusive education that will accept all kinds of children on regular schools. It shall: 
36 
37 
(a) Support CSN to be integrated/included in regular schools; 
38 
(b) Conduct school-based training of CSN; 
5 


1 
(C) Produce appropriate teaching materials for CSN; and 
2 
(d) Conduct assessment of CSN. 
3 
4 
It shall also be the responsibility of the SPED centers to assist, facilitate and 
5 
monitor the transfer/admission of qualified children with disabilities to post-secondary or 
6 
tertiary education institutions. 
7 
8 
Each SPED center shall have specialized teachers who can handle children and 
9 
youth with special needs who may include, but shall not be limited to, those with visual 
10 
impairment, hearing impairment, autism, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, 
11 
multiple disabilities, mental retardation/handicap and mental giftedness. 
12 
13 
Regular teachers currently handling special education of CSN shall henceforth 
14 
be classified as SPED teachers. 
15 
16 
There shall be an assistant principal for each SPED center who shall administer 
17 
and supervise the alternative educational programs; early intervention programs; 
18 
monitoring, supervision and provision of technical assistance, training and enhancement 
19 
programs to SPED personnel; referral and placement procedures; and oversee the 
20 
other components of the special education program. The assistant principal shall also 
21 
be responsible for the formation and supervision of the placement committee as well as 
22 
in the resolution of disagreements on placement and services. 
23 
24 
SEC. 7. Other Personnel of SPED Centers. - The administrative core and placement 
25 
committee of the SPED unit shall consist of: 
26 
(a) One (1) educational psychologist or psychometrician; 
27 
(b) One (1) physical therapist; 
28 
(c) One (1) occupational therapist; 
29 
(d) One (1) speech and language therapist/speech correction teacher; and 
30 
(e) One (1) education supervisor. 
31 
They shall also be jointly tasked to develop and maintain a data bank in special 
32 
education in their respective jurisdictions. The placement committee shall, in 
33 
consultation with and active participation of parents among others, ensure that students 
34 
with disabilities are educated as close as possible to their homes and alongside their 
35 
age-appropriate peer groups, and that these students attend their local schools or travel 
36 
the shortest distance to avail of educational 
37 
services. 
38 
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SEC. 8. Itinerant SPED Teachers. - Itinerant SPED teachers shall also be appointed 
whenever necessary. They shall assist isolated or remote schools with specialized 
equipment, individual programs, curriculum adjustment, teaching aids and building 
modifications. 
SEC. 9. Authority of the Secretary of Education to Give Grants to or Enter into 
Cooperative Arrangements for the Creation of SPED Centers. - The Secretary of 
Education is hereby authorized to give grants to or enter into cooperative arrangements 
or contracts with public or private nonprofit agencies, institutions or organizations for the 
establishment or creation of SPED centers for CSN or for programs such as the 
following: 
(a) Technical assistance to SPED centers; 
(b) Training of professionals or related services personnel who are preparing to 
serve or are serving CSN; 
(c) Replication of successful innovative approaches in providing 
educational 
or related services to CSN; 
(d) Facilitation of parental involvement in the education of their CSN; 
(e) Diagnosis and educational evaluation of CSN; 
(f) Consultative, counseling and training services for the families of CSN; or 
(g) Familiarization of the municipality or city being served by a SPED center with 
the problems and potentialities of such children. 
23 
SEC. 10. Continuing Research to Identify Needs of CSN. - The DepED by itself or in 
24 
association with organizations or institutions shall undertake continuing research to 
25 
identify and design programs that shall meet the full range of needs of the CSN: 
26 
Provided, That such continuing research shall also be used to develop instructional 
27 
techniques for use by the SPED centers towards improving CSN acquisition of skills 
28 
necessary for their transition to independent living, vocational training or competitive 
29 
development: Provided, further, That such continuing research shall further be used to 
30 
design physical education and therapeutic recreation program for use by the centers to 
31 
increase the potential of CSN for community participation. 
32 
33 
SEC. 11. Student Assistance. - The DepED shall provide financial assistance to 
34 
economically marginalized but deserving students with special needs at the elementary 
35 
and secondary levels which may come in the form of scholarship grants; allowances for 
36 
transportation, food, lodging and books; student loan programs; artistic and cultural 
37 
tours; training programs; subsidies; and other incentives. Marginalized or disadvantaged 
7 


I 
persons with disabilities and those coming from indigenous communities shall be the 
2 
priority in the grant of the aforesaid assistance. 
3 
4 
Special equipment like wheelchair, crutches, special toilet and hygiene 
5 
requirements, hearing aids, eyeglasses and such other assistive devices required by 
6 
the students to optimize education and participation in the educational process shall 
7 
also be provided for free or at discounted rates to deserving students and at very 
8 
affordable rates in general through a reasonable funding scheme that shall be designed 
9 
by the DepED. 
10 
11 
SEC. 12. Medical Assistance. - The DepED shall prepare a scheme that will ensure 
12 
adequate and free medical assistance and intervention programs, including those 
I3 
essential to the student or child's rehabilitation like therapy, psychometric assessments, 
14 
medical examinations and the like with government clinics, hospitals and other health 
15 
facilities. In case the medical service is not offered by the nearest or accessible 
16 
government health facility or cannot be obtained by reason of critical immediacy, or 
17 
needs a more specialized or advanced treatment, CSN shall be entitled to twenty 
18 
percent (20%) discount from the services of any private hospital or clinic: Provided, That 
19 
these private hospitals and clinics may claim the cost as tax credit. 
20 
21 
SEC. 13. Nutritional Programs. -
The nutritional programs for CSN shall be 
22 
supervised by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and the Department of Health 
23 
(DOH), in coordination with the LGU health officer. 
24 
25 
SEC. 14. Establishment of Specialized Day Care Centers. -
Day care centers 
26 
specially designed for preschool children and their parents, where early identification of 
27 
disabilities and special needs, and introductory educational and intervention programs 
28 
will be administered, shall also be established near or within existing SPED centers or 
29 
those that will be created by the DepED with the support of the Department of Social 
30 
Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the LGU in the area. As far as practicable, the 
31 
use of existing day care centers and facilities shall be maximized. 
32 
33 
SEC, 15. Recreational and Artistic Opportunities. - The DepED shall institute a 
34 
program for CSN that will afford them full opportunities for safe and wholesome 
35 
recreation and activities, individual as well as social, for optimal use of their leisure 
36 
hours and for the advancement of their physical, mental, social and cultural 
37 
development. 
38 
8 


SEC. 16. Remuneration and Benefits. -
The SPED teachers and school 
2 
administrators managing SPED centers and special schools shall be assigned a salary 
3 
grade that is three (3) salary grades higher than that of a regular teacher and school 
4 
administrator. respectively. 
5 
6 
The DepED shall enhance the right of the teachers/instructors to professional 
7 
advancement and ensure that the teaching staff will attract the best available talents 
8 
through adequate remuneration. scholarship and training grants. teacher exchange 
9 
programs. incentives and allowances and other means of securing job satisfaction and 
10 
fulfillment as well as their long and stable tenure in their respective posts. A similar 
11 
program shall be designed for support personnel like interpreters. psychologists. social 
12 
workers and others also involved in the education and rehabilitation of the child. 
13 
14 
The DepED shall identify at least one (1) leading institution or university in Luzon. 
15 
Visayas and Mindanao whose faculty is considered or regarded as highly competent in 
16 
the area of special education and where a uniform or standardized curriculum for any 
17 
postgraduate education program shall be designed to benefit SPED teachers and other 
18 
personnel of SPED centers. The manner of selection of such institution shall be 
19 
provided under the implementing rules and regulations of this Act. 
20 
21 
SEC. 17. Parent, Sibling and Caregiver Education. - There shall be a formal training 
22 
and counseling program for parents. siblings and caregivers of CSN for them to acquire 
23 
a working knowledge of special education. gain an understanding of the psychology of 
24 
CSN and be aware of their crucial role as educators so that they maximize their 
25 
knowledge and skills for optimum 
26 
development of the potentials of the child. 
27 
28 
SEC. 18. SpeCial Instructional Materials. - Publishers shall grant the DepED the 
29 
authority to transcribe adopted instructional materials into Braille. large type and audio-
30 
tape without penalty or payment of royalty. Furthermore. on or before the second (2nd) 
31 
working day after the adoption of textbook titles by the DepED. each publisher of newly 
32 
adopted instructional materials shall provide computerized files as specified by the 
33 
DepED which may be copied and distributed upon request to a school division for 
34 
instructional purposes. 
35 
36 
Copies of these instructional materials shall be furnished without cost to either 
37 
the student or teacher who is blind or visually impaired. The materials are to be loaned 
38 
to the public school district and are to be returned when no longer needed. 
9 


2 
SEC. 19. Incentives to Private Sector Participation. -
Partnership between the 
3 
government and private institutions catering to the needs of CSN shall be encouraged. 
4 
All profits and income generated by the SPED center derived from its fundamental 
5 
function as an educational institution shall be exempt from income tax. Any donation, 
6 
contribution, bequest and grant which may be made to the center shall be exempt from 
7 
donor's tax and the same shall be considered as allowable deduction from the gross 
8 
income in the computation of the income tax of the donor in accordance with the 
9 
provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended: Provided, That 
10 
such donations shall not be disposed of, transferred or sold. Economic, technical and 
11 
cultural books and/or publications shall be imported duty-free upon certification by the 
12 
DepED that such imported books and/or publications are for economic, technical, 
13 
vocational, scientific, philosophical, historical or cultural purposes, in accordance with 
14 
the provisions of the Tariff and Customs Code, as amended. 
15 
16 
SEC. 20. Local Government Unit Participation. - The LGUs shall be responsible for 
17 
the following: 
18 
(a) Provision of buildings or centers which are CSN-friendly and sites where 
19 
there are no existing school facilities that may be used for the special education of CSN, 
20 
as well as the establishment of day care pursuant to Section 14 hereof; 
21 
(b) Organization of one (1) parent-teacher association for CSN in every school 
22 
offering special education in their respective jurisdictions; 
23 
(c) Identification, coordination and the tapping of public or private volunteers and 
24 
private organizations, national or international, for information dissemination campaigns, 
25 
funding programs and other projects to augment the funding for SPED programs and 
26 
equipment, among others; and 
27 
(d) Provision of counterpart funds for the training and seminars of parents and 
28 
teachers, and nutritional programs for the CSN in their respective localities to be 
29 
determined by the DepED, in coordination with the Department of Budget and 
30 
Management (DBM) and the Department of Finance (DOF). 
31 
32 
SEC. 21. Public Information, Education and Communication. -
A nationwide 
33 
information dissemination campaign on the prevention, early identification and 
34 
intervention programs for CSN shall be intensified. This shall be the joint responsibility 
35 
of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), the Council for the Welfare of Children 
36 
(CWC) and the DepED. The DepED, 
10 


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in collaboration with the DOH and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), 
2 
shall also disseminate materials and information concerning effective practices in 
3 
working with, training and educating CSN. 
4 
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SEC. 22. Appropriations. - The Secretary of the DepED shall immediately include in 
6 
the Department's programs the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be 
7 
included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
8 
9 
SEC. 23. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The DepED, in coordination with 
10 
the DSWD, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the DOH, the 
II 
DOF, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the CWC and the National Council on 
12 
Disability Affairs (NCDA), shall promulgate and issue the necessary guidelines for the 
13 
creation and operation of SPED centers within sixty (60) days after the effectivity of this 
14 
Act. 
15 
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SEC. 24. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any provision or part hereof is 
17 
declared invalid, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain in full force and 
18 
effect. 
19 
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SEC. 25. Repealing Clause. -
All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
21 
regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
22 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
23 
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SEC. 26. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) daysafter its publication in 
25 
two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
11