EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
S E N A T E
S. B. No. 329
o! tl)r
T 9 
JULIO 
AlOTO
RECeV^LLBll
Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
AN ACT
INSTITUTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION LEARNING RESOURCE CENTERS FOR CHILDREN 
AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIVISIONS, 
PROVIDING FOR STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES, AND APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Sec. 1, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution provides that the State shall 
promote the "right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take 
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all," calling for the 
establishment of a "complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant 
to the needs of the people and society." Further, the right of persons with disabilities 
to education is guaranteed by international law, particularly Article 24 of the 
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Hence, the universality and 
inclusiveness of education is a fundamental policy aim of the country.
Several laws already affirm this policy directive, but gaps persist especially 
those concerning the delivery and quality of education for children with disabilities. A 
2011 Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) showed that up to twice as 
many female persons with disabilities (PWDs) than male PWDs do not complete any 
primary education at all-hindered by cost and social barriers.
Inadequate resources are devoted to building up the tailored capabilities and 
expertise that allow even the differently abled to gain a meaningful education. In 
2017, a total of only 648 schools nationwide have been allowed by the Department 
of Education (DepEd) to offer the Special Education (SPED) program that provides 
the necessary educational interventions for students with certain exceptionalities.1
1 https://www.manilatimes.net/600-schools-cater-children-special-needs-deped/314217/


This shows a very minimal increase in the number of SPED centers. In 2014, Rappler 
reported that only 620 out of 34,000 public elementary schools across the country 
either have a SPED center or at least offers a SPED program.2
The foregoing measure aims to fill in these policy gaps by calling for the 
establishment of inclusive education learning resource centers for children and youth 
with special needs nationwide-in a bid to further expand the avowed accessibility of 
Philippine education. Therefore, the immediate enactment of this measure is 
earnestly sought.
SONNY ANGARA
2 http://www.rappler.com /m ove-ph/issues/education/51277-long-way-special-education
2


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
S E N W
q
S. B. No. 
J
of l u 1' ■: ftr-'-T
T9 
JULIO 
A10T0
RECEIV.D'J'..
Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
AN ACT
INSTITUTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION LEARNING RESOURCE CENTERS FOR CHILDREN 
AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIVISIONS, 
PROVIDING FOR STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES, AND APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as the "Inclusive Education
2 
Learning Resource Center Act o f 2019."
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  It is hereby declared the policy of the State to
4 
protect and promote the rights of children and youth with special needs to quality
5 
education and to take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to them.
6 
The State recognizes their vital role in society and endeavors to include their needs
7 
as an integral part of national development strategies.
8 
It is also the policy of the State to fully support their welfare and
9 
development, ensure their full integration in society, as well as facilitate their active
10 
participation in the affairs of the State. Towards this end, and pursuant to the 1987
11 
Constitution specifically: Section 13, Article II; Section 13, Article XIII; and Sections
12 
1 and 2, paragraphs 1 and 3, Article XIV, Articles 3 and 12 of Presidential Decree
13 
No. 60 3-The Child and Youth Welfare Code (1974), and Sections 12-14 of Republic
14 
Act No. 9442-4/7 Act Amending RA 7277, otherwise known as the "Magna Carta For
15 
Disabled Persons, And For Other Purposes"(2008), UN Convention on the Rights of
1


1 
the Child (1989), UNESCO Salamanca Statement (1984), UN Convention on the
2 
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) and Incheon Strategy to Make the Rights
3 
Real for Persons with Disability in Asia and Pacific (2012) and other relevant
4 
laws, the State shall institutionalize an adequate and relevant educational program
5 
for every child and youth with special needs by adopting the policy of inclusive
6 
education, the establishment of Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers, and
7 
the provision of vital support mechanisms required to ensure their effectiveness. All
8 
children and youth with special needs in any degree of sensory, physical or
9 
intellectual disability or need, shall therefore have the opportunity to be developed in
10 
the most enhancing environment, consistent with the provision of a quality
11 
education that best meets their needs.
12 
Sec. 3. Objectives. -  This Act shall pursue the following:
13 
a) Provide children and youth with special needs free and appropriate public
14 
education and related services in accordance with their needs, and in preparation for
15 
adult living and community life;
16 
b) Provide children and youth with special needs access to general education
17 
curriculum through the formal systems and alternative delivery services in
18 
education;
19 
c) Institute Inclusive Education and establish Inclusive Education Learning
20 
Resource Centers for inclusion of children and youth with special needs in the
21 
educational mainstream;
22 
d) Ensure 
that children and youth with special needs fully develop their
23 
potentials toward self- sufficiency and become fully participative members of society;
24 
e) Identify thru a child find system children and youth with special needs ages 3-
25 
24 and infants and toddlers under age 3 in compliance with the Early Years Act of
26 
2013 (RA 10410);
27 
f) Develop, implement, and review Individualized Education Program;
28 
g) Provide parents with information and opportunities to actively participate in
29 
the possible placement options for their children and to enable them to make
30 
informed choices and decisions;


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h) Enable and empower parents and family members by training and equipping
2 
them with capabilities to identify, prevent, refer or intervene with regards disorders
3 
and disabilities of their children;
4 
i) Train and equip special education teachers, regular teachers, principals/
5 
administrators, non-teaching staff of the school, and caregivers a primary source of
6 
care, development, education and advancement of children and youth with special
7 
needs;
8 
j) Increase school retention and cohort survival of children and youth with
9 
special needs; and
10 
k) Create 
significant 
and 
positive 
changes 
in 
community 
attitudes
11 
towards disability and the need to provide inclusive education and proper care
12 
for children and youth with special needs.
13 
Sec. 4. Definition o f Terms. -  As used in this Act:
14 
(a) Basic education refers to meeting the basic learning needs which provide the
15 
foundation on which subsequent learning can be based. 
It encompasses
16 
kindergarten, elementary and secondary education as well as alternative
17 
learning systems for out-of-school learners and those with special needs;
18 
(b) Children and youth with special needs refer to children and youth who are
19 
gifted or talented, or with neuropsychological retardation, learning disabilities,
20 
emotional or behavioral disorders, speech and language disorders, hearing
21 
impairments, visual impairments, autism, physical or health disabilities, deaf-
22 
blindness and multiple handicapping conditions and are in need of special
23 
education as well as services for rehabilitation. They differ from the average
24 
children in neuropsychological characteristics, sensory abilities, neuromuscular
25 
or physical characteristics, and social attributes to such an extent that the use
26 
of modified school practices or special education services are required to
27 
develop them to maximum capability. They may be classified as children with
28 
exceptionalities such as the following:
29 
1) Autism - those with developmental disabilities marked by disturbance
30 
in development, language and relationship with persons, activities and objects
31 
and which may coexist with intellectual disability and epilepsy. Children


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afflicted with this disorder have perceptual, cognitive, communication and 
social difficulties that change over time;
2) Behavioral Disturbance - those who cannot adjust to the socially- 
accepted norms of behavior and consequently disrupt their academic 
progress, the learning efforts of their classmates, and their interpersonal 
relations;
3) Gifted or talented - those who are capable of superior performance 
including those with demonstrated achievement or potential ability in one or 
more of the following areas: general intellectual ability, specific academic 
aptitude, creative or productive thinking ability, leadership ability, ability in 
the visual or performing arts, and psychomotor ability; or, those individuals 
who consistently manifest the following cluster of traits: above average ability 
(including 
intelligence), 
high 
creativity 
(implies 
the 
developmental 
appreciation of innovative ideas) and high task commitment (related to a high 
degree of motivation); and those who by reason thereof, require services or 
activities not ordinarily provided by a school;
4) Deaf - those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Deaf persons are those 
whose hearing is non-functional for ordinary purposes in life; the hard-of- 
hearing have a defective sense of hearing but are still functional with or 
without a hearing aid;
5) Learning disabilities - those, although normal in sensory, emotional and 
intellectual abilities, have a condition that causes impediment/impairment in 
perception, comprehension, listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling or 
arithmetic;
6) Multiple disabilities - those with more than one disability such as the 
deaf-blindness (concomitant hearing and visual impairments) or those 
diagnosed 
with 
autism and 
intellectual 
disability; 
mental 
retardation- 
orthopedic impairment;
7) 
Deaf blindness - concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the 
combination of which results in severe communication and other development 
and education needs that cannot be served in programs solely for the blind 
and deaf.


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8) Neuropsychological retardation/ intellectual disability - those who have 
substantial limitation in present functioning characterized by significant sub­
average intellectual functioning co-existing with other limitations in two or 
more of the following applicable adaptive skill areas: communication, self- 
care, home living, social skills, community use, self-direction, health and 
safety, functional academics, leisure and work;
9) Orthopedic/physical disabilities - those who have impairments caused 
by any of the following: a) congenital anomaly (e.g. clubfoot, spinal cord 
injury, etc.); b) disease (e.g. poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc.); and c) 
impairments from other causes (e.g. gerbera palsy, amputations, and 
fractures, etc.). The impairment permanently or temporarily interferes with 
the normal functions of the joints, muscles or limbs;
10) Special health problems - those who have health conditions that tend 
to keep them out-of-school, or those with chronic and/or debilitating illnesses 
such as cardiac disease, asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis and other respiratory 
ailments, carcenonza, epilepsy, and malnutrition;
11) Speech impairment and delays - those who have difficulty in 
expressing or articulating words in a manner understandable by others;
12) Visual impairment - those who are blind or have low vision. Persons 
are blind if they have visual capacity of 20/200 or less in the better eye after 
maximum correction. Low vision persons retain relatively low degree of vision 
and can read only enlarged print or regular print under special conditions;
23 
(c) Handicap refers to a disadvantage of an individual, resulting from an
24 
impairment or a disability that limits or prevents the function or activity that is
25 
considered normal, given the age and gender of the individual;
26 
(d) Impairment refers to any loss, diminution or aberration of psychological,
27 
physiological or anatomical structure or function;
28 
(e) Individualized Education Program (lEP) refers to the systematic, purposive
29 
and developmental educational programming of curricular and instructional
30 
priorities and contents designed to meet a learner's special needs and aimed
31 
at ensuring mastery learning of target skills and behaviors; including periodic


1 
monitoring of child's progress and age- appropriate transition plan relating to
2 
training, employment, and independent living beginning at age 16 or earlier
3 
as determined by the lEP team;
4 
(f) Learning differences refer to any of the following:
5 
1. a physical or mental or sensory and intellectual impairment that
6 
substantially limits one 
or 
more 
psychological, physiological, anatomical,
7 
sensory or intellectual function of an individual;
8 
2. a record of such an impairment; or,
9 
3. being regarded as having such an impairment;
10 
(g) Private sector participation refers to all forms of indispensable, substantial
11 
and meaningful participation of private individuals, partnerships, groups or
12 
entities, community-based organizations or non-governmental organizations,
13 
in the delivery of educational and rehabilitative services for children with
14 
special needs;
15 
(h) Special Education refers to the customized instructional program/service
16 
designed to meet the unique needs of individual children and youth with
17 
special needs, which may necessitate use of 
supplementary aids and
18 
services and teaching strategies in classroom and non- academic settings,
19 
and includes instructions on physical and vocational education and travel
20 
training. 
Special 
education 
addresses 
significant 
physical, 
sensory,
21 
neuropsychological, 
cognitive 
or 
behavioral 
characteristics 
that 
may
22 
necessitate the use of specialized materials, equipment, services and/or
23 
teaching strategies. 
It is geared towards the integration of children with
24 
special needs into the education mainstream;
25 
(i) Inclusive Education means providing to all students, including those with
26 
significant disabilities, equitable opportunities to receive effective educational
27 
services, with the needed supplementary aids and support services, in age-
28 
appropriate classrooms in their neighborhood schools, in order to prepare
29 
students productive lives as full members of society (National Center on
30 
Educational Restructuring and Inclusion, 1995). It requires that schools
31 
educate children and youth with special needs predominantly in general
32 
education classroom. Removal of children and youth with special needs from


1 
the regular educational environment, like special class or separate schooling,
2 
occurs only when education in regular classes even with the use of
3 
supplementary aids and services cannot be made satisfactorily due to the
4 
nature of the special needs.
5 
(j) Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center is a resource hub that provide
6 
students, teachers, school personnel and other education stakeholders of
7 
children and youth with special needs appropriate instructional learning
8 
materials, tools, devices, gadgets, equipment to facilitate and enhance
9 
learning; assessment tools and instruments to evaluate developmental
10 
domains and specific areas of concern necessary in determining appropriate
11 
services and placement decisions;
12 
(k) Special instructional materials refer to textbooks in Braille, large type or any
13 
other medium or apparatus, that convey information to a student or
14 
otherwise contributes to the learning process;
15 
(I) Universal Design for Learning is a framework that provides educators with a
16 
structure to meet the wide range of diversity among learners by providing
17 
flexibility in the ways information is presented and by reducing barriers in
18 
instruction, providing appropriate accommodations and supports. The three
19 
principles of UDL are access, assessment, and engagement (Higher Equal
20 
Opportunity Act, 2008).
21 
Sec. 5. Establishment o f Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers for
22 
Children and Youth with Special Needs in all Public Schools Divisions. -  An Inclusive
23 
Education Learning Resource Center for children and youth with special needs shall
24 
be established in all public schools divisions nationwide where there are no existing
25 
Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center. Existing Inclusive Education Learning
26 
Resource Centers shall continue to function and additional ones shall be established
27 
when the need arises due to increased number of enrollees, upon recommendation
28 
of the Schools Division Superintendent and approval of the Secretary of the
29 
Department of Education (DepEd).
30 
All Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers will comply with the
31 
requirements of the Universal Design Principle.


1 
Sec. 6. Functions o f an Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center. -  The
2 
Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center shall function as a resource center
3 
that shall assist in promoting inclusive education to capacitate regular schools to
4 
effectively handle the needs of children and youth with disability. It shall:
5 
(a) Support 
children 
and 
youth 
with 
special 
needs 
so 
they 
could
6 
be integrated/included in regular classes;
7 
(b) Conduct 
assessment 
of children 
and 
youth 
with 
special 
needs 
to
8 
evaluate developmental 
domains 
and 
specific 
areas 
of 
concern 
and
9 
determine appropriate services and placement options;
10 
(c) Conduct school- based training of children and youth with special needs;
11 
(d) Undertake case management and coordination of services;
12 
(e) Provide training to regular teachers, administrators, non-teaching personnel
13 
and parents on inclusive education;
14 
(f) Produce appropriate teaching materials for children and youth with special
15 
needs;
16 
(g) Implement the programs of the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center
17 
such as the Individualized Education Program and other alternative educational
18 
programs; and
19 
(h) Provide auxiliary aids and services or services that are basically non-
20 
educational, but which enhance the education process of the child and youth with
21 
special needs. These services include:
22 
1. language and 
speech 
therapy, occupational therapy, 
physical 
and
23 
physiotherapy, among other modes of therapy;
24 
2. quality interpretations or other effective methods of delivering materials;
25 
3. quality reading, taped tests or other effective methods of delivering
26 
materials to 
individuals with visual impairments;
27 
4. acquisition or modification of equipment or devices;
28 
5. appropriate classroom accommodation; and,
29 
6. other similar services and actions or all types of aids and services that
30 
facilitate the learning process of children and youth with special needs;
31 
and
8


1 
7. 
assist, facilitate, monitor the transfer or admission of qualified children and
2 
youth with special needs to post- secondary or tertiary education
3 
institutions.
4 
Sec. 7. Staffing and Responsibilities. -  In addition to teachers with special
5 
training to handle children and youth with special needs, each Inclusive Education
6 
Learning Resource Center shall have a Supervisor, an Administrative Core and
7 
Placement Committee. 
Mobile Special Education (SPED) teachers and the Mobile
8 
Multi-Specialist Inclusive Education Division Support Team who will serve as human
9 
resource complement.
10 
(a) Supervisor - The Supervisor shall:
11 
i. 
head the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center;
12 
ii. 
administer and supervise the Inclusive Learning Resource Center Program;
13 
Hi. 
oversee the other components of the Inclusive Education Learning
14 
Resource Learning Resource Center Program;
15 
iv. 
monitor, 
supervise and 
provide technical assistance, 
training, 
and
16 
enhancement programs of the Inclusive Educational Learning Resource
17 
Center personnel;
18 
(b) Administrative Core and Placement Committee - The Placement Committee
19 
shall, in consultation with and active participation of parents, and developmental
20 
pediatrician among others, ensure that students with disabilities are educated by
21 
appropriate qualified personnel as close as possible to their homes and alongside
22 
their age-appropriate peer groups. It is also tasked to develop and maintain a data
23 
bank on special education in respective jurisdiction. This Committee shall be
24 
composed of:
25 
(l)a n y  one (1) of the following: developmental pediatrician, neurological
26 
psychiatrist, 
educational 
psychologist, 
guidance 
counselor 
or
27 
psychometrician
28 
(2) one (1) physical therapist;
29 
(3) one (1) occupational therapist;
30 
(4) one (1) speech and language therapist/speech correction teacher;
31 
(5) one (1) reading specialist;
32 
(6) sign language specialist; and


1 
(7) the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center Supervisor.
2 
(c) Mobile SPED Teachers - Mobile SPED teachers shall be appointed whenever
3 
necessary. Their principal task is CHILD-YOUTH FIND (find and identify children and
4 
youth with special needs unable to attend formal schooling due to accessibility and
5 
mobility limitations) and determine appropriate learning modalities using the
6 
program and services of the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center. 
They
7 
shall share responsibility for program planning and scheduling, and assist isolated or
8 
remote schools with specialized 
equipment, 
individual 
programs, curriculum
9 
adjustment, teaching aids and building modifications. The Alternative Learning
10 
System (ALS) shall be an integral component of the Inclusive Education Learning
11 
Resource Center.
12 
(d) 
Mobile Multi-Specialist Inclusive Education Division Support Team - DepEd
13 
shall outfit each school division with a Mobile Multi- Specialist Inclusive Education
14 
Division Support Team comprised of a SPED Education Supervisor, Occupational
15 
Therapist, 
Physical 
Therapist, 
Speech 
Therapist/Pathologist, 
Sign 
Language
16 
Specialist, 
Guidance 
and 
Counseling 
Specialist, 
Developmental 
Pediatrician,
17 
Educational Psychologist, Materials Production Specialist and other specialists
18 
deemed necessary. They will serve as consultants and will be drawn from
19 
professional organizations based in the region or nearby region where the division is
20 
based.
21 
Sec. 8. Remuneration and Benefits for Inclusive Education Learning Resource
22 
Center Personnel. -  The salary grades of SPED teachers and the Supervisor
23 
managing the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers shall be in accordance
24 
with the Revised Compensation and Classification System and other Civil Service
25 
Rules and Regulations.
26 
The DepEd shall enhance the right of the teachers/instructors to professional
27 
advancement and ensure that the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers
28 
shall attract the best available teaching staff and talents through adequate
29 
remuneration, 
scholarship and training grants, 
teacher exchange 
programs,
30 
incentives and allowances and other means of securing their job satisfaction and
31 
fulfillment as well as their long and stable tenure in their respective posts. A similar
32 
program 
shall 
be designed 
for 
support 
personnel 
to 
include 
interpreters.
10


1 
psychologists, social workers involved in the education and rehabilitation of children
2 
and youth with special needs, teachers, and other personnel of Inclusive Education
3 
Learning Resource Center.
4 
The DepEd, in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education
5 
(CHED), shall identify at least one (1) leading institution or university in Luzon,
6 
Visayas and Mindanao whose faculty is considered or regarded as highly competent
7 
in the area of special and inclusive education and where a uniform or standardized
8 
curriculum for any post-graduate education program shall be designed to benefit
9 
SPED teachers and other personnel of Inclusive Education Learning Resource
10 
Centers. The manner of selection of such institution shall be provided under the
11 
rules and regulations to be formulated to implement the provisions of this Act.
12 
Sec. 9. In-Service Training o f Teachers, Administrators, and Non-Teaching
13 
Personnel. -
14 
(a) To build a culture for Inclusive Education, DepEd shall offer basic and advanced
15 
seminars on disability awareness and inclusive education for the following education
16 
stakeholders: principals and administrators, regular teacher's, non-teaching staff and
17 
personnel.
18 
(b) Specialist teachers for children and youth with specials needs will be provided
19 
opportunities for annual upgrading in their area of specializations like interventions
20 
for learning, sign language fluency and other topics deemed necessary by DepEd.
21 
Sec. 10. Authority o f the Secretary o f Education to Give Grants to, or Enter
22 
into Cooperative Arrangements for the Creation o f Inclusive Education Reource
23 
Centers. -  The Secretary of Education is hereby authorized to give grants to, or
24 
enter into cooperative arrangements or contracts with public or private non-profit
25 
agencies, institutions or organizations for the establishment or creation of Inclusive
26 
Education Learning Resource Centers or implementation of programs such as the
27 
following:
28 
(a) Technical assistance to Inclusive Education Learning 
Resource Center
29 
teachers who are preparing to serve or are serving children and youth with
30 
special needs for inclusion and mainstreaming;
31 
(b) Training of professionals or related services personnel including all regular
32 
teachers;
11


1 
(c) Replication of successful innovative approaches in providing educational or
2 
related services to children and youth with special need;
3 
(d) Facilitation of parental involvement in the education of their children and
4 
youth with special needs;
5 
(e) Diagnosis and educational evaluation of children and youth with special
6 
needs;
7 
(f) Consultative, counseling and training services for the families of children and
8 
youth with special needs; and,
9 
(g) Familiarization of the municipality or city being served by an Inclusive
10 
Education Learning Resource Center with the problems and potentialities of
11 
such children and youth.
12 
Sec. 11. Creation o f an Inclusive Education Program Office at Depend Central
13 
Office. -  DepEd shall set-up a new Inclusive ED Program Office that will focus on
14 
policy formulation and program development for children and youth with special
15 
needs. The Office is primarily tasked with the formulation and administration of
16 
policies and developmentally-suited programs primarily to achieve functional literacy
17 
of the children and youth with special needs to facilitate inclusion in society. The full
18 
continuum of educational services shall be made available by the Office to children
19 
and youth with special needs below school age through 
regular home visits,
20 
consultations, day care activities and other programs.
21 
The Inclusive ED Program Office will be under the DepEd Undersecretary for
22 
Programs and Projects and will be headed by a director and assisted by division
23 
chiefs for the (1) Children and Youth with Disability Division and (2) Gifted and
24 
Talented Children and Youth Division. The Division Chiefs will assist in the
25 
formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies, programs and
26 
services for children and youth with special needs.
27 
Sec. 12. Continuing Research to Identify Needs o f Children and Youth with
28 
Special Needs/Disabiiity. -  The DepEd, by itself or in coordination with organizations
29 
or institutions, shall undertake continuing research to identify and design programs
30 
that shall meet the full range of needs of children and youth with specials needs:
31 
Provided, That such continuing research shall also be used to develop instructional
32 
techniques for use by the Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers towards
12


1 
improving the children's and youth acquisition of skills necessary for their transition
2 
to independent living, vocational training or competitive development: 
Provided,
3 
further, That such continuing research shall be used by the DepEd in designing a
4 
physical education and therapeutic recreation program to be used by the Centers to
5 
increase the potential of the children and youth for community participation.
6 
Sec. 13. Student Assistance. -  The DepEd shall provide financial assistance to
7 
marginalized or disadvantaged children and youth with special needs at the
8 
elementary and secondary levels which may come in the form of scholarship grants;
9 
allowances for transportation, food, lodging, and books; student loan programs;
10 
artistic and cultural tours; training programs; subsidies for educational assessment
11 
and diagnosis; and other incentives. These include those who lack access to
12 
rehabilitative services and educational opportunities due to being poor, as defined in
13 
R.A. 
No. 8425 otherwise known as the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act,
14 
been have abandoned, are ill, or are neglected.
15 
Marginalized or disadvantaged children and youth with special needs coming
16 
from indigenous communities shall be given priority in the grant of assistance.
17 
Special equipment like wheelchairs, crutches, special toilet and hygiene
18 
requirements, hearing aids, eyeglasses, learning devices, and other assistive devises
19 
required by the students to optimize education and participation in the educational
20 
process shall also be provided for free or at discounted rates to deserving students,
21 
and at very affordable rates, in general, through a reasonable funding scheme that
22 
shall be designed by the DepEd.
23 
Sec. 14. Recreational and Artistic Opportunities. -  The DepEd shall institute
24 
opportunities for safe and wholesome individual as well as interactive group
25 
recreation and social activities; optimal use of their leisure hours; and advancement
26 
of their physical, mental, social and cultural development.
27 
Sec. 15. Special Instructional Materials. -  Publishers shall grant the DepEd the
28 
authority to transcribe adopted instructional materials into accessible format, without
29 
penalty or payment of royalty in accordance with R.A. No. 8293 otherwise known as
30 
the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. Further, publishers of newly
31 
adopted materials shall provide, not later than the second working day after the
32 
adoption of textbook titles by the DepEd, the digital copy as specified by the DepEd
13


1 
for the purpose of producing accessible versions of the textbooks for students with
2 
reading disabilities. The accessible versions may be produced by the DepEd or by
3 
non- profit accessible book producers, which may be copied and distributed upon
4 
request, to a Schools Division for instructional purposes.
5 
Copies of these instructional materials shall be furnished without cost to
6 
either the children and youth with special needs or the teacher who is handling their
7 
instruction.
8 
Sec. 16. Incentives for Private Sector Participation. -  Partnership between the
9 
government and private institutions catering to the needs of children and youth with
10 
special needs be encouraged. 
All revenues generated by the Inclusive Education
11 
Learning Resource Center in public elementary and high school, owned, operated
12 
and controlled by the DepEd shall be exempt from income tax. Any donation,
13 
contribution, bequest and grant which may be made to the Inclusive Education
14 
Learning Resource Center shall be exempt from donor's tax and the same shall be
15 
considered as allowable deduction from the gross income in the computation of the
16 
income tax of the donor in accordance with the provisions of R.A. No. 8424
17 
otherwise known as the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended:
18 
Provided, That such donations shall not be disposed of, 
transferred or sold.
19 
Economic, technical and cultural books and publications shall be imported duty-free
20 
upon certification by the DepEd that such imported books and publications are for
21 
economic, technical, vocational, scientific, philosophical, historical or cultural
22 
purposes, in accordance with the provisions of the Customs Modernization and Tariff
23 
Act.
24 
Sec. 
17. 
Integration/Indusion 
o f Children 
with 
Disability in 
Child
25 
Development/ Day Care Centers. -  Child Development/Day Care Centers specially
26 
designed for pre-school children and their parents, where early identification of
27 
disabilities and special needs and introductory educational and intervention
28 
programs will be administered, shall also be established near or within existing
29 
Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers, or in other Centers that shall be
30 
supported 
by the DepEd with the support of the Early Childhood Care and
31 
Development (ECCD) Council, Department of Social Welfare and Development
14


1 
(DSWD) and Local Government Unit (LGU) in the area. As far as practicable, the use
2 
of existing day care centers and facilities shall be maximized.
3 
Sec. 18. Nutritional Programs. -  The National Nutrition Council (NNC) shall
4 
determine and prescribe appropriate nutritional programs for children with special
5 
needs for implementation by the Department of Health (DOH) and the DepEd.
6 
Sec. 19. Parent, Sibling, and Caregiver Education. -  A formal training and
7 
counseling program shall be developed through 
joint efforts of DepEd, DSWD,
8 
LGUs, Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council, and Disabled People's
9 
Organizations 
(DPOs), 
Non-government 
organizations 
(NGOs), 
Civil 
Society
10 
Organizations (CSOs) to equip parents, siblings, and caregivers of children and youth
11 
with special 
needs with a working knowledge of 
special education, 
an
12 
understanding of the psychology of children with special needs, and the awareness
13 
of their crucial role as educators so that they, in turn, can maximize their knowledge
14 
and skills to fully participate in developing the potentials of children and youth with
15 
special needs. Parents should also be appraised of procedural safeguards to protect
16 
the educational rights of children and their parents, and processes to resolve
17 
disputes and complaints related to the education of children and youth with special
18 
needs.
19 
Sec. 20. Local Government Unit Participation. -  The LGUs shall use their
20 
Special Education Fund for the following:
21 
(a) Provision of sites, buildings or centers where there are no existing school
22 
facilities that may be used for the special education of children with special
23 
needs, as well as the establishment of day care pursuant to Sec. 15 hereof;
24 
(b) Identification, coordination and the tapping of public or private volunteers and
25 
private organizations, national or international, for information dissemination
26 
campaigns, funding programs and other projects to augment the funding of
27 
Inclusive Education programs and equipment, among others; and,
28 
(c) Provision 
of counterpart 
funds 
for 
nutritional 
programs, 
educational
29 
assessment program of children and youth with special needs in their
30 
respective localities that would be initiated by the DepEd, in coordination with
31 
the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of
32 
Finance (DOF).
15


1 
Sec. 21. 
Public Information, Education and Communication. -  A nationwide
2 
information dissemination campaign on the prevention, early identification and the
3 
strategic intervention programs for children and youth with special needs shall be
4 
intensified. This shall be the joint responsibility of the Philippine Information Agency
5 
(PIA), Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) and DepEd. Likewise, the DepEd,
6 
in collaboration with DOH, DOLE, LGUs shall disseminate materials and information
7 
concerning effective practices in working with, training and educating children with
8 
special needs.
9 
Sec. 22. 
Appropriations. -  The Secretary of the DepEd shall immediately
10 
include in the DepEd program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which
11 
shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. Separate appropriation
12 
will be provided for children and youth with disabilities and talented or gifted
13 
children and youth.
14 
Sec. 23. Implementing Rules and Regulations. -  The DepEd, in coordination
15 
with the DSWD, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), DOH, DOF,
16 
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and CWC shall promulgate and issue the
17 
necessary guidelines for the creation and operation of Inclusive Education Learning
18 
Resource Centers within sixty (60) days after the effectivity of this Act.
19 
Sec. 24. Separability Clause. -  If for any reason, a provision or part hereof is
20 
declared invalid, other provisions not affected thereby shall remain in full force and
21 
effect.
22 
Sec. 25. Repealing Clause. -  All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and
23 
regulations contrary or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
24 
repealed or modified accordingly.
25 
Sec. 26. 
Effectivity. -  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
26 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation
27 
in the Philippines.
Approved,
16