Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill-No 1565

Introduced by Rep. Eulogio “Amang” R. Magsaysay

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Based on the latest estimates of the Department of Education (DepEd),
there are now 5.49 million CSNs (children with special needs) in the Philippines
or thirteen percent (13%) of the total children population. Of this number, an
estimated 4.2 million were PWDs (persons with disabilities) while1.27 million
were gifted.

The 1987 Philippine Constitution in Section 1 of Article 14 states that: “The
State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all
levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all’.

Moreover, Section 17, Article 2 of the Constitution also provides that: “The
State shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture, and
sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and
promote total human liberation and development”.

With the aforementioned constitutional provisions, our government is
expected to commit itself in advancing the right to education of every Filipino, to
the fullest, and at all costs.

Set at the context of distinctive circumstances, the education of special
children requires such a greater commitment. It calls for the establishment and
maintenance of special education centers, requiring the expertise and dedication
of trained staff, full participation of the stakeholders, proper acquisition of
supplies and materials, effective installation of other auxiliary aids and services,
and adequate budgetary support.

The legislative intent of this bill is timely and relevant as it seeks to provide
an ultimate response to critical needs of the now huge number of Filipino special
children. In its recent press release, the Department of Education cited that, of
the 5.49 million estimated number of children with special needs (CSNs) in the
Philippines, only two percent (2%) of them are able to get support from our
government, unlike in other countries where they get 100% state support

é Under the bill, at least one (1) Special Education Center in every school
division of the country shall be instituted. It mandates for the creation of a new
Bureau of Special Education along with existing bureaus of elementary,
secondary, and alternative learning. The new Bureau will be tasked to formulate
an appropriate curriculum and developmentally suited programs to achieve
functional literacy for all children with special needs. It also mandates a scheme
for financial and medical assistance, including nutritional programs, to poor but
deserving children with special needs. Furthermore, the bill draws up the


incentives to private sector, as well as the responsibilities of the local government
units (LGUs), as regards to their participation in the education, full development
of talents, skills and abilities, and rehabilitation of children with special needs.

Ultimately, our investments in special education may redound to the
benefit of society, as this measure can very well help these children excel in their
Tespective fields, thus becoming significant contributors to the growth of our
nation.

Hence, the immediate approval of this measure is earnestly sought.

”)
EULOGIO “AMANG” R. MAGSAYSAY


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )

House of Representatives

1565
House Bill No.

Introduced by Rep. Eulogio “Amang” R. Magsaysay

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 (CSNs), CREATING THE IMPLEMENTING MACHINERY
THEREOF, PROVIDING GUIDELINES FOR GOVERNMENT
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND OTHER INCENTIVES
AND SUPPORT, AND FOR OTHER PURPSOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Special Education
(SPED) Act of 2010”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. ~ \t is hereby declared the policy of
the State to protect and promote the rights of children with special needs (CSNs)
to quality education and to take appropriate steps to make such education
accessible to them. The State recognizes their vital role in national development
and that finding solutions to their problems forms an integral part of national
development strategies.

It is also the policy of the State to give full support for their welfare and
development to ensure their full integration to society as well as to facilitate their
active participation in the affairs of the State. Towards this end and also pursuant
to the mandate stated in Section 13, Article II; Section 13, Article XIII; Section 1
‘and Section 2, paragraphs 1 and 3, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution; Article 3
of Presidential Decree No. 603 (The Child and Youth Welfare Code); and
Sections 12 to 14 of Republic Act No. 7277 (Magna Carta For The Disabled), the
State shall institutionalize an adequate and relevant educational program for
every child with special needs through the establishment of Special Education

(SPED) centers and of their vital support mechanisms. Thus, all CSNs,


irrespective of the degree of sensory, physical or intellectual disability or needs,
will have the opportunity to be educated in the most educationally enhancing
environment consistent with the provision of a quality education that best meets
their needs.

SECTION 3. Objectives. - The objectives of the SPED Act of 2010 are:

(a) To provide access to basic education among CSNs, namely: the
gifted/talented, students/children with mental retardation/intellectual disability,
with visual impairment, with hearing impairment, with orthopedic/physical
handicap, with learning disability, with speech defect, with behavior problems,
with autism and those with health problems through the formal system and other
alternative delivery services in education;

(b) To ensure that CSNs fully develop their abilities, talents, interests and
all aspects of their development to become more responsible for their lives and
more effective partners in all of the affairs and concerns of the country;

(c) To ensure that CSNs understand, appreciate and respect differences
amongst groups and members in society and also to understand the nature of
‘society in which they live;

(d) To inform the parents about the full continuum of services, possible
placement options during discussions about their children’s education and other
relevant information to enable them to make informed decisions and choices;

(e) To equip the parents, caregivers, learning facilitators and teachers with
the capabilities to identify, prevent, refer and intervene with the developmental
disorders and disabilities of children as well as in the relevant individual
programming / planning for the student/child where such program differs
‘Significantly from the standard curriculum and other matters that enhance the role
of parents and other caregivers as the primary educators and caregivers of their
children from birth onwards;

() To involve private groups, local government units and national agencies

other than the Department of Education (DepED) in the education of CSNs; and


(9) To effectuate significant and positive changes in community attitudes
towards disability or special giftedness/talents and the need to provide special
education, care and other needs of CSNs.

SECTION 4. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act, these terms
are defined as follows:

(a) “Disability” refers to: (1) a physical or mental impairment that

substantially limits one or more psychological, physiological or anatomical

function of an individual or activities of such individual; (2) a record of such
an impairment; and (3) being regarded as having such an impairment.

(b) “Impairment” refers to any loss, diminution or aberration of

psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function.

(c) “Handicap” refers to a disadvantage for a given individual, resulting

from an impairment or a disability, that limits or prevents the function or

activity that is considered normal, given the age and sex of the individual.

(d) “Persons with disabilities (PWD)" refers to those suffering from

restriction or different abilities, as a result of a mental, physical, sensory or

neurological impairment, to perform an activity in the manner or within the
range considered normal for a human being.

(e) “Marginalized/disadvantaged persons with disabilities’ refers to

disabled persons who lack access to rehabilitative services and
educational opportunities due to poverty, abandonment, illness and other
forms of neglect. For purposes of this Act, the word “poor” refers to
persons who either have no means of livelihood or have incomes below
the poverty threshold as determined by the National Statistics
Coordinating Board (NSCB).

(f) “Children and youth with special needs” refers to those who are gifted
and are fast learners; and those who are disabled, impaired and
handicapped and in need of special education as well as services for
rehabilitation. They differ from the average children in: (1) mental
characteristics; (2) sensory abilities; (3) neuromuscular or physical

characteristics; (4) social attributes; (5) multiple handicaps; and/or (6)


developmental lag to such an extent that requires the use of modified
school practices or special education services to develop them to
maximum capability. They may fall within the ages zero to twenty-one (0-
21) years and may be classified as follows:
(i) "Gifted children and fast learners” are those capable of superior
performance and these include 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), high
task commitment (related to a high degree of motivation), and those
who by reason thereof, require services or activities not ordinarily
provided by the school.
(ii) “Students/Children with mental retardation/intellectual disability”
are those who have substantial limitation in present functioning
characterized by significant sub-average intellectual functioning,
existing concurrently with related limitations in two or more of the
applicable adaptive skill areas: communication, self-care, home
living, social skills, community use, self-direction, health and
‘safety, functional academics, leisure and work.
(iii) “Students/Children with visual impairment” are 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. The low vision persons retain relatively low degree of
vision and can read only enlarged print or regular or regular print
under special conditions.
(iv) “Students/Children with hearing impairment” are those who are

deaf or hard-of-hearing. Deaf persons are those whose hearing are


non-functional for ordinary purposes in life. The hard-of-hearing
have sense of hearing which, although defective, is functional with
‘or without a hearing aid.

(v) “Students/Children with behavior problems” are those who
cannot adjust to the socially accepted norms of behavior and,
consequently disrupt their academic progress, the learning efforts
of their classmates and interpersonal relations.

(vi) *Students/Children with orthopedic/physical handicap” are those
whose impairment permanently or temporarily interferes with the
normal functions of the joints, muscles or limbs.
(vil)"Students/Children with special health problems” are those who
have health conditions that tend to keep children out-of-school or
those with chronic and/or debilitating illness like cardiac (heart)
diseases, asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis and other respiratory
ailments, carcenonza, epilepsy, malnutrition and others.
(vili)"Students/Children with learning disabilities’ are those who
although normal in sensory, emotional and intellectual abilities,
exhibit disorders in perception, listening, thinking, reading, writing,
spelling or arithmetic. They have such conditions as perceptual
handicap, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia and
developmental aphasia

(ix) “Students/Children with speech defects” are those whose
speech differs from the average so far as to draw unfavorable
attention to the manner of speaking rather than to the thought
conveyed.

(x) “Students/Children with autism” are those with developmental
disabilities, having onset before thirty (30) months of age which is
marked by disturbance in development, language and relationship
with persons, activities and objects and which may coexist with
intellectual disability and epilepsy. Children afflicted with this

disorder have perceptual, cognitive, communication and social


difficulties which change over time.
(xi) “Students/Children with multi-handicaps” are those with more
than one disability such as the deaf-blind, those with autism and
with intellectual disability and others.
(9) “Auxiliary aids and services” are services that are basically non-
education, but impinge on the education process of the child with
special needs. These include:
(i) Therapy;
(ii) Qualified interpreters or other effective methods of delivering
materials to individuals with hearing impairments;
(iii) Qualified readers, taped tests or other effective methods of
delivering materials to individuals with visual impairments;
(iv) Acquisition or modification of equipment or devices; and
(v) Other similar services and actions or all types of aids and
services that facilitate the learning process of people with mental
disability
(h) “Special instructional materials” refers to textbooks in Braille, large type
or any other medium or any apparatus that convey information to a
student or otherwise contributes to the learning process.
(i) “Private sector participation” refers to all forms of indispensable,
substantial and meaningful participation of private individuals,
partnerships, groups or entities, community-based organizations or
nongovernmental organizations in the delivery of educational and
rehabilitative services for students and CSNs.
() “Basic education” refers to at least six (6) years of elementary
education and at least four (4) years of secondary education including pre-
‘school education.
(k) “Special education” refers to basic education that takes into account
the special needs of both disabled children and gifted children that require
a systematic and deliberate process for them to achieve functional literacy

and which will bring the individual to the highest level of his potential and


capacity. It is also defined as that type of education tailored to meet the

needs of children who cannot profit because of disabilities or exceptional

abilities. The trend in SPED is towards integration with the education of
normally-abled children.

()) “Functional literacy’ refers to the level of literacy necessary for the

student or child to become a useful citizen and effective member of the

society.

(m) learning facilitator - is the key-learning support person who is

responsible for supervising/facilitating the learning process and activities

of the learner.

(n) SPED center — is a physical space to house learning resources and

facilities of a learning program for CSNs. It is a venue for a face-to-face

learning activities and other learning opportunities for SPED development
and improvement of the CSNs quality of life.

SECTION 5. Coverage. - This Act shall cover all students and CSNs
nationwide.

SECTION 6. Creation of the Bureau of Special Education. — To attain
the objectives of this Act, the Bureau of Special Education (BSPED), hereinafter
referred to as the Bureau, is hereby created to institutionalize and govern special
education in the Philippines. The Bureau is primarily tasked with the formulation
and administration of an appropriate curriculum and developmentally-suited
programs to primarily achieve functional literacy of the students/children with
special needs and ensure their integration to society. The full continuum of
educational services shall also be made available by the Bureau to those CSNs
‘below school age through regular home visits, consultations, day care activities
and any proper medium or program.

The BSPED shall function as a regular bureau of the DepED under the

direct supervision of the Department Secretary and shall be headed by a director

and assistant director.


Three (3) division chiefs shall serve as heads for the: (a) Gifted Children
Division (GCD); (b) Children with Disabilities Division (CDD); and (c) Special
Services and Auxiliary Aids Division (SSAAD), and whose staff shall be equitably
distributed in accordance with the current needs and concerns of their respective
divisions. They shall assist the director in the formulation, implementation and
improvement of the framework and components of the SPED program.

The Philippine Printing House for the Blind under the existing
organizational structure of the DepED shall become part of the SSAAD and shall
take charge of the production of materials that convey information to a student or
otherwise contribute to the learning process.

SECTION 7. SPED Centers in Regular Schools. — At least one (1)
SPED center for each schoo! division and at least three (3) SPED centers in big
school divisions shall be established in regular schools, where there are no
existing SPED centers. These SPED centers shall be administered by the
principal of the regular school.

The SPED center shall function as the resource center for the
implementation of inclusive education that will accept all kinds of children in
regular schools. It shall: (a) support CSNs to be integrated/included in regular
schools; (b) assist in the conduct of school-based training; (c) produce
appropriate teaching and/or instructional materials; and (d) conduct assessment
of CSNs. It shall also be the responsibility of the SPED centers to assist and
facilitate the transfer/admission of qualified children with disabilities to post-
secondary or tertiary education institutions and monitor the same.

Each SPED center shall have specialized teachers who can handle
children and youth with special needs who may include, but shall not be limited
to, those with visual impairment, hearing impairment, autism, learning disabilities,
behavioral problems, multiple disabilities, mental retardation/handicap and
mental giftedness.

Regular teachers currently handling special education of CSNs shall

henceforth be classified as SPED teachers.


There shall be an assistant head for each SPED center. He/She shall
administer and supervise the alternative educational programs, early intervention
programs, monitoring, supervision and technical assistance and human resource
training/SPED personnel enhancement programs, referral and placement
procedures, advisory services and other components of the SPED program in
his/her jurisdiction. He/She shall also be responsible for the formation and
‘supervision of a placement committee under his/her jurisdiction as well as in the
resolution of disagreements on placement and services.

The SPED teachers and school heads managing SPED centers and
special schools shall be assigned a salary grade which is three (3) salary grades
higher than that of a regular teacher and school head, respectively.

SECTION 8. Other Personnel of SPED Centers. - The administrative
core and placement committee of the SPED unit for each city and province shall
comprise:

(a) One (1) educational psychologist or psychometrician;

(b) One (1) physical therapist;

(c) One (1) occupational therapist;

(d) One (1) speech and language therapist/speech correction teacher;

and

(e) One (1) education supervisor.

They shall also be jointly tasked to develop and maintain a data bank in
special education in their respective jurisdictions. The placement committee
shall, among others, ensure that students with disabilities are educated as close
as possible to their homes and alongside their age-appropriate peer groups, and
that these students attend their local schools or travel the shortest distance
Possible in the availment of educational services, in consultation with, and active
participation of parents.

SECTION 8. Itinerant SPED Teachers. - Itinerant SPED teachers shall
also be appointed whenever necessary. He/She shall assist isolated or remote
schools with specialized equipment, individual programs, curriculum adjustment,

teaching aids and building modifications.


SECTION 10. 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 non-profit
agencies, institutions or organizations for the establishment or creation of SPED
centers for CSNs: Provided, That a grant made pursuant to this section may be
made only for the following or similar programs:

(a) Technical assistance of SPED centers providing educational

assistance for CSNs;

(b) Pre-service or in-service training of professionals or related

services of personnel preparing to serve or serving CSNs;

(c) Replication of successful innovative approaches in providing

educational or related services to CSNs;

(d) Facilitation of parental involvement in the education of their CSNs;

(e) Diagnosis and educational evaluation of CSNs at risk of being

certified CSNs;

(f) Consultative, counseling and training services for the families of CSNs;

and

(g) Familiarization of the municipality or city to be served by a SPED

center with the problems and potentialities of such children.

SECTION 11. Provision for Continuing Research to Identify Special
Needs of CSNs. — The Bureau by itself or in association with such organizations
or institutions as determined by the Secretary of the DepED to be appropriate,
shall undertake continuing research to identify and design programs that shall
meet the full range of needs of CSNs: Provided, That such continuing research
shall also be used to develop instructional techniques for use by the SPED
centers that will improve the acquisition of CSNs of skills necessary for transition
to independent living, vocational training or competitive development: Provided,
further, That such continuing research shall further be used to design physical
education and therapeutic recreation program for use by the centers to increase

the potential of CSNs for community participation


SECTION 12. Student Assistance. — The Bureau shall provide financial
assistance to economically marginalized but deserving students with special
needs at the elementary and secondary levels which may come in the form of
scholarship grants, transportation allowance, food allowance, board and lodging
allowance, book allowance, student loan programs, artistic and cultural tours,
training programs, subsidies and other incentives. Marginalized disabled persons
and those coming from indigenous communities shall be the priority in the grant
of the aforesaid assistance.

Special equipment like wheelchair, crutches, special toilet and hygiene
requirements, hearing aids, eyeglasses, and such other assistive devices
required by the students to optimize education and participation in the
educational process shall also be provided for free and at discounted rates to
deserving students and at very affordable rates in general through a reasonable
funding scheme that shall be designed by the Bureau.

SECTION 13. Medical Assistance. — The Bureau shall prepare a scheme
that will ensure adequate and free medical assistance and intervention programs,
including those essential to the student or child’s rehabilitation like therapy,
psychometric assessments, medical examinations and the like with government
clinics, hospitals and other health facilities. In case the medical services are not
offered by the nearest or accessible government clinics, hospitals and other
health facilities, or cannot be obtained by reason of critical immediacy or the
need to obtain a more specialized or advanced treatment, CSNs shall be entitled
to a grant of twenty percent (20%) discount from the services of private hospitals
and clinics: Provided, That these private hospitals and clinics may claim the cost
as tax credit.

SECTION 14. Nutritional Programs. - The nutritional programs for CSNs
Shall be supervised by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and the Department
of Health (DOH) in coordination with the local government unit (LGU) health
Officer.

SECTION 15. Establishment of Specialized Day Care Centers. — Day

care centers specially designed for pre-school children and their parents, where


early identification of disabilities and special needs and introductory educational
and intervention programs will be administered, shall also be established near or
within existing SPED centers, or those that will be created by the Bureau with the
support of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the
LGU in the area. As far as practicable, existing day care centers and facilities
‘shall be maximized.

SECTION 16. Recreational and Artistic Opportunities. - The Bureau
shall institute a program for students/children with special needs to afford them
full opportunities for safe and wholesome recreation and activities, individual as
well as social, for the wholesome use of his/her leisure hours and for the
advancement of their physical, mental, social and cultural development.

SECTION 17. Continuing Education and Assistance to
Teachers/Instructors of Students with Special Needs. - The Bureau shall
‘enhance the right of the teachers/instructors/learning facilitators to professional
advancement and ensure that the teaching staff will attract the best available
talents through adequate remuneration, scholarship and training grants, teacher
xchange programs, incentives and allowances and other means of securing job
satisfaction and fulfillment as well as their long and stable tenure in their
respective posts. A similar program shall be designed for support personnel like
interpreters, psychologists, social workers and others who are also involved in
the education and rehabilitation of the child.

The Bureau shall identify at least one (1) leading institution or university in
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, whose faculty is considered or regarded as highly
competent in the area of special education, and where a uniform or standardized
curriculum for any post-graduate studies education program shall bé designed to
benefit SPED teachers and other personnel of SPED centers. The manner of
‘selection of such institution shall be provided under the implementing rules and
regulations of this Act.

SECTION 18. Parent, Sibling and Caregiver Education. — There shall
be a formal training and counseling program for parents, siblings and caregivers

of CSNs, for them to acquire a working knowledge of special education, gain an


understanding of the psychology of CSNs, be aware of their crucial role as
educators so that they maximize their knowledge and skills to attain the optimum
development of the potentials of the child.

SECTION 19. Special Instructional Materials. — Publishers shall grant to
the DepED, through the SSAAD, the authority to transcribe adopted instructional
materials into Braille, large-type and audio-tape without penalty or payment of
royalty. Furthermore, on or before the second (2nd) working day after the
adoption of textbook titles by the DepED, each publisher of newly adopted
instructional materials shall provide computerized files as specified by the DepED
which may be copied and distributed, upon request, to a school division for
instructional purposes.

Copies of these instructional materials shall be furnished without cost to
either the student or teacher who is blind or visually impaired. The materials are
to be loaned to the public school district and are to be returned to SSAAD when
no longer needed

SECTION 20. Incentives to Private Sector Participation. — Partnership
between the government and private institutions catering to the needs of
students/children with special needs shall be encouraged. All profits and income
generated by the SPED center derived from its fundamental function as an
educational institution shall be exempt from income tax. Any donation,
contribution, bequest and grant which may be made to the center shall be
exempt from the donor's tax and the same shall be considered as allowable
deduction from the gross income in the computation of the income tax of the
donor, in accordance with the provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code
*of 1997, as amended: Provided, That such donations shall not be disposed of,
transferred or sold. Economic, technical and cultural books and/or publications
shall be imported duty-free upon certification by the DepED that such imported
books and/or publications are for economic, technical, vocational, scientific,
philosophical, historical or cultural purposes, in accordance with the provisions of

the Tariff and Customs Code, as amended.


SECTION 21. Local Government Unit (LGU) Participation. - The LGUs
shall be responsible for the:

(a) Provision of buildings or centers which are PWD-friendly and sites

where there are no existing school facilities that will house the

special education of students/children with special needs, as well as

the establishment of day care centers as mentioned in Section 15;

(b) Organization of one (1) parent-teacher association in every school

in their respective jurisdictions offering special education to

students/children with special needs;

(c) Identification, coordination and the tapping of public or private

volunteers and private organizations, national or international, for

information dissemination campaigns, funding programs and other
projects to augment the funding for SPED programs and equipment,
among others; and

(d) Provision of counterpart funds for the training and seminars of

parents and teachers and nutritional programs for the students/children

with special needs in their respective localities to be determined by the

Bureau, in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management

(DBM) and the Department of Finance (DOF).

SECTION 22. Public Information, Education and Communication. - A
nationwide information dissemination campaign on the prevention, early
identification and intervention programs for CSNs shall be intensified. This shall
be the joint responsibility of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), the Council
for the Welfare of Children (CWC), and the DepED. The DepED, in collaboration

With the DOH and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), shall also
disseminate materials and information concerning effective practices in working
with, training and educating CSNs.

SECTION 23. Appropriations. — The Secretary of the DepED shall
immediately include in the Department's program the implementation of this Act,

the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.


SECTION 24. Implementation. - The DepED, through the BSPED, in
coordination with the DILG, the DOH, the DOF, the CWC and the National
Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), shall promulgate and issue the necessary
guidelines for the creation and operation of SPED centers within sixty (60) days
after the effectivity of this Act.

SECTION 25. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any provision or
part hereof is declared invalid, other provisions not affected thereby shall remain
in full force and effect.

SECTION 26. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders,
rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 27. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)

days after its publication in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,