Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Nin
Quezon City, Metro Manila (eu
“a

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS Xe

Second Regular Sessi

House Bill No.

Introduced by Honorable Sherwin T. Gatchalian

Explanatory Note

A progressive and economically potent society must be built by a
formidable army of scientific minds. Without a solid workforce of scientists,
mathematicians, engineers, and other skilled professionals, the Philippines will
continue on with an economy perennially on the brink, yet never achieving, full
industrialization and the prosperity that comes with it. In order to fulfil our
destiny as the next true Asian tiger economy, we must ensure that we have
invested in the human capital necessary to achieve this

Sadly, despite the increasing government commitment to improving the
state of Philippine education, recent editions of the Global Competitiveness
Survey have consistently ranked the Philippines in the bottom 20% of
participating countries in terms of the quality of science education. National
performance in math has worsened, with students posting an average score of
only 46.3% on the National Achievement Test from 2011-2012. The increased
budget for education has yet to pay dividends when it comes to science
education

A universal tenet of quality education, consistently reported by reputable
education experts and enshrined in the 1987 Constitution, is ensuring
equitable access to education. This entails ensuring access to all forms of
educations, including specialized math and science curricula. However, this
type of valuable, oft-sought-after education is only available to the lucky few
that are admitted to the Philippine Science High School system, one of the
Regional Science High Schools, or those who are fortunate enough to live near
one of the other science high schools scattered across the country.



Therefore, this legislation seeks to close the educational access gap
between different sectors of Philippine society. The establishment of a new
structure of accessible math and science high schools across the Philippines
will allow capable and willing students who have been hindered by geographic
and economic barriers to pursue a science-based education in numbers that
are as of yet unheard of in the Philippines. In time, this investment in human
capital will pay dividends as these ambitious young students become the next
science-related professionals of our country. Considering the enormous
dividends that the cultivation of these brilliant minds will pay to society in the
future, this is a worthy investment for us to make.

Support for the passage and approval of this legislation is earnestly
sought.

First District, Valenzuela City


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bill No. 4801
Introduced by Honorable Sherwin T. Gatchalian

AN ACT
PROMOTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC MATH AND SCIENCE
HIGH SCHOOLS IN PREVIOUSLY UNDERSERVED AREAS, AND
APPRORPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

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

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Equitable
Access to Math and Science Education Act’.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared a policy of the
State to provide equitable access to quality education in the pure and applied
sciences, mathematics, and technology for all Filipinos as a means to nurture
future generations of scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and other
professionals who will serve the Nation as catalysts for scientific, technological,
and industrial progress.

Pursuant to this declaration, the State shall work hand-in-hand with
local government units (LGUs) to eliminate economic and geographical barriers
that restrict the access of otherwise willing and qualified students to said
education.

SEC. 3. Coverage. ~ All provinces of the Republic of the Philippines
which do not have at least one (1) public math and science high school
currently operating within their respective geographical boundaries at the time
this Act take shall be required to fulfill the establishment requirements
prescribed by Section 4 of this Act



For the purposes of this Act, the term public math and science high school
shall refer to a school principally financed through national or local
government funds that implements an advanced curriculum focused on
science, mathematics, and technology subjects, for grade 7-12 students.

SEC, 4, Establishment of Schools. ~ All provinces covered by the
preceding section of this Act are hereby mandated to work with the Department
of Education to establish at least one (1) public math and science high school
within their respective provincial capitals.

Schools established in compliance with this Act may be established
through the construction of new school facilities, the conversion and/or
reorganization of an existing school, or the renovation and re-opening of
currently non-operational school facilities or other idle government-owned
property: Provided, That these schools must be fully operational by Academic
Year 2018-2019: Provided, further, That any utilization of idle government-
owned assets shall follow pertinent procedures as prescribed by law: Provided,
finally, That schools which have been designated by the Department of
Education as fully compliant under this Act may start operations earlier than
the prescribed deadline.

SEC, 5. School Operations. - Schools established in compliance with
this Act shall be operated by the Department of Education, with the proper
participation of the applicable LGUs and other community shareholders as
prescribed by law. Said schools shall be funded in full under the budget of the
Department of Education and shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.

SEC. 6, Admissions, - Schools established in compliance with this Act
shall accept applicants based on the results of a competitive entrance
examination. A student may be eligible to apply for admission to said school
only if he or she has established continuous residence within the establishing
province for at least one (1) year by the date of examination.

SEC. 7. Curriculum. ~ Schools established in compliance with this Act
shall implement a six-year integrated junior-senior high school curriculum that
focuses on advanced science, mathematics, and technology subjects under the
guidance of the Department of Education and the Department of Science and
Technology (DOST). The revised curriculum of the Philippine Science High
School system for Grades 7-12 shall be used as a basis for the formulation of



SEC. 8, Higher Education Bond. ~ A graduate of a school established in
compliance with this Act shall be required to enroll in a four or five-year
Bachelors Degree in Science programme at an accredited college or university.
Said graduate must enroll in a course-of-study in one of the following fields:
pure and applied sciences, mathematics, engineering, technology, or any other
field deemed appropriate by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). A
graduate who shifts or transfers to a course in any unrelated field prior to
completion of the degree program shall pay a fine equivalent to the total full
cost incurred by the government in subsidizing the secondary education
programme of said graduate, a: lated by the Department of Education.
Any fine collected under the terms of this provision shall be allocated to any
government program that promotes the advancement of science, mathematics,
and technological education in the Philippines.

SEC 9. Appropriations. - The amount of Five Hundred Million Pesos
(P500,000,000.00) is hereby initially appropriated to implement the provisions
of this Act. Thereafter, such amount necessary to effectively carry out the
provisions of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations
Act.

SEC. 10. Implementing Agencies. - The Department of Education, in
coordination with the Department of Scienc nology and the
Commission on Higher Education, shall be responsible for implementing the
provisions of this Act. Within (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, the
implementing agencies shall promulgate the implementing rules and
regulations as may be necessary to ensure the efficient and effective
implementation of this Act.

SEC. 11, Separability Clause. - Should any part of this Act be declared
unconstitutional, the rest of the provisions of this Act shall continue to be in
effect and subsisting,

SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. ~ The provisions of other laws, decrees,
executive orders, rules and regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby
repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

SEC. 13. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette and/or in at least two (2) national
newspapers in general circulation.

Approved,