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

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
FIRST REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE BILL NO. 34 7

Introduced by Representative
ZIAUR-RAHMAN ALONTO ADIONG

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill, known as the “Last Mile Schools Act," is designed to address the
education challenges faced by children in geographically isolated, disadvantaged, and
conflict-affected areas (GIDCA) of the Philippines. The objective of this bill is to
ensure equitable access to quality education by establishing public basic education
schools, referred to as Last Mile Schools, in these areas, as well as to improve
access to essential services such as electricity, road infrastructure, and information
and communications technology (ICT).

In the Philippines, there are numerous communities in remote, hard-to-reach areas
where children still face significant barriers in accessing basic education. Many of
these communities are also home to Indigenous Peoples (IPs), who face additional
challenges due to their geographical location and cultural heritage. Schools in these
areas often suffer from a lack of resources and infrastructure, making it difficult for
children to receive an education that meets their basic learning needs.

The Last Mile Schools Act aims to resolve these issues by establishing schools that
will serve students in the most disadvantaged and remote regions of the country.
These schools will cater to children living in areas that are difficult to access due to
poor road conditions, inadequate facilities, and a lack of teachers. The bill ensures
that the establishment of these schools is done with full respect for the rights of
Indigenous Peoples, in accordance with the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (Republic
‘Act No. 8371).

Additionally, the bill calls for the collaboration of various government agencies to
provide the necessary infrastructure and support. The Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH) will be tasked with constructing access roads to these
remote areas, while the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National
Electrification Administration (NEA) will ensure that these schools are equipped
with electricity. Furthermore, the Department of Information and
Communications Technology (DICT) will work to install ICT infrastructure to
support modern educational methods in these schools.

The bill also sets out clear criteria for identifying which schools qualify as Last Mile
Schools, including factors such as the number of classrooms, the student population,
and the percentage of Indigenous learners. Schools that meet these criteria will
receive the attention and resources needed to ensure that children in these regions
receive the education they deserve.


The Last Mile Schools Act also establishes a roadmap for implementing a five-year
school-building program aimed at improving the facilities of these schools. To fund
the implementation, the bill proposes that the necessary budget be included in the
annual General Appropriations Act, ensuring sustained government support for the
program.

This bill was passed on third reading by the House of Representatives during the
Nineteenth Congress and received broad support from lawmakers due to its
importance in promoting inclusivity in the education sector. It addresses not only the
infrastructural gaps in the educational system but also the broader issue of
educational equity in the Philippines. The bill underscores the government's
commitment to ensuring that every Filipino child, regardless of their geographical
location or socioeconomic status, has the opportunity to receive quality education.

With the implementation of the Last Mile Schools Act, we will take a significant
step towards bridging the educational gap in the country, empowering our youth, and
ensuring a brighter future for the most marginalized sectors of society.

c

REP. ZIAUR/RAHMAN ALONTO ADIONG
Ast District, Lanao del Sur


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

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
FIRST REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE BILL No. 347

Introduced by Representative Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING PUBLIC BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS IN
GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED AND DISADVANTAGED AND CONFLICT-
AFFECTED AREAS, PROVIDING ACCESS ROADS LEADING TO LAST
MILE SCHOOLS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

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

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Last Mile Schools Act”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the State to protect and
promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and take appropriate
steps to make such education accessible to all.

The State recognizes and promotes the rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities
within the framework of national unity and development. To this end, the State shall
recognize the right of indigenous families and communities to retain shared
responsibility for upbringing, training, education and well-being of their children,
consistent with the rights of the child.

The State shall improve the quality and access to basic education of children in the
far-flung, isolated, disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas, as well as those in Last
Mile Schools, by investing on school infrastructures and roads leading to the said
Public schools.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:

a.) Basic education refers to the intended basic learning needs which provide the
foundation on which subsequent learning can be based. It includes kindergarten,
elementary and secondary education as well as alternative learning systems for
out-of-school learners and those with special needs;

b) Basic Education School refers to learning institutions accredited by the Department
of Education (DepEd) to deliver services addressing the intended basic learning needs
of students;

c) Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs)/Indigenous Peoples (IPs) refer to the
same definition stated in Section 3h, Chapter 2 of Republic Act No. 8371, or “The
Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997”, which describes it as “group of people or
homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who have
continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and defined
territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied,


possessed and utilized such territories, sharing common bonds of language, customs,
traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to
political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and
cultures, became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. ICCs/IPs
shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their
descent from the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or
colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, or the
establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their own social,
economic, cultural and political institutions, but who may have been displaced from
their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains”;
and

d) Last Mile Schools refer to public basic education schools with gaps in resources
and facilities which are located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged and
conflict-affected areas (GIDCA).

SEC. 4. Establishment of Last Mile Schools. - The Last Mile Schools are hereby
established, under the administration of the DepEd, to cater to the basic education
of learners throughout the country’s GIDCA.

The establishment of Last Mile Schools in locations situated by the ICCs shall be
undertaken in consideration of the rights of the IPs, in accordance with Republic Act
No. 8371.

SEC. 5. Access to Education. - The DepEd shall collaborate with concerned national
government agencies for the delivery of the infrastructures necessary to ensure
access to education in the Last Mile Schools, namely:

a) Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), for the construction of access
roads leading to the location of Last Mile Schools;

b) Department of Energy (DOE) and National Electrification Administration (NEA), for
the installation of electricity; and

c) Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), for the
installation of information and communications technology.

SEC. 6. Criteria. - The indicators used in identifying a public school to be included
among the Last Mile Schools are the following:

a) Having less than four (4) classrooms;

b) With makeshift or nonstandard rooms;

c) Absence of or irregular electricity;

d) Have not been allocated funds for repairs or new construction projects in the last
four (4) years unless destroyed;

e) With travel distance of more than one hour from the center of a city or municipality,
or with difficulty of terrain or of such nature as to be considered having difficulty of
access to existing educational institutions;

f) Having multigrade classes or rooms;

g) With less than five (5) teachers;

h) Having a student population of less than one hundred (100) learners;

i) With more than seventy-five percent (75%) IP learners;

j) Having such other circumstances that make it difficult for learners to access school
facilities.

SEC. 7. Implementation. - The school building program for the Last Mile Schools
shall be established and completed within a period of five (5) years after the
effectivity of this Act.

To facilitate synchronicity, harmony and complementarity of plans, resources and
efforts of both the national government and the local government units (LGUs)
towards the attainment of the objectives of this Act, the DepEd shall plan and
implement the programs, projects, and activities that address the needs of the Last
Mile Schools, in coordination and collaboration with the National Commission on
Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), DPWH, DICT, DOE, NEA, DSWD, DENR, NDRRMC, and
concerned LGUs.


SEC. 8. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation of this Act
shall be included in the budgets of the concerned Departments, agencies and
Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations in the annual General
Appropriations Act.

SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days from
the approval of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall, in consultation with the
NCIP, DPWH, DICT, DOE, NEA, DSWD, DENR, NDRRMC, and Union of Local
Authorities of the Philippines, formulate the rules and regulations implementing the
provisions of this Act.

SEC. 10. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared shall remain in force and effect.

SEC. 11. Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, decrees, orders and rules and regulations
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or
amended accordingly.

SEC. 12. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,