Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The state has the responsibility to provide free access to education for its 
citizens, especially those who have difficulty availing the same. Article XIV of 
the 1987 Constitution mandates the State to protect and promote the right of all 
citizens to quality educations at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make 
such education accessible to all. Indeed, state intervention becomes so crucial and 
imperative when it comes to providing services to the group that need government 
attention the most. In short, the idea is to equally serve its constituents, no matter 
how vastly different they are. 
Aside from the poor, children with special needs also need to be attended 
to as this group is very vulnerable because of their medical condition, 
Special children (or children with special needs) are children with a variety 
of different disabilities and their situation require special intervention, services, 
or support. These kids need constant monitoring and treatment and usually entails 
very challenging parenting and nurturing. However, these kids, we must all 
recognize, are still capable of learning and growing as people just like all the other 
normal kids, except only that they acquire information and knowledge rather 
differently. They are capable of understand although it usually entails a special 
method or program to get them to absorb learning materials. 
As such this group of people needs the intervention and the help of the 
State not just to provide them education that they want, but also to encourage 
them to seize the opportunity to be educated and make them their families realize 
that special children can excel in their own fields, in their own ways without 
regard to their disabilities. 
January 23, 2023
2:41 pm
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This bill seeks compel every city in this country to provide for special 
education centers that will exclusively serve the needs of our special children and 
that will enhance and hone their special abilities, talents and skills, which other 
public shoals might fall short on giving. With the establishment of special 
education centers with special curricula and programs, these children will be 
given sufficient focus and attention which can help expedite their learning 
process. 
 
 
Certainly, education is a very important and powerful weapon one can 
possess to fight off poverty and repression. Therefore, it is only right only right 
that our government ensures that all people who are capable of learning and who 
are eager to learn, have access to free education regardless of their mental, 
physical or psychological condition, and have equal opportunity to grow and 
develop their intelligence for a more secure future ahead of them. 
 
 
It is only for this reason that the approval of this bill is being sought. 
 
 
 
 
EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
“AN ACT ESTABLISHING AT LEAST ONE SPED CENTER FOR 
EVERY COMPONENT CITY AND AT LEAST TWO SPED CENTERS 
FOR EVERY HIGHLY URBANIZED CITY” 
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Sped Centers 
Act of 2023”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. It shall be the policy of the State to 
ensure that Filipino children with special needs shall have easy and adequate 
access to special education, with programs adjusted or tailor-fit to their individual 
learning abilities. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. The following terms as used in this Act 
shall be taken to mean, as follows: 
Child – a person not more than eighteen (18) of age, or over eighteen 
(18) but is incapable of self-support due to any mental and/or
physical defect and/or disability.
Special Child – a child who has been medically determined to 
require special attention and specific necessities that other children 
do not; 
SPED Center – (Special Education Center); an institution that offers 
education to children with special needs. Sped center are required to 
be established under this Act by any component city and highly 
urbanized city. 
Joint SPED Center – a sped center established and maintained 
under this Act by a group of cities, each of which either having 
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insufficient income to maintain its own SPED CENTER, and/or 
having relatively small population of special children so as to make 
it impractical to establish and operate one sped center exclusively 
for its disproportionately few constituents (i.e. special children) 
only. 
 
Indigent special child – any special child belonging to a household 
with an aggregate annual income of not more that P100,000.00, or 
any special child that is orphaned and/or not living with his/her 
immediate family. 
 
 
SECTION 4. Establishment of One Sped Center for a Component City 
and Two Sped Center for every Highly Urbanized City. Every component city 
in the Philippines is hereby mandated to establish at least one Sped Center to cater 
to its respective constituents and every highly urbanized city hereby mandated to 
establish at least two Sped Centers to cater a higher population. 
 
 
SECTION 5. Joint Sped Center. In special circumstances, instead of 
establishing separate sped centers, two or more component cities described in 
Section 4, each of which either having insufficient income to maintain its own 
sped center and/or having relatively small population of special children so as to 
make it impractical to establish and operate one center for its disproportionately 
few constituents only, with the approval in writing if the Department of Social 
Welfare and Development (DSWD), may enter into an agreement to establish and 
maintain a joint sped center. Provided, that the component cities under this 
section are neighboring cities. Provided further, that the sire where the Sped 
Center shall be established is the most accessible to all the constituents of all the 
neighboring cities under this section. Provided Finally, that the proposal to 
establish a joint sped center, along with other requirements required under the 
Implementing Rules of this Act, shall first be submitted to and approved by the 
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). 
 
 
SECTION 6. Administration Committee. The City Mayors shall appoint 
an administration committee who shall act as the governing body of the Sped 
Centers. Their compensation shall be subject to the determination of the 
Sangguniang Panglungsod of the city. 
 
 
SECTION 7. Composition of the Administration Committee. The 
administration committee shall composed of one Chairman and two members 
whose qualifications and term of office shall be prescribed by the DSWD. 
 
 
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Site Requirements 
 
 
SECTION 8. Ocular inspection and Site Visit. Before selecting or 
acquiring a site where the sped center shall be erected, the City Mayors together 
with the representatives of the DSWD shall conduct an ocular inspection of the 
site to determine whether it will best serve the programs of the center and the best 
interests of the potential special children who might avail of such free services, 
and shall conduct a survey of the community and review of population 
requirements in accordance with the rules and regulations to be prescribed by the 
DSWD. 
 
 
SECTION 9. Eminent Domain. Any private lands, properties, highways 
and/or roads may be acquired by the local government unit concerned for the 
purpose of constructing the sped center and all the necessary building or facilities 
thereof provided that due compensation shall be made to the owners of the said 
private lands, properties, highways and/or roads. 
----------------------------- 
 
Staffing 
 
 
SECTION 10. Core Organization Hierarchy. Each sped center shall have 
one principal and shall have as many teachers as necessary who are trained in 
special education. 
 
 
 
SECTION 11. Appointment of Staff. The Administration Committee of a 
sped center shall appoint such a staff as the DSWD will prescribe to facilitate the 
enrollment of children with special needs for the processing of papers and records 
of students therein and for the proper and efficient operation of the said center. 
 
 
SECTION 12. Resident Physician. The Administration Committee of a 
Sped Center shall appoint a legally qualified medical practitioner, preferably with 
experience in dealing with children with special needs, as the resident physician 
of the Sped Center, and who shall be responsible for the medical, paramedical 
and nursing care and services provided to the students therein. 
 
 
SECTION 13. Other Employees. The Administration Committee shall 
hire all other staff and employees whose duties are deemed necessary and 
desirable to the operation and maintenance of the said sped center. 
 
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Applicants 


 
 
SECTION 14. Eligibility. All special children as defined under this Act 
shall have the right to enroll in the Sped Center established in the city where he 
or she resides, without having to pay any kind of fee. 
 
SECTION 15. Admission of Applicants.  The Sped Center Shall admit all 
special children residing in the city where the said center is established without 
regard to sex, actual are, income of the household where he or she belongs and 
degree of disability. However, indigent special children, as defined in this Act, 
may be extended privileges and/or priorities in the special assistance programs 
for Sped Center students e.g. free books, free school supplies, etc. which the local 
government or any third person may provide. 
 
SECTION 16. Non-admission of Applicants. An applicant may only be 
denied admission to a Sped Center for compelling medical reasons. Special 
children whose health or general well-being might be jeopardized by having to 
go to sped center every day, or for any other legitimate reason connected thereto, 
shall not be allowed to enroll provided that the Sped Center denies the same only 
after acquiring a certification from a public hospital and the DSWD attesting that 
the special child is unfit to go to the center. 
 
SECTION 17. No Tuition and other Fees Collection Permitted. It shall 
be unlawful for any city, or any Administration Committee, its officers or 
employees, or any other person to demand, charges and accept tuition and other 
fees and any other payments from any applicant (i.e. the child, his/her parent, 
guardian or any person enrolling him or her) as a prerequisite for the child’s 
admission in the Sped Center. However, donations may be accepted provided the 
same was not obtained through inducement, stealth, strategy, manipulation or 
force. 
--------------------------- 
 
CURRICULUM and PROGRAM 
 
SECTION 18. Standard Curriculum.  The Department of Education 
(Dep-ED) shall prescribe a standard curriculum for special children which shall 
be based on the methods, strategies, and lessons that would best cater to the 
special needs of its students. 
 
SECTION 19. Specialized Programs. The Sped Center may take the 
initiative to devise its own specialized program in addition to, but must not be 
contrary or inconsistent with, the standard curriculum prescribed by the 
Department of Education. Considering that the DepEd cannot encompassingly 
anticipate every individual need of a special child, this specialized program shall 


be geared to address the unforeseen peculiar needs of students which the standard 
program falls short in addressing. 
 
----------------------------- 
 
SCHOOL POLICIES 
 
 
SECTION 20. Applicable Policies. All policies and regulations being 
implemented by the Department of Education in all public schools, in so far as 
not inconsistent with this Act, shall be applicable to all Sped Centers. 
 
----------------------------- 
 
 
SECTION 21. Information Campaign. The Department of Education 
(Dep-Ed), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and all 
the Local Government Units concerned shall conduct an extensive information 
campaign for the public to know the existence and respective locations of the 
Sped Centers. 
 
 
SECTION 22. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Dep-Ed and 
DSWD in coordination with the Department of Interior and Local Government 
shall jointly promulgate the implementing rules and regulations for the effective 
and immediate implementation of this Act. 
 
 
SECTION 23. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is 
judicially declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions of this 
Act not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect, 
 
 
SECTION 24. Effectivity Clause. This act shall take effect fifteen (15) 
days following its publication in two (2) newspapers of the general circulation. 
 
 
APPROVED.