Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

TIME 3:4) PA
Sheva:

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 1482

Introduced by Representative ANTONINO B. ROMAN III

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Despite being embedded across subjects in the Philippine K-12 curriculum,
critical thinking remains poorly taught and unevenly assessed. As argued by Marquez
(2017), the mere inclusion of critical thinking outcomes in lesson plans—especially
within the traditional Taxonomy of Learning Objectives—does not guarantee its
development among learners.

This is because the current system emphasizes didactic instruction, performance
of routine tasks, and technical skill acquisition—often at the expense of reflective,
participatory, and socially conscious leaning. Worse, leamers are discouraged from
questioning inherited beliefs, and teachers are not sufficiently trained to facilitate
dialogue-based and context-sensitive critical thinking.

To transform students into critical citizens, this bill institutionalizes a Critical
Pedagogy approach to teaching logic and reasoning. This entails:

- Creating spaces for questioning, dialogue, and reflective thinking:

- Training teachers to move beyond outcomes-based performance metrics and
toward fostering a critical attitude; and

- Equipping learners to challenge, clarify, validate, revise, and develop ideas—
not merely memorize or apply them.

This act seeks to foster not only mental discipline but also social transformation,
consistent with democratic values and the aims of liberatory education.

Immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

wow ntous



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 1482

Introduced by Representative ANTONINO B. ROMAN IIE

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THIN!
IN BASIC EDUCATION THROUGH CRITICAL PEDAGOGY,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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 “Critical Thinking and
Pedagogical Transformation Act.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to develop citizens
capable of independent reasoning, thoughtful dialogue, and civic responsibility. The
State shall transform the basic education system to cultivate critical thinking as a
questioning attitude and to encourage reflective and dialogical teaching practices that
empower learners to think beyond rote knowledge and occupational utility.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. —- For the purposes of this Act:

a. “Critical Thinking” shall refer to a questioning attitude directed at the
reconsideration, clarification, and validation of propositions, beliefs, or systems
leading to personal acceptance, rejection, revision, or development.

b. “Critical Pedagogy” refers to an educational philosophy emphasizing reflection,
dialogue, and the transformation of unjust structures through emancipatory
learning.

c. “Reflective Teaching” refers to instructional methods that allow leamers to raise
questions, engage in dialogue, and explore multiple perspectives.


SECTION 4. Curriculum Reform. —- The Department of Education (DepEd) shall
review and revise the basic education curriculum to:

a. Make critical thinking an explicit and recurring component of leaning
‘outcomes across subject areas;

b. Shift from purely performance-based assessment to reflective and dialogical
practices, including student-led inquiry, argument mapping, and collaborative
reasoning; and

c. De-emphasize rigid hierarchical learning models that treat thinking as a
production-line process, and instead support recursive, dialogic, and context-
sensitive thought.

SECTION 5. Teacher Preparation and Development. —- DepEd, in coordination with
the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), shall:

a. Integrate Critical Pedagogy into the curriculum of teacher education
institutions;

b. Provide continuous professional development for in-service teachers in
reflective and dialogue-based methods of teaching critical thinking;

c. Encourage teacher autonomy in classroom facilitation, while promoting open

discourse and collaborative inquiry; and

d. Train teachers to create safe classroom spaces for disagreement, exploration,
and mutual learning.

SECTION 6. Learning Environment Transformation. — DepEd shall promote:

a. Class structures that allow for active student participation, democratic dialogue.
and community-of-inquiry models;

b. Activities such as classroom debates, intersubjective discussion, philosophical
inquiry, and local issue reflection; and

¢. School-wide programs that break the “culture of silence” and empower students
to speak and question freely.

SECTION 7. Monitoring and Evaluation. — DepEd shall:

a. Develop qualitative indicators to assess the implementation of critical pedagogy
and reflective thinking practices; and

b. Submit an annual report to Congress containing progress, challenges, and
recommendations for improving critical thinking instruction.


SECTION 8. Appropriations. — The amount necessary for the implementation of this
Act shall be charged against the current appropriations of DepEd. Thereafter, such
amounts as may be necessary shall be included in the annual General Appropriations
Act.

SECTION 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ Within ninety (90) days from
the effectivity of this Act, DepEd, in consultation with CHED, teacher education
institutions. and civil society education groups, shall promulgate the implementing
rules and regulations.

SECTION 10. Separability Clause. -- If any provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional, the remainder shall not be affected.

SECTION 11. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, and rules inconsistent with this
‘Act are hereby amended or repealed accordingly.

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

Approved,