Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. B54
Introduced by Rep. Cielo Krise! Lagman

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Legislating a comprehensive law on preventing adolescent pregnancy is
imperative to institutionalize policies and strategies on eliminating or mitigating
adolescent pregnancy and extend social protection to adolescent parents and
their children.

Adolescent mothers should be relics of the past when early childbearing
was the norm. But child mothers still abound in the modern setting, especially
in developing countries like the Philippines.

Way back in 2020, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reported
that the “Philippines has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates among
the ASEAN member states.” It documented that “more than 500 Filipino
adolescent girls are getting pregnant and giving birth every day” or in excess
of 182,500 births annually.

Philippine Statistics Authority data in 2024 revealed that live births
among girls aged 10 to 14 rose from 2,411 in 2019 to 3,343 in 2023, a 6.6
percent increase in just four years.

In response, the UNFPA once more released an official statement
expressing its alarm and reiterated calls for immediate government action to
address the indefensible phenomenon of children giving birth to children.

It stated that: “These girls also face numerous challenges as many of
them are forced to stop schooling, which in turn deprives them of a better
future. UNFPA Philippines’ ongoing Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino
Child also provides strong evidence that adolescent pregnancy perpetuates
intergenerational poverty and poor education and nutrition outcomes.”

It must be underscored that according to both recent research by Save
the Children and the UNFPA State of the World Population Report as far back
as 2013, very young mothers under 15 years old are twice as likely to die from
pregnancy or childbirth complications compared to women aged 20 to 30.

In January 2025, the Commission on Population and Development also
disclosed that it is closely monitoring what it described as an “alarming trend”
in the marked increase of live births to very young girls in the country and
labeled repeat pregnancies among adolescents as a “major issue”.


Clearly, lives of children are at stake and the House of Representatives
in the 19" Congress recognized the urgency of finding long term solutions to
the problem of adolescent pregnancy when it overwhelming approved the
“Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Act” on third and final reading in September
2023. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to approve its counterpart measure.

It must be brought to the forefront that the major deleterious
consequences of adolescent pregnancies impact adversely on both adolescents
and the economy.

Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of
deaths for teenagers worldwide because young girls’ bodies are not ready for
the rigors of pregnancy and childbirth. Moreover, babies born to teenage
mothers face greater health risks.

Due to early pregnancy, young girls fail to finish basic education, lack
adequate skills for remunerative work, and are economically vulnerable, thus
perpetuating intergenerational poverty.

Adolescent pregnancies negatively affect the economy with a yearly
average of P33-B forfeited revenues due to “lost opportunities and forgone
savings” consequent to early childbearing. Most adolescent mothers remain
unemployed and unproductive. The government also spends billions of pesos
annually for the healthcare of pregnant teenagers, adolescent mothers, and
their infants.

Consequently, the country fails to reap the benefits of a demographic
dividend from the potential of a huge young population.

The major programs and strategies to prevent adolescent pregnancies
are: (1) age- and development-appropriate reproductive health and sexuality
education, including life skills training that improve confidence and self-worth,
communication skills, and decision-making abilities; (2) access to
contraceptives by adolescents; and (3) comprehensive legislation.

Countries providing reproductive health (RH) education clearly show that
accurate information on health and sexuality at the right time and appropriate
age encourages responsible behavior and delays the onset of sexual activity.
What is important is that information and services are accessible, accurate,
and appropriate.

The beneficent outcomes of RH education are: (a) correct and relevant
sexual values are instilled, preconceived myths on sex are discarded, and
young people’s curiosity is addressed, thus risky behavior and experimentation
are foreclosed; (b) initiation into sexual activity is delayed; (c) abstinence
before marriage is encouraged; (d) life skills to counter peer pressure and
resist coerced sex are acquired; (e) for the sexually active, safe sex and
prevention of unintended pregnancy are achieved; (f) multiple sexual partners
is avoided; and (g) transmission of HIV-AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases
is prevented.

Mandatory RH education assumes more importance in the context of the
Philippines where majority of Filipino parents’ default in teaching their children


proper sexual values because conversation about sex in most Filipino homes is
taboo or the parents themselves are uninformed.

It is lamentable that more than ten years after the enactment of the RH
Law, the Department of Education (DepEd) has not fully completed the
mandated curriculum on RH education which has yet to be implemented
nationwide. DepEd appears to be the graveyard of RH education.

Adolescents’ access to contraception complements RH _ sexuality
education. Increased use of contraceptives accounts for an 86% decline in
teenage pregnancy in the United States. Contraceptive use is also cost-
effective. It is a small portion of the total expenditure for overall RH care and
services. Correct and consistent contraceptive use also reduces abortion rates.

Unfortunately, in the Philippines there is a stringent legal barrier to
adolescents accessing modern contraceptives. The diluted compromise
provision in the RH law requiring written parental consent for minors to access
modern contraception, “except when the minor is already a parent or has had
a miscarriage”, was further diluted by the Supreme Court in Spouses Imbong
vs. Ochoa where the majority struck down the two aforesaid exceptions for
purportedly eroding parental authority in the rearing of children. Consequently,
without a written parental consent, no minor can access modern contraception.

In stark contrast, the US Federal Supreme Court as early as four decades
ago in Carey vs. Population Services, Int’. ruled that a 16-year-old minor's
constitutional right to privacy includes the right to freely avail of
contraceptives. It also debunked for want of proof the pretension that access
to contraception increases minors’ sexual indulgence.

Since there should be no idolatrous adherence to precedents, it stands
to reason that Congress can depart from the aforesaid pronouncement in
Imbong by legislating that parental consent is not necessary for adolescents,
particularly those who are 16 years old and above, to access contraceptives
because the State policy upholding the constitutional right to privacy of minors
is superior to parental authority, which needs government support and
intervention like in the case of defaulting parents.

Verily, enacting a law preventing adolescent pregnancy; addressing the
underlying factors contributing to adolescent pregnancy, such as poverty, lack
of educational opportunities, and harmful social norms that perpetuate early
marriage and childbearing; and providing social support for young parents will
save young girls from the clutches of maternal death, unemployment and
poverty, and improve their future.

If we are to truly uplift the lives of women, we must start by improving
the future of young girls.

Immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

CIELO KRESEL B. LAGMAN


Repubiic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
TWENTIETH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 654

Introduced by Representative Cielo Krisel B. Lagman

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A _ NATIONAL POLICY IN PREVENTING
ADOLESCENT PREGNANCIES,  INSTITUTIONALIZING SOCIAL
PROTECTION FOR ADOLESCENT PARENTS

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 Adolescent Pregnancy
Prevention Act.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It shall be the policy of the State to:

(a) Recognize, promote, and strengthen the role of adolescents and young people in
the overall human socio-economic development of the country;

(b) Create and sustain an enabling environment for adolescents to achieve their
aspirations and potentials as well as to positively contribute to nation-building;

(c) Pursue sustainable and genuine human development that values the dignity of
the human person and affords full protection to peoples’ rights, especially the
adolescents and their families;

(d) Promote and protect the basic human rights of adolescents, particularly their
rights to sexual and reproductive health, equality and equity before the law,
freedom of expression, development, education, and participation in choosing
and making responsible decisions for themselves;

(e) Pursue an adolescent pregnancy reduction strategy that is anchored on the
empowerment of adolescents, their rights to health and development, their needs
and preferences, that is cognizant of the structural barriers, including but not
limited to sex, gender, poverty, age, ethnicity, and disability that lead to
adolescent pregnancy;


(f) Provide full and comprehensive information to adolescents to help them prevent
early and unintended pregnancies and their life-long consequences;

(g) Provide access to safe, quality, and respectful maternal health care services,
including antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care to adolescent girls;

(h) Ensure corresponding interventions that could respond to the socioeconomic,

health, and emotional needs of adolescents and youth, especially young girls,

with due regard to their creative capabilities for social, family, and community

support, employment opportunities, participation in the political process, and

access to education, health, counseling, and high-quality reproductive health

services;

Guarantee universal access to medically safe, legal, and affordable reproductive

health care services, methods and devices, and information that prioritizes the

needs of the underprivileged, especially adolescent girls and those who are

(

already parents;

() Encourage adolescent parents to continue and finish their education or acquire

functional and technical skills in order to equip them for a better life, improve their
income, increase their human potential to help prevent early marriages, high-risk
child-bearing and repeated pregnancies, and reduce associated mortality and
morbidity through comprehensive social protection interventions;

(k) Create enabling mechanisms and opportunities for adolescent parents,
especially those who are minors, to achieve their aspirations and potentials
through comprehensive and integrated social protection measures; and

(1) Recognize and promote the rights, duties, and responsibilities of parents,
teachers, and other persons responsible for the growth of adolescents to provide
them, in a manner consistent with their evolving capacities, appropriate direction,
and guidance in sexual and reproductive matters.

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

{a) Adolescents refer to individuals in the 10 to 19 years’ age group, as defined by
the World Health Organization (WHO);

(b) Adolescent Male involvement and participation refers to the active movement,

participation, and commitment of adolescent males and their joint responsibility
with adolescent females in all areas of adolescent sexual and reproductive health,
as well as reproductive health concems specific to males;


(c) Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) Care refers to the access to
a full range of methods, techniques, and services that contribute to the
reproductive health and well-being of young people by preventing and solving
reproductive health-related problems;

(d) Adolescent sexuality refers to the central aspect of being human, which
encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, pleasure,
intimacy, and reproduction by individuals aged 10 to 19. It is experienced and
expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors,
practices, roles, and relationships; and is influenced by the interaction of
biological, psychological, social, economic, political, cultural, legal, historical,
religious, and spiritual factors;

(e) Comprehensive Adolescent Sexuality Education (CASE) refers to the process of
acquiring complete, accurate, relevant, and age-appropriate information and skills
on all matters relating to the reproductive system, its functions and processes,
and human sexuality and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity,
interpersonal relationship, affection, intimacy, and gender roles of adolescents. It
shall develop the skills of adolescents for them to make informed decisions such
as the capacity to distinguish between facts and myths on sex and sexuality,
critically evaluate and discuss the moral, religious, social, and cultural dimensions
of related sensitive issues such as contraception and abortion, and the prevention
of risky behaviors that may undermine the realization of their aspirations and
potentials. It is a rights-based, gender-focused, approach to adolescent health
education taught over several years with progressive appropriateness based on
age-appropriate information consistent with the evolving capacities of young
people and adolescents. CASE shall be implemented in schools, alternative
learning systems, communities, and other venues which the government may
identify and utilize, taking into consideration its appropriateness and the
protection of its beneficiaries’ privacy;

Evolving capacities of the child refers to the concept enshrined in Article 5 of the

Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizing the developmental changes

and the corresponding progress in cognitive abilities and capacity for self-

(

determination undergone by children as they grow up, thus requiring parents and
others charged with the responsibility for the child to provide varying degrees of
protection, and to allow their participation in opportunities for autonomous
decision-making;


(g) information and service delivery network (ISDN) for adolescent health and
development (AHD) refers to the network of facilities, institutions, and providers
within the province, district, municipality or city-wide health and social system
offering information, training, and core packages of health and social care
services in an integrated and coordinated manner;

(h) Informed choice refers to a situation wherein a person is provided with options to
choose from several commodoties, diagnostic treatments, tests, or procedures,
based on full information and details about their benefits, risks, and expected
outcomes;

(}) Mature minor doctrine refers to the legal principle that recognizes the capacity of
some minors to consent independently to medical procedures and services if they
have been assessed by qualified health professionals to understand the nature
of such procedures and services and their consequences to make decisions on
their own;

() Normal schools or colleges for teachers refer to learning institutions training or
educating teachers in primary, secondary, college, postgraduate, technical, or
vocational education;

(k) Reproductive health refers to a state of complete physical, mental, and social
well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters
relating to the reproductive system and its functions and processes;

()) Risky behavior refer to an ill-advised practices and actions both sexual and non-
sexual that are potentially detrimental to a person's health or general well-being;
and

(m)Social protection refers to policies and programs that seek to reduce poverty and
vulnerability to risks and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalized
by promoting and protecting livelihood and employment, protecting against
hazards and sudden loss of income, and improving people's capacity to manage
risks.

SEC. 4. Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Inter-Agency Council. - The
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Inter-Agency Council, hereinafter referred to as the
Council, is hereby established. The Council shall serve as the policy-making body
responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that shall
provide family-oriented, adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health programs,
centered on the prevention, counseling, and post-delivery care of adolescent


pregnancy, through the development of coherent, rational, unified, effective and efficient
structures, systems, and mechanisms for social protection program to the adolescents
with health and development concerns primarily on sexual and reproductive health.

SEC. 5. Development and Implementation of National Program of Action and
Investment Plan for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy. - The Council shall,
in collaboration with other relevant national agencies, non-government organizations
(NGOs), and civil society organizations (CSOS), shall develop an evidence-based,
National Medium-Term Plan for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy.

This program of action shall serve as the national framework for inter-agency and inter-
sectoral collaboration and resource allocation at all levels, to address the various health,
cultural, socio-economic, and institutional determinants of adolescent pregnancy.

Based on the Program of Action, a National Program on the Prevention of Adolescent
Pregnancy (NPPAP) shall be developed and funded at all levels and shall become a
priority program of the Philippine Population Management Program of the Commission
on Population and Development (POPCOM), spearheaded and coordinated by the
Council created under Section 4 this Act.

The NPPAP shall be based on the inter-agency program of action involving all relevant
government agencies and shall be considered a program that is eligible for multi-year
funding and inter-agency obligational authority to ensure the allocation of the adequate
funding for all concemed government agencies.

SEC. 6. Information and Service Delivery Network for Adolescent Health and
Development. - All provinces and chartered cities shall organize and operationalize an
ISDN for AHD consisting of different govemment agencies and NGOs, institutions, and
facilities disseminating information and services to adolescents within their locality.

In cases of provinces and cities with existing ISDNs for AHD, they shall harmonize new
and existing efforts and programs for AHD, particularly the services responding to the
socioeconomic dimensions of adolescent pregnancy. The ISDN shall be organized by
each province or by municipality or city according to local government capacity. An


effective collaborative and referral system among the members of the ISDN shall be
established and implemented within a catchment area.

The ISDN for AHD shall provide health services that are sensitive to the particular needs
and human rights of all adolescents to enable them to deal positively and responsibly
with their reproductive health and sexuality.

The organization and mobilization of ISDN for AHD shail support the program through
the following activities, among others:

(a)Map and analyze the various factors contributing to pregnancies among
adolescents at the regional and local levels;

(b) Identify, harmonize, coordinate, and implement inter-agency interventions to
address the various issues related to adolescent pregnancies at the regional and
local levels;

(c) Capacitate ISDN for AHD agency members in collaboration with relevant regional
government agencies to ensure the dissemination of quality information and
services to adolescents;

(d) Provide, in collaboration with concerned local goverment units (LGUs), needed
information and services for adolescent development;

(e) Generate or share resources among involved institutions and facilities in the
implementation of the joint strategic plan of the ISDN for AHD; and

(f) Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of coordination and referral systems and
other interagency interventions jointly implemented by the ISDN.

The local ISDN for AHD shall be organized by the Office of the Provincial, City, or
Municipal Population Officer, and coordinated with the Provincial, City or Municipal
Health Office, in coordination with the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation or Local
Youth Development Council (LYDC) in the concemed localities, with technical
assistance from the Council and other relevant national government agencies. The local
ISDN for AHD must be established within one (1) year after the promulgation of the
Implementing Rules and Regulations of this Act.

SEC. 7. Mandatory Establishment of Functional Local Centers for Adolescent
Health and Development. — School-or community-based centers for AHD shall be
established and operationalized in all municipalities and cities in the country. These


youth-led centers shall serve as facilities where adolescents particularly girls and young
women are able to access appropriate information and services on ASRH and other
concerns relevant to their holistic development. These Centers shall be the
convergence or catchment facilities or hubs for the services under the ISDN for AHD.
The Center may also serve as a peer-helping, counseling, and treatment center for
adolescents in crisis or victims of abuse and violence as well as a venue for the
implementation of programs and strategies under the Social Protection Program for
Adolescent Parents and their Children (SPPAPC).

The Center shall be mainly managed, operated, and maintained by the LGUs through
the SK, in collaboration with the local office designated to organize and coordinate the
ISDN for AHD; youth volunteers and workers; and other organized adolescents and
youth groups recognized by the LGU with the assistance of various adult service
providers and youth-serving professionals including the CSOs. The establishment and
operationalization of the centers shall be funded using 10% of the SK fund and other
relevant local budget sources.

The Council shall formulate the guidelines and standards for setting-up Centers in
schools and communities. National government agencies shall provide assistance to
LGUs and schools in setting up the centers.

SEC. 8. Adolescent and Youth-Friendly Health Facilities. - The Department of
Health (DOH)-approved standards for adolescent and youth-friendly health facilities and
hospitals shall be institutionalized and made a requirement for the licensing and relevant
accreditation of public and private health facilities. The DOH shall likewise identify
specific AHD-related health services that should be made available in public health
facilities and hospitals under the operational framework and mechanisms for the
Universal Health Care Act.

The Council shall likewise facilitate the development and adoption of standards for
establishing and maintaining adolescent and youth-friendly public facilities providing
information and services for adolescents.

SEC. 9. Community-Based and Culturally-Sensitive, Age and
Developmentally-Appropriate Comprehensive Adolescent Sexuality Education.-

10


To complement and support age-and developmentally-appropriate reproductive health
education pursuant to Republic Act No. 10354 or “The Responsible Parenthood and
Reproductive Health Act of 2012", and to ensure the inclusive promotion of CASE,
culturally-sensitive and appropriate modules shall also be developed and adopted
through community-based information, education and communication programs for all
adolescents, including indigenous people, persons with disabilities, out-of-school youth
(OSY), children in conflict with the law, beneficiaries of residential social welfare
services, and other marginalized groups: Provided, That cultural norms and practices
that may violate human rights, or reinforce discrimination against women and girls shall
be prohibited

The Department of Education (DepEd) shall, with assistance from the Council, and in
collaboration with other relevant govemment agencies, develop and promote
educational standards, modules, and materials to promote CASE in schools.

Reinforcing the relevant provisions of Republic Act 10354, public and private
educational and technical skills development institutions and facilities shall, in
coordination with the Council and in collaboration with relevant NGOs and CSOs, adopt
a government-approved, age- and developmentally-appropriate CASE modules in all
educational and technical skills development curricula and training programs, including
in higher education curricula and vocational institutions, to ensure adequate coverage
of concerns such as gender sensitivity, reproductive health choices and responsibilities,
and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV) acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Delivery of CASE in a non-formal education setting shall be ensured by DepEd through
their Alternative Learning System. Community youth leaders shall, through SK, the
LYDC, and the Local Council for the Protection of Children (LCPC), invest in a concerted
effort in reaching these groups and encourage peer-to-peer counseling. Volunteer
groups and interested CSOs and NGOs shall be recognized for supplemental support
to the local ISDNs for AHD.

The CASE shall be a compulsory part of education, integrated at all levels of learning

with the end goal of normalizing discussion of sex and gender, adolescent sexuality,
reproductive health, and removing the stigma on the discussion of these topics. The

1


materials and modules developed must be evidence-based, medically accurate, rights-
based, culturally sensitive, and non-discriminatory towards adolescents of different
sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.

The Council shall undertake annual reviews to determine the effectiveness of the
curriculum and to make revisions as necessary to enhance the implementation of the
program. In addition, the Council shall be tasked to integrate the CASE syllabus that is
culturally sensitive into the existing Madrasah curriculum.

This curriculum shall be designed to strengthen respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms, including those related to reproductive health, sexuality,
population, and development. The materials shall be complementary to the Responsible
Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law and should be based on the need for
responsible human sexuality and, reflect the realities of current sexual behavior.

SEC. 10. Comprehensive Adolescent Sexuality Education for Out-of-School
Adolescents and those with Special Concerns. - The Council, the local ISDN, and
the LGUs shall collaborate to intensify and institutionalize interactive learning
methodologies for CASE among out-of-school adolescents in the communities and
workplaces: Provided, That the needs of adolescents who belong to indigenous
communities, those who are working, have disabilities, and are in social institutions are
considered in the design and promotion of sexuality education among adolescents.

SEC. 11. Training of Teachers, Guidance Counselors, School Supervisors, and
Schoo! Nurses on Comprehensive Adolescent Sexuality Education. - The Council
shall ensure that all teachers, guidance counselors, school supervisors, and school
nurses entrusted with the duty to educate adolescents on CASE are properly trained on
adolescent health and development, and gender sensitivity to effectively educate and
guide adolescents in dealing with their sexuality-related concems. The training shall
introduce and improve the delivery of the current services to promote greater
responsibility and awareness of the interrelationships between adolescent health
issues, including sexual and reproductive health, and gender equity: Provided, That the
training shall also include legal and human rights instruments applicable to the sexual
and reproductive health of adolescents, especially in cases of unintended pregnancies

as a result of sexual violence.

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The training shall be in collaboration with the Council for technical assistance. Funding
for the training shall be allotted in the concerned govemment agencies’ annual
allocation to be approved by Congress. As a result of the training, schools shall institute
policies to support adolescent mothers in ensuring that they stay in school and complete
their education.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) shall ensure that CASE standards are
guided by principles of gender equality and women's human rights and must be
integrated into the curriculum and across specializations in the professional preparation
and training for would-be teachers in normal schools or teacher education institutions
in the country.

SEC. 12. Comprehensive Adolescent Sexuality Education for Parents and
Guardians as well as those with Special Concerns. - The Council shall intensify and
institutionalize interactive learning methodologies for CASE among parents and
guardians to effectively guide adolescents in their growth and development. The Parent
Effectiveness Program as provided for under Republic Act No. 11908, otherwise known
as “The Parent Effectiveness Service Program Act” shall be adopted by the Council to
enhance the parenting skills of parents, guardians, relatives, and other significant adults
who care for or have influence over adolescents.

SEC 13. Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Training for Policymakers
and Implementers. - The Council shall be responsible for disseminating guidelines and
providing training programs for policymakers and implementers in both the executive
and legislative branches of government at all levels to enable a better understanding of
ASRH as well as policies and practices to promote it.

The guidelines crafted for the purpose of this section shall be framed from a lens of
gender equality and women’s human rights and shall be made in consultation with the
Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), academic institutions and CSOs focused on
gender and women’s human rights.

SEC. 14. Sustained National Campaign on the Prevention of Adolescent
Pregnancy using Various Types of Media. - The Council shall develop and implement

13


a nationwide communication campaign through various types of media, including online
platforms, to maximize dissemination to adolescents. The POPCOM shail, in
collaboration with the Council members and other agencies, develop, maintain and
regularly update a web portal for all AHD communication information, referral, and
materials. Relevant services shall be developed and promoted by the Council to
harmonize and link various government websites and online services for ASRH
including the networked operationalization of ISDN for AHD.

Private broadcast networks with news channels or news programs shall also be
encouraged and mobilized for the national campaign as part of their corporate social
responsibility initiatives. The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) as the official public
information arm of the government shall take the lead in promoting ASRH and in
advocating for adolescent pregnancy prevention in media.

SEC. 15. Participation of the Private Sector in the Promotion of Comprehensive
Adolescent Sexuality Education. - The government may enter into a public-private
partnership agreement in mobilizing private communication networks and companies in
promoting CASE through text or short message service or media messages. An
incentive mechanism for telecommunication companies, including social media
platforms, shall be developed and implemented by concemed agencies to recognize
private participation in promoting CASE and adolescent health-seeking behavior,
positive attitude towards sex, sexual relations, and sexuality, among others.

Other private companies may be engaged to partner with government agencies in
designing and implementing innovative programs to prevent adolescent pregnancy.

SEC. 16. Access to Reproductive Health Information and Services. — Access
and information to modern family planning methods with proper counseling by trained
service providers shall be provided to adolescents. For this purpose, all health service
providers in all health facilities shall be trained in providing adolescent-friendly and
responsive information and services. itis the duty of health service providers to provide
complete and medically-correct information on reproductive health and clinical services,
including the right to informed choice, and access to modem and other legal, medically-
safe, and effective family planning methods: Provided, That the provision of
reproductive health services to adolescents shall be based on the principles of non-

14


discrimination and confidentiality, the rights of adolescents, their evolving capacities,
and the principle of the mature minor doctrine: Provided, further, it shall be ensured that
adolescents are not denied the information and services needed to prevent future
unintended pregnancies and can access treatment and care services without fear of
stigmatization, discrimination, and violence: Provided, finally, that access to
reproductive health services shall be made available under any of the following
circumstances:

(a) In keeping with the principle of the evolving capacities of the child, if the person
is fifteen (15) to below eighteen (18) years of age, access to reproductive health
services shall be made available to adolescents without the need of consent from
a parent or guardian;

(b) In keeping with the mature minor doctrine, adolescents below fifteen (15) years
old who have already begun childbearing, who are pregnant, or who have
experienced sexual abuse, miscarriage, sexually active or engaged in high-risk
behavior shall have full access to reproductive health services without the need
of consent from a parent or legal guardian; and

(c) In all other cases not covered by letter (b) of this section, consent to access to
reproductive health services shall be obtained from the adolescent's parents or
guardian if the person is below fifteen (15) years of age or is mentally
incapacitated. In cases when the adolescent's parents or guardian cannot be
located despite reasonable efforts, or if the adolescent's parents or guardian
refuse to give consent, it shall be obtained from a duly licensed and trained health
service provider.

The Council shall ensure that ASRH training is integrated into the pre-service curriculum
training of Barangay Health Workers (BHWs), front-line health care providers, and
social workers. The said training shall include topics such as: consent, adolescent
sexual and reproductive health, effective contraception use, disease prevention, HIV
and AIDS and the more common STIs, hygiene, healthy lifestyles, and prevention of
gender and sexual violence. Linkages and referral systems shall be established in
educational institutions to bridge gaps between adolescent reproductive health
curriculum and access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for in-school

1s


adolescents. For OSYs and other groups, a trained community peer educator could be
chosen to advocate accessing SRH services and distribution of commodities.

SEC. 17. Social Protection Program for Adolescent Parents and their Children.
~ Acomprehensive social protection program shall be provided to adolescents who are
currently pregnant and their partners to prevent repeat pregnancies and to ensure their
well-being while assuming the responsibilities of being young parents. The social
protection program shall include information and services that address the risks,
vulnerabilities, and needs attendant to being a young parent, such as:

(a) Maternal health services including pre-natal, ante-natal, and post-natal check-ups
and facility-based delivery;

(b) Post-natal family planning counseling and services for either or both adolescent
parents;

(c) Home-based, in-school, or tech-vocational education for adolescent mothers and
parents;

(d) Personal Philippine Health Insurance coverage, making mandatory enrollment
and membership of indigent adolescent mothers;

(e) Training, skills development, and support to livelihood programs for the household
of the adolescent parents especially for the indigents;

(f) Continuing CASE for adolescent parents;

(g) Workshops on couples counseling, parenting, and positive discipline for the
prospective parents;

(h) Protective and support services for adolescents who are victims of are exposed
to gender-based violence, abuse, and exploitation;

(i) Safety net measures for adolescent parents during emergency and crisis
situations;

() Support mechanisms that will encourage the return of adolescent parents to
schools such as in-school day-care, breastfeeding stations, among others; and

(k) Psycho-social support and mental health services for adolescent mothers.

Beneficiaries of the program who are 18 years old and above shall be entitled to
maternal and paternal leave, especially if both are employed. Suspension, forced
resignation, and other discriminatory acts in the workplace and in school against
pregnant girls shall be prohibited. The local councils shall, through the Local Social

16


Welfare and Development and the Population Office, shall implement a continuing
CASE program for adolescent mothers and fathers with technical assistance from the
Council.

The services shall safeguard the rights of the adolescents to privacy, confidentiality,
respect, and informed consent while ensuring respect for cultural values and beliefs.

Congress shall provide funding for the SPPAPC in the GAA as a priority poverty
reduction program. The national government shall provide additional and necessary
funding and other necessary assistance to effectively implement this provision.

SEC. 18, Adolescent Male Involvement and Shared Responsibility in the
Prevention of Early and Unintended Pregnancies. - The Council shall develop
programs to be implemented by LGUs that shall promote adolescent males’ active
involvement in the prevention of early and unintended pregnancies. These programs
shall include the topics such as responsible fatherhood, couples counseling, laws
against abuse, violence against women, and gender-based life skills. These programs
shall emphasize the roles and responsibilities of adolescent fathers and ensure their
active involvement. These programs shall emphasize the roles and responsibilities of
adolescent fathers and ensure their active involvement. These programs shall also
serve as an avenue to encourage the uptake of SRH services and information for boys
and young men.

SEC. 19. Foster Care or Adoption. - The Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) shall provide assistance to adolescent parents who may decide
to put their child up to foster care or adoption. The consent of both adolescent parents,
or at least one of them, if the whereabouts of the other, despite diligent efforts is
unknown, shall be needed for the validity of the foster care or adoption.

Social workers and guidance counselors shall provide support and guidance to
adolescent parents as well as the parents or guardians of the latter to enable them to
make an informed choice on the possible legal and non-legal consequences of their
actions.

17


SEC. 20. Social Protection in Cases of Sexual Violence. - The Council shall
provide social protection mechanisms against violence for adolescents, especially for
girls. Expectant and current mothers whose pregnancies were the result of sexual
violence shall be given access and support to legal, medical, and psycho-social
services. Furthermore, the Council shall reinforce the capacities of health facilities in
providing comprehensive care for adolescents in case of sexual violence.

Social protection services shall include the following:

(a) Psychosocial care, counseling, and administration of psychological or psychiatric
tests;
(b) Referral to medico-legal examination;

(c) Professional health services;

(d) Legal services; and

(e) Referral or transfer to any DSWD, LGU, or any registered and licensed care
facility for temporary shelter or protective custody.

The scope of sexual violence shall include offenses committed through online means
and physical contact. incidents of sexual violence against adolescents shall be reported
to the Council either personally or online. The Council shall conduct regular informative
seminars across schools and LGUs nationwide to educate adolescents on laws
protecting their rights, the identification of sexual violence, utilization of the related
reporting system, and other protective services available.

Health service providers, particularly the BHWs, other primary health care providers,
and local population officers shall be given confidentiality and safeguarding guidelines
and tools for spotting sexual exploitation and abuse of adolescents. A referral pathway
shall be created by the Council to ensure that identified sexual abuse and exploitation
survivors are assisted and properly handled.

SEC. 21. Social Protection in Cases of Humanitarian, Armed Conflict and
Emergency Situations. - The local ISDN shall be strengthened in the event of
humanitarian crises, armed conflict, and climate-related or emergency situations. The
local ISDN shall ensure swift and efficient delivery of SRH services to vulnerable
adolescents and young pregnant girls. Increased vigilance shall be practiced in cases
of gender violence, sexual assault, and exploitation. All incidences of the

18


aforementioned situations shall be immediately addressed by the local ISDN through
appropriate channels.

Special attention shall be given to young mothers who are in the late stages of
pregnancy in case of labor. In order to ensure the delivery of SRH to adolescents and
adolescent expectant parents, LGUs shall incorporate ASRH-specific content and
safeguards in their local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plans.

SEC.22. Harmonization and Integration of Local Programs for the Prevention
of Adolescent Pregnancy in the Local Council in the Protection of Children, Local
Youth Development Council, and Sangguniang Kabataan Program. - Strategies
and programs which aim to prevent the incidence of adolescent pregnancies shall be
integrated into the LCPC, LYDC, and SK programs at the local and community level
Provided, That SK shall use ten percent (10%) of SK funds to integrate these programs.

The LCPC, LYDC, and SK shall likewise implement programs and activities that aim to
develop the potential and skills of adolescents to make them more productive members
of the society.

The topics of the said programs and activities shall include: (1) Health literacy, hygiene,
and fertility awareness, (2) Sexuality and gender equality, (3) Comprehensive sexuality
education, contraceptive information, counselling, and services, (4) Antenatal,
intrapartum and postnatal care, (5) STIs and HIV prevention and care, (6) Violence
against women and girls: prevention, support and care, (7) Harmful traditional practices
such as child marriage, (8) Laws protecting children and adolescents, (9) Disaster
preparedness and risk reduction, and (10) Building community support for ASRH and
dealing with resistance.

The LCPC, LYDC, and SK shalll encourage adolescent participation in these activities
as means of focusing their potential into more meaningful and productive endeavors.

The LCPC, LYDC, and SK shall enlist the support of the local barangay council and
barangay health center to be able to provide a more complete array of services,
activities, and programs.

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SEC.23. Residential Care Facilities for Marginalized and Disadvantaged
Women - The existing residential care facilities for marginalized and disadvantaged
women of the DSWD shall be capacitated to accommodate the needs of pregnant girls.
The management of the said facilities shall coordinate with their respective locality’s
ISDN to provide SRH information and services to their residents. In order to effectively
serve their pregnant adolescent residents, these facilities shall mobilize the following
personnel from the existing ISDN: a healthcare worker, an on-call obstetrician-
gynecologist, a full-time midwife or nurse, and a psychologist.

If there is an identified demand and need for a residential care facility to be built and
established, the local ISDN, shall prioritize the city or municipality with the highest rate
of adolescent pregnancy.

SEC. 24. Creation of a National Monitoring and Evaluation System on
Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy - The Council shall create a monitoring and
evaluation system that will comprehensively assess and effectively monitor and
evaluate the status, success, and efficacy of the NPPAP.

An Adolescent Health and Development Survey shall be carried out every four (4) years
to conduct surveys and collect age- and gender-disaggregated data. The survey shall
cover a wider range of topics and indicators extending beyond adolescent sexuality and
reproductive health including, but not limited to, topics such as education, adolescent
health, and labor. Existing surveys such as the National Demographic and Health
Survey, Family Health Survey, Family Planning Survey, and Matemal and Child Health
Survey shall cover the collection of data disaggregated at ages 10-19 and include never-
married women in the data collection in order to have a more accurate picture. Research
and data from the assessment and evaluation shall be stored in a public database.

LGUs are required to conduct safety audits every three (3) years to assess the efficacy
and effectiveness of the implementation of this Act within their jurisdiction. Such audits
shall be multi-sectoral and participatory, with consultants undertaken with population
officers, social workers, health workers, schools, and CSOs.

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SEC. 25. Preventing Adolescents’ Involvement in Other Risky Behaviors. - All
barangays shall adopt and implement legal measures to prevent adolescents from
engaging in risky behaviors including those that may lead to adolescent pregnancy,
sexual assault or violence.

SEC. 26. Implementation Structure. - The Council created under Section 4 of this
Act shall be composed of the following:

(a) The POPCOM Executive Director as the Chairperson;

(b) The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) Executive Director as Co-
Chairperson;

(c) Senior officials (at least Undersecretary level) of the DOH, PCW, National Youth
Commission (NYC), DepEd, DSWD, Department of the Interior and Local
Government (DILG), CHED, and Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) as ex-officio members: Provided, That ex-officio members of
the Council shall have the right to vote;

(d) Two members from Women's Rights group or CSOs, selected by the Council,
who are persons with knowledge, expertise, accomplishment, and with no less
than five years of experience in the fields of public health, adolescent rights, and
social protection, and education, psychology, and social welfare: Provided, That
at least one is female;

(e) One (1) adolescent and one (1) youth representative selected by the Council from
various nationally-represented organizations, provided that at least one appointed
member is female; and

(f) The Chairpersons of the League of Provinces, Cities and League of
Municipalities.

The POPCOM and CWC shall serve as the secretariat of the Council.

SEC. 27. Powers and Duties of the Council. - The Council shall perform tasks
and functions that include:

(a) Facilitate the development, implementation, and assessment of the

comprehensive and integrated National Plan of Action and Investment Plan for
the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy;

21


(b) Propose legislative and administrative policies on the prevention of adolescent
pregnancy based on emerging contexts, needs, and preferences of adolescents;

(c) Develop operational guidelines and standards for government agencies and
private organizations in the development and implementation of comprehensive
strategies and programs for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy;

(d) Facilitate the conduct of research and generation of evidence and knowledge on
the drivers of adolescent pregnancy to enhance the development of programs
and policies;

(e) Address and resolve emerging institutional barriers in the implementation of this
law;

(8 Provide relevant agencies and private organizations with recommendations and
solutions to challenges and gaps in the course of implementing the program; and

(g) Engage the private sector and the citizenry to ensure active partnership in
looking for solutions to address the problems of adolescent pregnancy.

The Council shall create a Regional, Provincial, City, and Municipal counterparts to
ensure localization and proper implementation of its programs. Specific strategies shall
be designed to reach marginalized and vulnerable adolescent sub-sectors.

SEC. 28. Roles and Responsibilities of Concerned Agencies. At the national
level, the following agencies shall have the following duties and functions:
(a) The POPCOM shall:
. Develop, and coordinate with relevant agencies, the NPPAP as part of the
National Population Management Program;
. Take the lead in the nationwide and community-based campaign for the

nN

prevention of adolescent pregnancy, including the development and
maintenance of the web portal for relevant online information and services;

s

Provide the public with evidence-based strategies to reduce or eliminate
adolescent pregnancy, and improve adolescent reproductive health;

*

Implement a program for the training of parents and guardians in effectively
guiding adolescents on ASRH issues;
Set up a National information System on the prevention of adolescent

bal

pregnancy that shall be used for planning and programming, monitoring and
evaluation of indicators at all levels;

22


6. Create an enabling environment for adolescents to make informed choices
on their sexual and reproductive health best suited to their personal needs;

7. Spearhead efforts to harmonize information within the network. The
POPCOM may invest in the platform or information portal that would allow
linking the data between members of the network;

8. Serve as an overall coordinator for the nationwide and community-based
campaign for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy, including the
development and maintenance of a web portal for relevant online information
and services;

9. Establish and promote a helpline for adolescent health and development; and

10. Serve as the secretariat of the Council.

(b) The DOH shall:
. Ensure the availability and provision of ASRH information, services, and

commodities in all public and private health facilities;
Ensure the training of health service providers in providing adolescent-friendly

N

and responsive health services;

. Support and provide technical assistance in the capacity building of existing
ISDNs and establishment of new ISDNs at the local level;

. Establish Adolescent Mom Clinics in all hospitals to provide adolescent

©

:

mothers with access to post-natal services and counseling as well as
reproductive commodities to avoid successive pregnancies; and
. Coordinate with the POPCOM on the establishment of a Monitoring and

a

Evaluation System to ensure the responsiveness, accurate coverage, and full
implementation of this Act.

(c) The CWC shall:
1. Integrate into its development and strategic frameworks issues and concerns
from children-specific to adolescent pregnancy and ensure the adoption of

such frameworks by the LGUs and other stakeholders;

2.Vigorously advocate for the awareness and prevention of adolescent
pregnancy;

3. Develop, adopt, and implement in a manner consistent with adolescents’
evolving capacities, proposed legislation, policies, and programs that will
promote child and adolescent health and development; and

4. Serve as the secretariat of the Council.

23


(a) The PCW shall:
1. Implement all programs, plans, and strategies in addressing
adolescent pregnancy, promote adolescent girls’ and mothers’ rights and
welfare, gender equity and equality;
2. Assist the Council in ensuring that adolescent girls’ and mothers’ rights

and welfare are prioritized as provided for under this Act; and
3. Strongly encourage the integration of education programs to prevent
adolescent pregnancy in the mainstreaming work of the gender and

development focal points in government agencies.

(e) The DepEd and CHED shall:

1. Ensure the development and promotion of CASE standards and its
corresponding learning modules for teachers and students;

2. Ensure the comprehensive training of all teachers in CASE;

3.Lead the delivery and implementation of CASE in all public and private
primary, secondary, and tertiary educational institutions as well as in non-
formal educational settings;

4. Ensure the incorporation of CASE in the modules of future educators;

5. Guarantee quality assurance of educational institutions in terms of CASE
delivery compliance through the Philippine Accreditation System for Basic
Education (PASBE);

6. Ensure the proper implementation and delivery of CASE in all schools‘and
administer the PASBE review; and

7. Promote the establishment of school-based adolescent centers.

(n) The TESDA shall:
1. Provide skills and training and livelihood support to adolescent parents; and
2. Encourage enroliment in tech-vocational courses for adolescent parents who
are not fully equipped to return to in-school education.

(f) The DSWD shall:

1. Take the lead in providing social protection for adolescent parents, especially
in cases of sexual violence, abuse, and exploitation;

24


2. Ensure the provision of social protection for adolescents in humanitarian
and/or emergency situations;

3. Equip the existing Distressed Centers for Disadvantaged Women with
increased capacity to accommodate more residents, particularly adolescent
girls;

4, Incorporate ASRH and adolescent pregnancy prevention modules for both
parents and adolescents in existing family development sessions and youth
development sessions under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program with
modules for adolescents emphasizing peer-to peer discussions;

5.Promote CASE for adolescents with special needs and in difficult
circumstances; and

6. Ensure the integration of social protection services in adolescent centers.

(g)The NYC shall:

1. Ensure the integration of ASRH and CASE promotion in the SK or Task Force
‘on Youth Development (TFYD) and LYDC programs and projects;

2. Capacitate the SK or TFYD and LYDC in the implementation of this Act at the
local level; and

3. Conduct workshops, classes, and seminars for first-time parents in
partnership with POPCOM, DOH, DSWD, CWC, and other concerned Council
members and relevant agencies.

(h) The DILG shall:
1. Ensure the compliance of concerned Local Councils in the implementation of
this Act by including the implementation of ASRH programs as a qualifying
requirement of the Seal of Good Local Governance; and
2. Assist the local ISDNs through their League of Provinces, League of Cities,
League of Municipalities, and League of Barangays.

(i) The LGUs shall:
1. Ensure the development of local strategies for the prevention of adolescent
pregnancy in their localities;
2. Ensure the promotion of CASE in schools and communities;
3. Mobilize the SK for key strategies in the prevention of adolescent pregnancy
in their localities;

25


(@ The

4. Facilitate the organization and mobilization of ISDN for AHD;

5. Ensure the availability and provision of appropriate health and social services
for adolescents;

6. Set up a database on adolescent pregnancy for programming and planning;

7. Implement a program for the training of parents and guardians in effectively
guiding adolescents on ASRH issues;

8. Enlist the participation of children, adolescents, and youth-oriented groups as
well as CSOs and NGOs as much as possible; and

9. Allocate funds necessary for strategies in preventing adolescent pregnancy.

SK and LYDC shall:
1. Mobilize the Katipunan ng mga Kabataan in every barangay for key strategies
in the prevention of adolescent pregnancy and their involvement in risky
behaviors that are facilitative of engagement in sexual activities;

Facilitate the organization and mobilization of ISDN for AHD in their localities;

en

Integrate the ASRH, CASE and local programs to prevent incidence of
adolescent pregnancies in the SK and LYDC programs, projects and
activities;

>

Promote the CASE using social media and other digital or online
communication platforms in their localities;
. Enlist the support of the local barangay council and barangay health center to

a

be able to provide a more complete array of services, activities and programs
for the youth;

2

Develop, launch, and sustain a campaign for the prevention of adolescent
pregnancy in their localities;

~

Set-up a database on adolescent pregnancy in their localities for
programming and planning;
Organize and mobilize youth volunteers, in collaboration with barangay

2

officials and peace officers, to monitor compliance of computer shops and
business establishments selling and distributing videos and printed materials
and in restricting minors from accessing pornographic materials and obscene
shows.

©

Conduct workshops, classes and seminars for adolescents and first-time
parents on ASRH issues, in partnership with POPCOM, DOH, DSWD, CWC,
and other concerned Council members and relevant agencies;

26


10. Assist the LGUs in the management, operation and maintenance of the
local adolescent centers;

11. Promote adolescent male involvement in the prevention of early and
unintended pregnancies; and

12. Allocate funds necessary for strategies in preventing adolescent
pregnancy.

{k) The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) shall:

1, Review existing guidelines to ensure that no movie and television programs
portray, depict, promote, and encourage unsafe sexual activities among
adolescents as a normative behavior in society; and

2. Develop an incentive scheme for adolescent-friendly television programs shall
likewise be developed and implemented to encourage movie and television
networks to produce materials and programs that promote responsible sexuality
among adolescents.

(I) The PIA shall:

1. Take the lead in promoting ARH and in advocating for adolescent pregnancy
prevention in media;

2. Provide regular reports on the trend and incidence rates of adolescent
pregnancies in the country and provide the public with information on resources
and health practices for ASRH, among others, in collaboration with relevant
Council member agencies; and

3. Encourage and mobilize private broadcast networks with news channels or
news programs for the national campaign as part of their corporate social
responsibility initiatives.

(m) The CSOs shall partner with the national and local government units in the
implementation of the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 29. Designating February of Every Year as the Month for Raising Public
Awareness on Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy and Conduct of Nationwide
Communication Campaign. - To raise public consciousness on the issues of
adolescent pregnancy and generate support from various stakeholders, the entire
month of February shall be designated as the Month for Public Awareness on

27


Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention which shall be observed nationwide. Schools and
other stakeholders shall hold activities with the objective of raising awareness and
generating critical actions to address the issues of increasing adolescent pregnancy.

Further, the Council, in collaboration with relevant agencies including the CSOs and
private sector, shall develop, launch, and sustain a nationwide campaign for the
prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

SEC. 30. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee- There is hereby created a
Joint Congressional Oversight Committee to monitor the implementation of this Act and
to review the Implementing Rules and Regulations promulgated. The Committee shall
be composed of five (5) Senators and five (5) Representatives, with at least 1 member
from each house to come from the minority, to be appointed by the Senate President
and Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively. The Oversight Committee
shall be co-chaired by the Chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Women, Children,
Family Relations, and Gender Equality, the Senate Committee on Youth, the House
Committee on Youth and Sports Development, and the House Committee on Population
and Family Relations.

SEC. 32. Timeline for Adoption, Monitoring, and Evaluation of this Act. The
networks and services included in this Act shall be established within one (1) year upon
effectivity of this Act. Periodic monitoring and evaluation of coverage and delivery of
reproductive health services for pregnant adolescents shall also be conducted every
three (3) years.

SEC. 33. Reportorial Requirements. — Before the end of April each year, the
POPCOM shall submit to the President of the Philippines and Congress an annual
consolidated accomplishment report, which shall provide a definitive and
comprehensive assessment of the implementation of its programs and those of other
government agencies in relation to the implementation of this Act and recommend
priorities for executive and legislative action. The report shall be printed and distributed
to all national agencies, LGUs, NGOs, and private sector organizations involved inssaid
programs.

28


SEC. 34. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within sixty (60) days upon the
effectivity of this Act, the Council members shall convene to appoint the representatives
as identified in Section 26 (d), and (e), such appointments shall require the concurrence
of a simple majority of the government agencies represented in the same Council.
Subsequent appointments to the Council shall require a simple majority of all members.

immediately upon the appointment of the representatives in Section 26 (d) and (e),
regardless of whether the seats in the Council have been filled, the members of the
Council shall be organized to formulate the rules and regulations for the effective
implementation of the provision of this Act, along with at least three (3) CSOs.

SEC. 35. Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain in full force and
effect.

SEC. 36. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, issuances, decrees, rules,
and regulations inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are deemed

amended, modified, or repealed accordingly.

SEC. 37. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,

29