Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH (17") CONGRESS
First Regular Session

3761

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representative Manuel Monsour T. Del Rosario IIT

EXPLANATORY NOTE

In 2001, the erstwhile Department of Education, Culture and Sports was re-organized into
the Department of Education by virtue of Republic Act No. 9155. One of the key policy
initiatives that took effect after this re-organization was the integration of physical education
(PE) into the MAPEH subject (music, arts, physical education, and health). As a result, PE is
taught only once a week. There is also an option to take music and arts instead of PE. Worse,
there are no PE teachers in many schools. Simply put, since the enactment of R.A. 9155,
significant time has been cut from PE in order to increase time spent for other classroom
activities.

With PE and sports education overlooked and often shunted aside in favor of other
extracurricular activities, our country’s performance in international sports competitions has
become dismal. For example, we have had only nine athletes reaping medals since we started
participating in the Olympic Games in 1924, Unfortunately, none of our medallists has ever
bagged an Olympic gold medal—a drought that we have endured for 92 years and counting, By
contrast, our Southeast Asian neighbours such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore
have already won their share and are looking to add more to their growing haul of gold medals.

We are also losing the fight against inactivity and obesity in our children. We are raising
the most sedentary and unhealthy generation of children in our country’s history. Our children
are spending excessive amounts of hours in front of the computer and TV and too few hours in
sweat-inducing physical activity. In the age of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other highly
addicting Internet-based applications, obesity will continue to rise due to the lack of physical
activity coupled with an increase in unhealthy eating pattens—high intake of sweetened
beverages and junk foods.

We need PE to be given importance in our schools.

Allotting more instructional hours for PE and school sports is one of the best strategies to
address this problem. Not only does PE increase the chances of our children to live a healthier,
more productive life, it pays off in the classroom as well. PE in the school environment is
associated with academic benefits and children’s social and emotional wellbeing. PE also serves
as a preventive measure for adult conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and
diabetes.

PE and school sports also contribute to the holistic development of children and young
people. Through participation in sports and PE, young people learn about the importance of key


values such as honesty, teamwork, fair play, respect for oneself and others, and adherence to
rules, It also provides a medium to lear how to deal with competition and how to cope with
winning and losing. These learning aspects highlight the impact of PE and sport on a child’s
social and moral development in addition to physical skills and abilities. This extends the impact
of PE beyond the schoolyard to the broader milieu of public health,

If our schools are required to establish a dedicated sports and PE program so that children
are exposed to physical activity from a tender age, we can ensure that they will be able to
understand the importance of PE. ‘This will help them build healthy activity habits that encourage
lifelong involvement in physical activity and active participation in sports.

This bill is a clarion call for action. It is time that our schools realize the importance of PE
and school sports. Otherwise, we will end up creating a generation of unfit Filipinos in the
future. This, certainly, we cannot afford. Hence, approval of this bill is fervently sought.

‘NUEL MONSOUR T. DEL ROSARIO III


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH (17"") CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO8'76.1

Introduced by Representative Manuel Monsour T. Del Rosario III

AN ACT MANDATING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CREATE A
SEPARATE CURRICULUM FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION, DISTINCT FROM THE
MUSIC, ARTS AND HEALTH CURRICULUM, AND PROVIDE MORE
INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS 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 “Physical Education Act of
2016".

Section 2. Statement of Policy. - The State shall create a national culture that supports
physically active lifestyles and facilitates regular physical activity, and shall adopt policies and
programs that ensure quality of physical education for students from prekindergarten through
2th grade and that guide physical education and other physical activity programs.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall be
defined as follows:

(a) Schoo! ~ is an educational institution, private and public, undertaking educational
operation with a specific age-group of pupils or students pursuing defined studies at
defined levels, receiving instruction from teachers, usually located in a building or a
group of buildings in a particular physical or cyber site; and

(b) Physical Education ~ a standard course for primary and secondary schools in which
pupils or students receive instruction and practice in physical exercise, including a
wide range of traditional or indigenous games, designed to improve physical fitness,
develop motor skills, knowledge and behavior of healthy and active living,
sportsmanship, and emotional intelligence.

Section 4, Institutionalization of Physical Education. — Physical Education shall be
institutionalized as an important and integral component of the basic education curriculum. It
shall be taught as a separate and distinct course from Music, Arts, and Health for elementary

pupils and high school students.

PE shall have instructional periods of a minimum of one (1) hour per day or a minimum
of five (5) hours per week.


Section 5. Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports (BPESS). ~ Section 9 of
Republic Act No. 9155, otherwise known as the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001,
which abolished the BPESS, is hereby repealed. The BPESS is hereby re-established under the
Department of Education,

The personnel of the old BPESS presently detailed with the Philippine Sports
Commission are hereby transferred to the Department of Education without loss of rank,
including the plamtilla positions they occupy. All other personnel needed by the BPESS shall be
outsourced from the Philippine Sports Commi

Section 6. Functions of the BPESS.
Sports shall have the following functions:

fhe Bureau of Physical Education and School

(a) Develop a structured and scientifically-researched K to 12 Physical Education
curriculum and programs, including the revival and integration of traditional or
indigenous games;

(b) Develop the general fitness of primary and secondary students through physical and
sports education;

(c) Promote physical education, traditional or indigenous games and other physical
activities to enable children and young people lead a healthy and active lifestyle:

(d) Provide avenues where schools and students shall participate in local sports
competitions, sports fests and fun games;

(e) Develop tangible standards for student performance in physical education and school
sports;

(®) Conduct workshops and continuing education and training for PE instructors; and

(g) Perform other functions as may be provided by law.

Section 7. Appropriations ~ The necessary funds for the operations of the BPESS shall
be annually allocated in the General Appropriations Act under the budget of the Department of
Education,

Section 8. Jmplementing Rules and Regulations, ~ The Department of Education,
Philippine Sports Commission and other concerned agencies shall promulgate and issue the
Implementing Rules and Regulations within ninety (90) days upon approval of this Act.

Section 9. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part of this Act, or the application
thereof to any person or circumstances, is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining sections
of this Act or the application of such provision or part hereof to other persons or circumstance
shall remain in full force and effect.

Section 10. Repealing Clause.— All laws, decrees, orders, issuances, rules and
regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,
amended or modified accordingly.

Section 11. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette and/or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation,

Approved.