THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
1 
s. B. NO. 
Introduced by Senator Magsaysay, Jr. 
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Religion ‘is important as an individual and collective value. 
Whatever the religion, it cannot be denied that in the Philippines, religion 
assumes a vital role in citizen formation, particularly our youth. And so 
we affirm the necessity of religious instruction in the private and public 
schools. 
In the 1935 Constitutional Convention, Delegate Artadi, firm in his 
conviction that religious instruction was elemental in nation-building, 
proposed a provision for religious instruction in the public schools at the 
option of the parents. Delegate Artadi said: 
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“If the knowledge of grammar and of arithmetic were 
not requfred in our schools, sooner or later the child would 
(nevertheless) realize the importance of knowing them, 
because ,he will come to realize that, in the struggle for life, 
knowledge of a language and of arithmetic in necessary. This 
realization does not come to their material needs. Because of 
this, the Ftate, the nation, loses the opportunity of molding the 
character of the Filipino youth according to sound principles; 
the State loses the occasion for creating in the individual a 
habit of mind which nationally chooses good and rejects 
evil. ... . . .” 
The framers of the 1973 Constitution likewise recognized the 
importance of religious instruction. Article XV, Section 8(8) of the said 
fundamental law stated: 
“At the option expressed in writing by the parents or 
guardians, and without cost to them and the government, 
religion shall be taught to their children or wards in the 
public elementary and high schools as may be provided by 
law”. 
Article XlV, Section 3(3) state that “(a) the option expressed in 
writing by the parents or guardians, religion shall be taught to their 
children’ or wards in public elementary and high schools within the 
regular class hours by instructors designated or approved by the 
religious authorities of religion to which the children or wards belongs, 
without additional cost to the government.” 


However, problems have arisen in the attempts to implement the 
optional religidus instruction. These problems have set to naught the 
efforts to realize the gains from religious instruction by the Constitution. 
Today, many considers the absence of religion in the curriculum 
as one rationale why recent problems as drug addiction, early marriage, 
juvenile delinquency and criminality, prostitution and other similar 
social malady that have contributed to the deterioration of society as a 
whole. 
Considering the foregoing, it is imperative that a law be passed to 
interpret and implement the constitutional mandate on optional religious 
instruction. The passage of this bill 


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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
J11 28 A11 :1 
First Regular Syssion 
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SENATE 
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8. B. NO. 
Introduced by Senator Magsaysay, Jr. 
AN ACT 
TO RATIONALIZE THE TEACHING OF RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Act To 
Rationalize The Teaching of Religion In The Public Schools”. 
SEC. 2.1 Declaration of Policy - It is declared policy of the State 
in conformity with the mandate of the Constitution, to encourage and 
promote the teaching of religion to children in public elementary and 
high schools within the regular class hours, for the State is cognizant of 
the vital role that the teaching of religion assumes in citizen formation, 
particularly the molding of our youth. Hence, the State recognizes the 
necessity of religious instruction in the private and public schools. For 
these purpodes, the State shall provide the infrastructure to enable the 
teaching of religion in all public elementary and high schools all over the 
country, fully aware in the process that the Constitution prohibits the 
government from flavoring the establishment of a particular religion or 
prohibiting the free exercise thereof, for the separation of the Church and 
the State shall be inviolable. Furthermore, the implementation of this 
law should not entail additional cost to the government. 
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SEG. 3. Coverage - This Act shall apply to all public elementary 
and high schools in the Philippines. 
SEC.4. Definition of Terms - As used in this Act, the following 
terms shall m&: 
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- an institutionalized system of beliefs, attitudes and 
a. Religir 
practices; 
b. Value Education - the integration into the school curriculum 
of universally accepted as well as Filipino human, social, moral, 
political, economic and cultural values. 
c. Optional religious instruction - refers to the religion classes 
conducted in the public elementary and high schools for 
students or pupils whose parents opt to exercise their right to 
request religious instruction for their children or ward. The 
optional character of religious instruction in public school is in 
reference to the parents or guardians of the children, who are 
free to request or not to request that the children under their 
care be instructed in the religious of their choice. It is not 
optional for the principal or school heads to either accept or 
reject the formal request of the parents to have their children 
instructed in the religion of their choice during regular hours. 
d. Regular class hours 
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refers to the regular or normal 
scheduled periods of instruction or laboratory work for a 
student. 
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e. Class period - the average length of time scheduled for one 
sesiion or instructional period in a course. 
SEC. 5. 
The Teachers/ Instructors 
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The religious 
teachers/instructors who teach religion classes in the public elementary 
and high schools shall be designated by their respective religious 


authorities and shall submit to the principal or school head their proper 
authorization papers and request for time allocation for the optional 
religious instruction. Ordinary teachers teaching in a certain school may 
also teach religion in the same school during the periods when they are 
free from their ordinary teaching load, and provided they are authorized 
to do so by the competent religious authority of their denomination. 
SEC. 6.1 Recipient of Religious Instruction - The teachers of 
religion as referred to in Section 5 shall be allowed to teach those 
pupils/ students whose parents or guardians have opted to request that 
their children or wards be taught the religion of their choice. The religion 
in school shall be expressed in writing by the parents or guardian who 
shall likewise' accomplish in full the necessary application form. 
No 
student/pupils shall be allowed or permitted to attend religious 
instruction classes without the said written application and duly 
accomplished request of his/ her parent or guardian. 
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SEC. 7. The Application - The application referred to in the 
next preceding Section, shall clearly indicate the faith or religious 
instruction the student f pupil should receive from the authorized religion 
teachers, and the preferred schedule for religious instruction. 
SEC. 8: Size and Schedule of Religious Classes - The optional 
religious instruction shall be taught during regular class hours only and 
not before or after class time, or during recess time. Religion classes 
should not number more than forty (40) students of the same level and of 
the same religion. In case the students of the same level and religion 
exceed that  number, the principal or school head shall divide the 
students/ pupils into two or more classes after consulting the religious 
authorities o that faith or the person delegated by them. 
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The principal or school shall fix the schedule of the religion class 
hours taking into account the number of religion teachers/inshuctors 
that can be fielded by the different denomination at one time. 
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SEC. 9. Duration of Religion Classes - The optional religious 
instruction shall be allotted at least sixty minutes a week, spread over at 
least two (2), 
but not more than three (3) meetings in a week. In no case, 
shall the class periods be allocated less than sixty (60) minutes per week. 
SEC. 10. Optional religious Instruction and Values Education 
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The optional religious instruction and the values education of the 
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Department of Education, Culture and Sports are two separate, different 
and distinct Lubjects. 
As such they shall be allotted separate class 
hours and in no case shall they be taken together by the students in one 
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and the same class periods: Provided, however, That if the principal or 
school head cannot find any available time slots for the optional religious 
instruction in the weekly class schedule, in agreement with the religious 
teachers or instructors, the optional religious instruction shallb be 
allotted at least two (2) of the present five (5) time slots assigned every 
week to Value Education. 
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SEC. 11. 
Administrative Sanctions 
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The Secretary of 
Education shall prescribed and impose such administrative sanctions as 
suspension and/or termination, as he may deem reasonable and 
appropriate in the implementing rules and regulations promulgated 
pursuant to this Act against any principal, school head or teacher who 
violates any provisions of this Act, without prejudice to any other 
criminal and/or civil sanctions as may be imposed by existing laws, rules 
and/or regulations. 
SEC. 12. Rule-making-Authority - The Secretary of Education, 
Culture and, Sports charged with the administration and enforcement of 


this Act, shall promulgate the necessary implementing rules and 
regulations consistent with the policy and spirit of this Act. 
SEC. 13. Separability Clause - Any part or provision of this Act 
which may be held invalid or unconstitutional shall not affect its 
remaining parts or provisions. 
SEC. 14. 
Repealing Clause 
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All laws or parts thereof 
inconsistent with any provision of this Act is hereby repealed or modified, 
as the case may be. 
SEC. 15. Effectivity - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its completion in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) 
newspapers of national circulation, whichever comes earlier. 
Approved. 
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