Republic of the Philippines.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No._ 2687

Introduced by Representatives
DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL ARROYO and GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

According to Article XIV, Section 1, of the 1987 Constitution, “The State shall
protect and promote the right of all citizens of our country to quality education at all
levels.” Despite this provision of the Constitution, however, and various other laws
which seek to promote good quality education, the Philippines has been left behind by
its neighbors in Asia when it comes to providing good quality education

Recent surveys reveal that Filipino school children have declined in terms of
academic performance especially in the fields of science and mathematics. This
decline has been attributed to high teacher-student ratio, poor facilities and lack of
textbooks. Also, most of our teachers who teach the subjects of Physics, Chemistry, or
Math lack the expertise or the knowledge to teach these subjects effectively

In line with the aforementioned Constitutional provision on good quality
education, this bill therefore seeks to create an Academic Excellence Foundation with
the primordial duty of promoting academic excellence both in public and private schools
all over the country through public-private entity partnerships. The Foundation shall
develop programs that shall push for the advancement of the concept of academic
excellence.


Due to the foregoing reasons, the swift approval of this measure is earnestly
requested

DIOSDADO PAGAL ARROYO GLORIA h -APAGAL ARROYO
Second District, Camarines Sur Second District, Pampanga


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

2667

House Bill No.

Introduced by Representatives
DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL ARROYO and GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOUNDATION TO
PROMOTE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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 "Academic
Excellence Act of 2013."

SECTION 2. The Academic Excellence Foundation. — There is hereby
created the Philippine Academic Excellence Foundation whose purpose shall be
to promote academic excellence in public and private schools all over the country
through public-private entity partnerships. The foundation shall be a nonprofit
organization. The board of directors of the foundation and foundation activities
shall be under the direction of the Department of Education (DepEd).

SECTION 3. Board of Directors of the Foundation. - The board of
directors of the foundation shall consist of the Secretary of DepEd and twenty
(20) members appointed by the President. Of the twenty (20) members
appointed by the President, eight (8) shall represent a variety of education
groups and twelve (12) shall represent a variety of business groups. The
members of the board of directors shall select one member to serve as chair.
The DepEd Secretary shall serve as secretary for the board of directors and
provide administrative support to the foundation. An executive committee of the

1


foundation board composed of the board officers and chairs of board
committees, may only advise and make recommendations to the foundation
board.

SECTION 4. Programs of the Foundation. - The foundation may develop
programs that advance the concept of educational excellence. These may
include, but are not limited to:

(a) recognition programs and awards for students demonstrating
academic excellence;

(b) summer institute programs for students with special talents;

(c) recognition programs for teachers, administrators, and others who
contribute to academic excellence;

(d) summer mentorship programs with business and industry for students
with special career interests and high academic achievements;

(e) President's awards ceremonies and special campaigns to promote
awareness and expectation for academic achievement;

() an academic league to provide organized challenges requiring
cooperation and competition for public and private pupils in elementary
and secondary schools;

(g) systemic transformation initiatives and assistance and training to
community teams to increase school performance in the country's
education institutions through strategic quality planning for continuous
improvement, empowerment of multiple stakeholders, validation of results
via customer-supplier relationships, and a total system approach based on
best practices in key process areas; and

(h) activities to measure customer satisfaction for delivery of services to
education institutions in order to plan for and implement continuous
improvement.

To the extent possible, the foundation shall make these programs
available to students in all parts of the country.

SECTION 5. Powers and Duties of the Foundation. — The foundation may:
(1) establish and collect membership fees;

(2) publish brochures or booklets relating to the purposes of the
foundation and collect reasonable fees for the publications thereof;


(3) receive money, grants, and in-kind goods and services from non-
governmental sources for the purposes of the foundation;

(4) contract with consultants;

(5) expend money for awards and other forms of recognition and
appreciation; and

(6) determine procedures and expenditures for awards and recognitions to
teachers, students, donors, and other people who are not employees of
the executive branch

SECTION 6. Contracts. — The foundation board shall review and approve
each contract of the board. Each contract of the foundation board shall be
subject to the same review and approval procedures as a contract of the
Department of Education.

SECTION 7. Foundation Staff. - (a) The foundation board with review by
the DepEd Secretary shall appoint the executive director and other staff who
shall perform duties and have responsibilities solely to the foundation.

(b) As part of the annual plan of work, the foundation, with review by the
DepEd Secretary, may appoint up to three (3) employees. The employees
appointed under this paragraph shall not be considered an employee of the
government. The employees shall be supervised by the executive director.

SECTION 8. Private Sources of Funds. - The foundation shall seek
private resources to supplement the available public money. _ Individuals,
businesses, and other organizations may contribute to the foundation in any
manner specified by the board of directors. All money received shall be
administered by the board of directors.

SECTION 9. Report. — The board of directors of the foundation shall
submit an annual report to the Secretary of the DepEd on the progress of its
activities. The annual report shall contain a financial report for the preceding
year, including all receipts and expenditures of the foundation

SECTION 10. Separability Clause. — If any provisions, or part hereof, is
held invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law of the provision not
otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting.

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


SECTION 12. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days following its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2)
newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,