Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article II, Section 17 of the 1987 Constitution declares that it is the
State’s
policy
to
“give
priority
to
education…to
foster
patriotism
and
nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation
and development.” Also, Article XIV of the Constitution is wholly devoted to
provisions furthering the import that the government must give to Education
as a sector. Under Section 1 thereof, “[t]he State shall protect and promote the
right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate
steps to make such education accessible to all.” In line with that, under
Section 2(1), the State is tasked with establishing, maintaining, and supporting
a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs
of the people and society.
These policies impose upon Congress the responsibility of ensuring that
students, who need special education (SPED), are not left behind. Carrying out
such a duty necessitates securing enough SPED teachers for public schools,
especially in rural areas, where private institutions concentrating on SPED
may not be accessible or affordable. It is in such locations that the Department
of Education’s (DepEd) SPED Centers must be particularly supported.
This
is
in
light
of
the
fact
that
enrollment
SPED
students
have
consistently been on the rise in the past years, and yet SPED Centers continue
to be plagued by staffing problems—not enough SPED qualified teachers;
General Education teachers being forced to take on SPED classes without
being given adequate, much less sustained, training and materials; and
seasoned SPED teachers leaving the country for posts in foreign schools.
At this rate, Congress must intervene again, through this Bill, which
shall have the following primary measures: 1) promoting the DepEd’s hiring of
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teachers who have majored in SPED and are therefore already equipped with
the skills and knowledge to handle SPED classes; 2) providing updated training
and supplementary materials to General Education teachers who are currently
handling SPED classes; and 3) calling for the prioritization of SPED Centers in
rural areas, with respect to the first two projects.
It is for the foregoing premises that the approval of this Bill is earnestly
sought.
ALFRED C. DELOS SANTOS
Representative, Ang Probinsyano Party-List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos
AN ACT PROMOTING THE CAPABILITIES AND NUMBER OF SPECIAL
EDUCATION TEACHERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL
AREAS
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 “SPED
Teaching Force Act.”
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. –
The State recognizes its duties of
pushing for inclusive education (IE), with the interests of students with special
needs
being
proactively
defended.
As
such,
the State acknowledges the
necessity of enacting measures to increase the ranks of Special Education
(SPED) teachers in the Department of Education’s (DepED) SPED Centers.
SECTION 3. Promoting the Capabilities of SPED Teachers. – For General
Education teachers who have been stationed in SPED Centers, the DepEd shall
provide them with regular, mandatory training, on both the conceptual aspects
of SPED and on the best practices for conducting SPED classes.
To
supplement
their
training,
during the periods between training
programs, the teachers shall also be regularly provided with updated materials.
These materials may come with basic, adaptable teaching aids, to streamline
teachers’ implementation of their new skills.
The DepEd shall institutionalize a feedback mechanism to be used by the
participants of each training. The DepEd shall likewise establish a review
system that will gather and synthesize such data and then use the same to
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evaluate the usefulness, responsiveness, and efficacy of the training programs.
For the purpose of the review, the individual trainings may be suitably grouped
or clustered.
SECTION 4. Increasing the Numbers of SPED Teachers in Public Schools. –
The
DepEd
shall
endeavor
to
provide
the
SPED
Centers
with
more
SPED-majoring teachers by:
1. Increasing
the
plantilla
positions
available
for
SPED-majoring
teachers, and then hiring as needed to fill such positions;
2. Creating
sponsorship
or
scholarship
programs
whereby
General
Education
teachers,
from
both
private
and
public
schools, can
undergo graduate training on SPED, with the attached condition that,
upon becoming bona fide SPED-qualified teachers, they then shall
serve, full-time, for a certain number of years, in a SPED Center; and
3. Creating
Adopt-a-School programs specifically for SPED Centers,
whereby private sponsors give monetary aid that go directly to hiring
additional
SPED-majoring
teachers
for
their
respective
adopted
Centers.
SECTION 5. Prioritization for Public Schools in Rural Areas. – It shall be
the policy, under this Act, to give special attention to the immediate training
and staffing needs of SPED Centers in rural areas. This policy shall be directly
applied to, or enforced as to, the budgeting for this Act’s implementation.
SECTION 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The DepEd, as the
lead implementing agency for this Act, shall be responsible for formulating the
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). In drafting the IRR, the DepEd shall
obtain the input of the SPED Centers, nationwide.
Additionally,
the
DepEd
may
convene
for
consultations
with
both
government agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) that cater to
the needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs), and, specifically, children with
special needs (CSN).
SECTION 7. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act is
held invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions or parts unaffected
shall remain in full force and effect.
SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, presidential
decrees or issuances, letters of instruction, administrative orders, rules, and
regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are
hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.


SECTION 9. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general
circulation.
Approved,