Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Fifteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO.__ 3768

Introduced by REP. MARY MITZI “MITCH” L. CAJAYON
and REP. EULOGIO “AMANG” R. MAGSAYSAY

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Section 5 (5), Article XIV of the Constitution provides that “The State shall assign the highest
budgetary priority to education and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the
best available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and
fulfillment.”

Consistent with the aforesaid mandate, this proposal secks to provide automatic appropriation
for education which shall be equivalent to six percent (6%) of the gross national product (GNP) based
‘on the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Delors Benchmark
for developing nations.

Rep. Carlos M. Padilla of the Lone District, Nueva Vizcaya originally made this proposal
during the 14" Congress of the Philippines. As per verification with the Bills and Index Service (BIS)
Online Query of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Appropriations referred the bill to the
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to solicit its position on the matter. However, the DBM
did not come up with the needed comments and observations that could have facilitated the
deliberations on this noble proposal.

Hence, this important piece of legislation is being refiled in order to allow full and dispassionate
discussion with the end view of championing the cause of education in the country that is now
disappointingly lagging behind its Asian neighbors and to promote the right of every Filipino to quality
education and to make such education accessible to all.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

MARY MITZI “MITCH” f ? ‘ASAYON EULOGIO “AMANG” R. MAGSAYSAY

2 District, Caloocan City Alliance of Volunteer Educators


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Fifteenth Congress
First Regular Session

3768

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by REP. MARY MITZI “MITCH” L. CAJAYON
and REP. EULOGIO “AMANG” R. MAGSAYSAY

AN ACT
PROVIDING AUTOMATIC APPROPRIATION FOR EDUCATION WHICH SHALL BE
EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST SIX PERCENT (6%) OF THE GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT
(GNP), AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1177, OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS “THE BUDGET REFORM DECREE OF 1977”

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Section 31 of Presidential Decree No. 1177 is hereby amended to read as follows:

“Sec. 31. Automatic Appropriations. - All expenditures for (a) personnel retirement premiums,
government service insurance, and other similar fixed expenditures, (b) principal and interest on public
debt, (c) national government guarantees of obligations which are drawn upon, AND (D) EDUCATION
EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST SIX PERCENT (6%) OF THE GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT
(GNP), are automatically appropriated: provided, that no obligations shall be incurred or payments
made from funds thus automatically appropriated except as issued in the form of regular budgetary
allotments.

SEC. 2. Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order, letter of instruction, administrative
order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed,
modified or amended accordingly.

SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of
general circulation.

Approved,