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

‘TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

173

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representative Ryan S. Recto

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Last Mile Schools Act seeks to prioritize the establishment of basic
education schools and access roads leading to geographically isolated,
disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas (GIDCA) across the country. The measure
intends to directly address educational inequities to ensure that all Filipino learners,
especially the most underserved and vulnerable, have formal access to quality basic
education.

According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II),
the quality of school infrastructure in the Philippines is significantly shaped by
geography, climate and societal conditions, with schools along the eastern seaboard
and those in conflict-affected southern provinces generally in poorer condition.

Despite ongoing efforts, a significant number of identified Last Mile Schools
continue to operate without basic amenities or utilities. These schools, often serving
indigenous communities, are characterized by having fewer than four (4) classrooms,
makeshift rooms, irregular or absence of electricity and a lack of funding for repairs
or construction. This is especially concerning considering how Last Mile Schools cater
to around 1.6 million learners, as per the Department of Education (DepEd). Data
shows that around 1,500 schools operate without electricity and 1,000 without toilets.
Fifty percent of these schools are located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The measure confronts these challenges by formally establishing the Last Mile
Schools under the administration of the DepEd so as to better cater to the needs of
learners located in GIDCA. It is hoped that the proposed bill can systematically
address infrastructure deficits and ensure equitable access to essential utilities for all
learners. This will not only provide them with quality education, but shall also empower


learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to break free from the cycle of
poverty.

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

in S. Recto
sentative
6" District, Batangas


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

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HoUSE BILLNO. 1734

Introduced by Representative Ryan S. Recto

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING PUBLIC BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS IN GEOGRAPHICALLY
ISOLATED AND DISADVANTAGED AND CONFLICT-AFFECTED AREAS, PROVIDING
ACCESS ROADS LEADING TO LAST MILE SCHOOLS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

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 “Last Mile Schools Act”.

Sec. 2, Declaration of Policy. ~ It is the declared policy of the State to protect
and promote the right of all citizens to quality education in all levels and to take the
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.

The State recognizes and promotes the rights of Indigenous Cultural
Communities within the framework of national unity and development. To this end, the
State shall recognize the rights of all indigenous families and communities to retain
shared responsibility for upbringing, training, education and well-being of their
children, consistent with the rights of the child.

Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms shall be
defined as follows:

a) Basic Education refers to the intended basic learning needs, which provide
the foundation on which subsequent learning can be based. It includes
kindergarten, elementary and secondary education as well as alternative
learning systems for out-of-school learners and those with special needs;

b) Basic Education School refers to learning institutions accredited by the
Department of Education (DepEd) to deliver services addressing the
intended basic learning needs of students;


©) Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs)/Indigenous Peoples (IPs) refer to the
same definition stated in Section 3(h), Chapter 2 of Republic Act No. 8371,
otherwise known as the “Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997”, which
describes it as a “group of people or homogenous societies identified by
self-ascription and ascription by others, who have continuously lived as
organized community on communally bounded and defined territory and
who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied,
possessed and utilized such territories, sharing common bonds of
language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who
have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of
colonization, non-indigenous religions and cultures, became historically
differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. ICCs/Ips shall likewise include
people who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from
the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or
colonization, or at the same time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and
cultures, or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some
or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions, but
who may have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may
have resettled outside their ancestral domains”; and

d) Last Mile Schools refer to public basic education schools with gaps in

resources and facilities, which are located in geographically isolated and

disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas (GIDCA).

Sec. 4. Establishment of Last Mile Schools. - The Last Mile Schools are hereby
established, under the administration of the DepEd, to cater to the basic education
of learners throughout the country's GIDCA.

Sec. 5. Access to Education. - The DepEd shall collaborate with concerned
national government agencies for the delivery of the infrastructures necessary to
ensure access to education in the Last Mile Schools, namely;

a) Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), for the construction of
access roads leading to the location of Last Miles Schools;

b) Department of Energy (DOE) and National Electrification Administration
(NEA), for the installation of electricity, prioritizing sustainable and off-grid
renewable energy solutions (e.g., solar, micro-hydro) in areas where
conventional grid access is challenging or uneconomical;

c) Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), for the
installation of information and communications technology.


Sec. 6. Criteria. - The indicators used in identifying a public school to be
included among the Last Mile Schools are the following:

a) Having less than four (4) classrooms;

b) With makeshift or nonstandard rooms;

©) Absence of or irregular electricity;

d) Have not been allocated funds for repairs or new construction projects in

the last four (4) years unless destroyed;
With travel distance of more than one hour from the center of a city or
municipality, or with difficulty of terrain or of such nature as to be considered

e)

having difficulty of access to existing educational institutions;
f) Having multigrade classes or rooms;
4g) With less than five (5) teachers;
h) Having a student population of less than one hundred (100) learners;
With more than seventy-five percent (75%) IP learners; and
Having such other circumstances that make it difficult for learners to access

school facilities.

Sec. 7. Incentives for Private Sector Participation. - Provisions of existing laws
to the contrary notwithstanding, expenses incurred by the adopting entity for the Last
Mile Schools Program shall be allowed an additional deduction from the gross
income equivalent to fifty percent (50%) of such expenses.

Valuation of assistance other than money shall be based on the acquisition
cost of the goods, services and real property involved. Such valuation shall take into
consideration the depreciated value of the goods and real property in case the said
goods or real property involved have already been used

The goods and services as indicated under this provision shall include all those
directly or indirectly used by the participating school or educational institution,
including but not exclusive to the donation of construction services, transportation,
technological support, technological hardware and software, essential and
nutritional food and logistical support, Provided, That such are used specifically for
the purpose and benefit of the participating school or educational institution.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) shall henceforth devise a system that
shall expedite the availment of tax exemptions. Coordination shall be made between
the concerned field offices wherein the schools are located and the relevant

3


government agencies involved in certifying the transfer of goods and services from
the individual or entity donating to a participating school or educational institution.

Sec. 8. Implementation. - The school building program for the Last Mile School
shall be established and completed within a period of five (5) years after the
effectivity of this Act.

To facilitate synchronicity, harmony and complementarity of plans and ensure
the long-term maintenance and sustainability of the established infrastructures and
resources" to DepEd's planning responsibilities, resources and efforts of both the
national government and the local government units (LGUs) towards the attainment
of the objectives of this Act, the DepEd shall plan and implement the programs,
projects and activities that address the needs of the Last Mile Schools, in
coordination and collaboration with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
(NCIP), DPWH, DICT, DOE, NEA, Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and concerned LGUs.

Sec. 9. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the implementation
of this Act shall be included in the budgets of the concerned Departments, agencies
and Government-owned and Controlled Corporations in the annual General
Appropriations Act (GAA).

A dedicated annual fund for the maintenance, repair, and replenishment of
facilities and resources in Last Mile Schools shall be included in the General
Appropriations Act, to be jointly managed by DepEd and the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) to ensure long-term sustainability.

Sec. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days from the
approval of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall, in consultation with the NCIP
DPWH, DICT, DOE, BIR, NEA, DSWD, DENR, NDRRMC and Union of Local Authorities of
the Philippines, formulate the rules and regulations implementing the provisions of
this Act.

Sec. 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this Act is declared
unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain in full
force and effect.

Sec. 12. Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, executive orders, issuances, rules and
regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified
or amended accordingly.


Sec. 13. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,