Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Constitution Hills, Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No._ 7874

Introduced by Hon. HARLIN NEIL J. ABAYON II

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill establishes the School Health and Safety Office in each public school. The SHSO
shall be manned by qualified, licensed, and certified personnel

This bill seeks to unburden public school teachers and faculty of state universities and
colleges of non-teaching responsibilities heaped upon them by regulations of the Department of
Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and Commission on Higher
Education.

With this bill, primary responsibility for the school canteen, school nutrition program,
immunization campaigns, campus security, and many other related non-teaching roles and
functions will be vested upon the School Health and Safety Office of each public school, including
state universities and colleges and public technical-vocational schools.

The number and mix of SHSO personnel shall be determined by student population size
per school.

School health, security, and safety manpower in our public schools is grossly inadequate.
At the DepEd, the school nurse to student ratio they are following is 1:5000 and the allocation of
the school nurse items is not by school, but by school division which means by province or by city.
With this kind of policy, many schools have no school nurses on duty to take charge of the many
school health and nutrition activities that riddle the school calendar every year.

The DepEd public schools have at least two million children who are of wasted or severely
wasted nutritional status. Several malnutrition among Filipino children is why there are school

feeding programs.

There is also an oral health crisis afflicting millions of Filipino children. The 2006 National
Oral Health Survey (NOHS) revealed that 97.1% of six-year-old children suffer from tooth decay.
More than four out of every five children of this subgroup manifested symptoms of dentinogenic
infection. In addition, 78.4% of twelve-year-old children suffer from dental caries and 49.7% of
the same age group manifested symptoms of dentinogenic infections

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The Advisory Council for the Education of Children and Youth with Disabilities estimates
that by Year 2020 there will be 2.23 million children aged 5 to 14 with disabilities or 19 percent
of that age group.

In higher education, the Commission on Higher Education has guidelines on health,
guidance/counseling, and other services for students. However, in 2013, the Philippine Institute of
Development Studies published a study on health care in private colleges and universities. That
study discovered that back then, five years ago: (a) only 28 percent (generally the large schools)
had a doctor, dentist, and nurse; (b) only 18 percent had a nurse only; and (c) only 10 percent had
a doctor and dentist.

In the state universities and colleges, security guards/watchmen are usually outsourced
from security agencies. Utility workers have either contractual or casual items in the school
organizational structure. Few SUCs have a University Health Service like that of the University of
the Philippines.

This bill seeks to address these crucial school health, safety, and security issues and
situations in our education system.

Considering all the foregoing, urgent passage of this bill is sought.

HAI J. YON I

Representative, AANGAT TAYO Party-list

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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Constitution Hills, Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 7874
Introduced by: Hon. HARLIN NEIL J. ABAYON III

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE SCHOOL HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICE
IN EVERY PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY, PROVIDING FUNDS
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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 “School Health and
Safety Act of 2018”.

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the State,
protect the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them
and to promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and
independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that
provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of
living, and an improved quality of life for all.

Section 3. School Health and Safety Office. There is hereby established a
School Health and Safety Office, hereinafter referred to as SHSO, in every _ public
school, including state universities and colleges and public technical-vocational
schools.

The SHSO shall be attached to the Office of the School Head for the basic

education schools, and to the Vice President/Assistant Dean or Director for
Administration for the technical-vocational and higher education schools.

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Section 4. Roles, Functions, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities. The
SHSO shall have these primary roles, functions, responsibilities, and
accountabilities:

. formulate, recommend to the school head for approval, and implement the
following policies, programs and projects involving and affecting the
students, faculty, and non-teaching personnel of the school: (1)
Comprehensive School Health Management Program; (2) Child Protection
Policy; and (3) School Security, Safety, and Disaster Preparedness
Management Program;

2. participate in the formulation and implementation of the Campus Crisis
Management Plan;

3. lead implement all school nutrition, immunization, dental extraction,
reproductive health, and other on-campus health care activities;

4. serve as first responders to medical, safety, and security emergencies and
incidents on campus and within the immediate one hundred meters vicinity
of the campus;

5. conduct first aid training and drills;

6. manage, supervise, or operate the school canteen;

7. maintain and secure health, consultation, and counseling records according
to standards set by the Department of Education, National Privacy
Commission, Department of Health, and Department of Social Welfare

and Development;

8. oversee the secure safekeeping of any hazardous chemicals and flammable
liquids;

9. protect the campus from any security threats and intruders;

10.manage the daily operation of the campus closed-circuit television (CCTV)
system and emergency communications devices;

11.conduct daily fire safety and hazards checks throughout the campus;

12.supervise and coordinate fire, earthquake, evacuation, and campus
lockdown drills;

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13.implement security and safety searches for firearms, bladed weapons, and
devices that can cause serious physical injuries, illegal drugs, alcoholic
beverages, and other contraband;

14. call for response units from the local barangay office, Philippine National
Police and Bureau of Fire Protection;

15.conduct research and surveys relevant and related to the functions of the
SHSO;

16.assist in the classroom teaching of subjects and modules within the
competencies and specializations of the SHSO personnel;

17.participate in the administration of educational tests mandated by the
Department of Education;

18.attend professional development training and competencies
updating/upgrading courses;

19.prepare the budget of the SHSO and implement the approved budget; and
20.following government accounting and auditing rules and regulations, the
SHSO maintain, safekeep, and account for all funds, equipment, furniture,
fixtures, supplies, and other inventory items entrusted to, assigned to, and

used by the SHSO.

The SHSO shall perform such other related or secondary functions as may be

assigned to them by the principal, acting principal, or officer in charge of the school.

Section 5. Complement of SHSO personnel. Professional personnel of the

SHSO must possess the requisite civil service qualifications and license to practice
their profession from the Professional Regulation Commission. Personnel not
required to possess PRC license must have appropriate competencies certification
from duly-accredited or authorized institutions. The number of full-time SHSO
personnel in a public school shall be determined by student population size as
follows:

For a public school, extension campus, and branch with student population of
up to one thousand:

1. one (1) medical doctor

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. one (1) nurse;

. one (1) dental hygienist;

. one (1) nutritionist;

. one (1) guidance counselor or psychologist;
. one (1) electrician;

. two (2) security guards; and

. two (2) utility workers.

SPA AMNAWH

For a public school with student population ranging from more than one
thousand but no more than three thousand:

1. one (1) medical doctor

2. two (2) nurses;

3. two (2) doctors of dental medicine;

4. one (1) nutritionist;

5. one (1) social worker;

6. one (1) guidance counselor or psychologist;
7. one (1) electrician;

8. three (3) security guards; and

9. two (2) utility workers.

For a public school with student population of more than three thousand:

1. two (2) medical doctors;

2. three (3) nurses;

3. two (2) doctors of dental medicine;

4. two (2) nutritionists;

5. two (2) social workers;

6. two (2) guidance counselors or psychologists;
7. one (1) psychometrician;

8. three (3) emergency medical technicians;
9. four (4) security guards;

10. two (2) electricians;

11.three (3) utility workers; and

12.three (3) volunteer firefighters.

Subject to availability of funds and absolute necessity, the school head may
augment, but not decrease the number of SHSO personnel provided in this Act,
through job order or contract of service.

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Section 6. Structure and Staffing Pattern. — Subject to the approval of the
Department of Budget and Management, the Department shall determine its
organizational structure and create new divisions or units as it may deem necessary,
and shall appoint officers and employees of the Department in accordance with the
civil service law, rules, and regulations.

Section 7. Separation and Retirement from Service. — Employees who are
separated from service within six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act as a
result of the consolidation and/or reorganization under the provisions of this Act
shall receive separation benefits to which they may he entitled under Executive
Order No. 366, s. 2004: Provided, that those who are qualified to retire under existing
retirement laws shall be allowed to retire and receive retirement benefits to which
they may be entitled under applicable laws and issuances.

Section 8. Appropriations. The amount needed for the initial
implementation of this Act shall be taken from the current fiscal year’s appropriation
of the agencies abolished by this Act and all agencies herein absorbed by the
Department. The current budgets of the agencies attached to the Department shall
remain intact for the current year. Thereafter, the amount needed for the operation
and maintenance of the Department shall be included in the General Appropriations
Act

Section 9. Separability. - If any provision or part of this Act is declared
invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall
continue to be in full force and effect.

Section 10. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, and
administrative orders or parts thereof inconsistent with any provision of this Act are
hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

Section 11. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
after its publication in the online version of the Official Gazette or in two (2)

newspapers of general circulation or with established internet website presence.

Approved.

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