FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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SEN~W 
S. No. J.}116 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article XIV, Section 1, provides that the state shall protect and promote 
the right of all the citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to 
make such education accessible to all. 
In order to prepare our nation's youth for the challenges of the future, as well as to keep 
our nation competitive in a global economy, every elementary, secondary, and tertiary school in 
the Philippines should be equipped with the best and most up-to-date library resources, certified 
library media specialists, access to advanced technology, and instruction on the use of library and 
infonnation resources. 
To comply with the constitutional mandate and to meet the challenges in education, this 
bill prop<?ses to establish, within each of the Bureaus of Elementary Education, Secondary 
Education and Higher Education, a Division of School Library Media Services, that will provide 
information and leadership to school1ibrary media programs and personnel nationwide. l 
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pJIY" MIRIAM DE ~SOR S 
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1 This bill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, First Regular Session 
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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
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) 
SEN~'W 
S.No. 
1~16 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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AN ACT 
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TO PROVIDE FOR ELEMENTARY, SECONDARY, AND TERTIARY SCHOOL LIBRARY 
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MEDIA RESOURCES, TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT, TRAINING, AND 
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IMPROVEMENT 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Elementary, Secondary, and 
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Tertiary School Library Media Services Act." 
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SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is a policy of the State to protect and promote the 
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right of all citizens'to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such 
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education accessible to all. 
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SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. -As used in this Act, the term: 
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(A) "Director" means the Director of the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and 
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Tertiary School Library Media Services established under this Act; 
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(B) "Local Educational Agency" refers to a public board of education or other public 
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authority legally constituted within a state for either administrative control or direction of, or to 
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perform a service function for public elementary, secondary or tertiary school in a province, city 
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or municipality; 
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(C) 'National Educational Agency" refers to the officer or agency primarily responsible 
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for the national supervision of public elementary, secondary, and tertiary schools; 
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(D) "Secretary" refers to the Secretary of Education; 
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(E) "Division of Secondary School Library Media Services" refers to the Division 
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established for the purposes of this Act under the Bureau of Elementary Education; 
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(F) "Division of Secondary School Library Media Services" refers to the Division 
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established for the purposes of this Act under the Bureau of Secondary Education; and 
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(G) "Division of Tertiary School Library Media Services" refers to the Division 
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established for the purposes ofthis Act under the Bureau of Higher Education. 
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SECTION 4. Establishment and Functions of the Division of Elementary. Secondary,and 
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Tertiary School Library Media Services. 
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(A) Division. - There is established within each of the Bureaus of Elementary Education, 
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Secondary E4ucation, and Higher Education, a Division of School Library Media Services, to be 
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administered by a Director of such Division. 
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(B)Functions. - The Division of School Library Media Services shaU-
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(1) Provide information and leadership to elementary, secondary, and tertiary school 
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library media specialists, teachers, and school administrators in order to encourage improvement 
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of educational programs, train library personnel, use advanced technology, and develop library 
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resources, including resources that will encourage students to acquire skills in other languages; 
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and 
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(2) Monitor and administer the grant programs for elementary, secondary, and tertiary 
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school library media center resource development; elementary, secondary, and tertiary school 
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library media specialist and teacher partnership grants for innovative education; and grants for 
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uses of technology in the classroom that are linked to the library media center 
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SECTION 5. Elementary, Secondary and Tertiary School Library Media Program.-
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(A) Establishment of the Elementary, Secondary, and Tertiary School Library Media 
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Resource Development Program. - The Director shall award grants from all allocations to 
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provinces for the acquisition of school library media resources for the use of students, library 
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media specialists and teachers in public elementary, secondary and tertiary schools. 
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(B) Allocation to Provinces. - From the amount appropriated in each fiscal year, the 
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Director shall allocate to each province having an approved plan an amount which bears the 
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same relationships to such funds as the amount such province received for educational purposes. 
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(C) Provincial Plans. - In order for a province to receive an allocation of funds under 
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paragraph (B) for any fiscal year such province shall have in effect for such fiscal year a 
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provincial plan. Such plan shall -
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(1) Designate the national educational agency as the agency responsible for the 
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administration and supervision of the program described in this section; and 
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(2) Set forth a program under which funds paid to the province from its allocation 
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under paragraph (B) will be expended solely for-
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(a) Acquisition of school library media resources, including foreign 
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language resources, for the use of students, school library media specialists and 
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teachers in elementary, secondary and tertiary schools; and 
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(b) Administration of the provincial plan, including development and 
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revision of standards relating to school library media resources, except that the 
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amount used for administration of the provincial plan in any fiscal year shall not 
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exceed five per centum (5%) of the amount allocated to such province under 
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paragraph (B) for such fiscal year; and 
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(c) Set forth criteria to be used in allotting funds for school library media 
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resources among the local educational agencies or the province, which allotment 
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shall take into consideration the relative need of the students, school media 
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specialists and teachers to be served. 
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(D) Distribution of Allocation to Local Educational Agencies. -
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(1) Distribution Rule. - From the funds allocated to a province under paragraph 
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(B) in each fiscal year, such province shall distribute not less than ninety five per centum 
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(95%) of such funds in such fiscal year to local educational agencies within such 
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province according to the relative enrollment of students in public elementary, secondary 
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and tertiary schools within the school districts of such province, adjusted to provide 
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higher per-pupil allotments to local educational agencies that have the greatest number or 
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percentages of students whose education imposes a higher than average costs per child, 
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such as those students -
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(a) Living in areas with high concentrations oflow-income families; 
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(b) From low-income families; and 
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(c) Living in sparsely populated areas. 
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(2) Calculation of Enrollment. - The calculation of relative enrollments under 
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subparagraph (1) shall be made on the basis of the total number of students enrolled in 
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public schools in the province. 
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SECTION 6. Establishment of the School Library Media Specialist and Teacher 
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Partnerships for Instructional Innovation Program. - The Director shall award grants to projects 
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that-
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(A) Encourage collaboration between public ·elementary, secondary, and tertiary school 
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library media specialists and teachers in order to develop units of instruction that enable 
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elementary, secondary and tertiary school students to use a variety of information resources; and 
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(B) Expand student's information-gathering abilities and cognitive skills of selection, 
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analysis, evaluation and application. 
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SECTION 7. Establishment of the Use of Technology in the Classroom Program. -
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(A) In General. - The Director shall award grants to encourage collaborative elementary, 
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secondary and tertiary school library media specialist and teacher program assigned to -
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(1) Expand the use of computers and computer networks in the curriculum; and 
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(2) Enable elementary and secondary school library media centers to access 
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information from computerized databases. 
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(B) Operative Agreements. -The Director may enter into a cooperative agreements with 
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appropriate non-profit agencies and organizations in carrying out this Section. 
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SECTION 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary shaH promulgate the 
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necessary rules and regulations to assure the smooth and efficient implementation of the 
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provisions of this Act. 
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SECTION 9. Construction. - Nothing in this Act shaH be construed to interfere with State 
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and local initiative and responsibility in the conduct and support or school library media services, 
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the administration of school library media centers, or the selection of personnel or library books 
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and materials. 
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SECTION 10. Supplementation. - Funds provided nnder this Act shall be used so as to 
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supplement and not supplant other national or local funds available to carry out the activities and 
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services assisted under this Act. 
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SECTION 11. Appropriations. - TO carry out the provisions ofthis Act, such sum as may 
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be necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury. Thereafter, the 
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sum necessary for the continuous operation of the program shall be included in the annual 
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appropriation of the Department of Education. 
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SECTION 12. Separability Clause. - If any provision, or part hereof, is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remainder ofthe law or the provision shall remain valid and subsisting. 
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SECTION 13. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
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order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent 
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with, the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
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SECTION 14. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in at least two (2) newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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