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JUNE 8, 2015

NR # 3857

Bill creating a senior high school for each legislative district okayed
The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading House Bill
5604 providing for the establishment of a senior high school for each of the countrys
legislative districts and appropriating funds thereof, in pursuance of the implementation of
the K-12 Enhanced Basic Education program of the government.
The bill substituted House Bill 3399, principally authored by Rep. Edgar R. Erice
(2 District, Caloocan City), and was endorsed to the plenary by the Committees on Basic
Education and Culture chaired by Rep. Kimi S. Cojuangco (5th District, Pangasinan) and
on Appropriations chaired by Rep. Isidro T. Ungab (3rd District, Davao City).
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House Bill 5604 provides there shall be established, under the control and
supervision of DepEd, a senior high school for each of the legislative districts in the
country. The establishment of a senior high school means, either expanding the existing
high school to include the senior high school, or establishing a stand-alone senior high
school.
Moreover, consistent with Rule IV, Sec. 15 of the Implementing Rules and
Regulations of RA 10533, the DepEd shall authorize and regulate the offering of senior
high school in private educational institutions. It shall also prescribe the guidelines on the
issuance and revocation of permits and/or recognition of senior high schools.
The bill also provides that the courses to be offered by the senior high schools shall
be in accordance with the Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum formulated and designed
by the DepEd in pursuance of Section 5 of RA 10533 and in coordination with the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA), and other concerned national government agencies and stakeholders.
Lastly, it provides the amount needed for the implementation of the Act shall be
charged against the current years appropriation of the DepEd, and thereafter shall be
included in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Erice said his proposal aims to provide an instrument to fulfill the vision embodied
in Republic Act 10533, otherwise known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013,
of providing Filipino citizens an educational system at par with international standards
like the Bologna Process for the European Union and the Washington Accord for the
United States.
He said this could be achieved by providing for the construction and establishment
of senior high schools in all legislative districts of the country. Within the walls of these
senior high schools, young Filipinos would gain two years of specialized upper secondary

education, based on their aptitude and interests, and the capacity of the school that would
allow them to have middle-level skills and offer them better opportunities to be gainfully
employed or become entrepreneurs, said Erice.
The lawmaker explained that the first batch of junior high school students under the
K to 12 Program is scheduled to graduate in the summer of 2018. He said Education
Secretary Armin Luistro expects these graduates from public schools alone to reach one
million.
There would therefore be more than one million students under the K to 12
Program who would need the specialized classrooms of the proposed senior high schools,
said Erice, a vice chairman of the Committees on Public Works and Highways, and on
Suffrage and Electoral Reforms.
Assuming that there would be 45 students per classroom, then the government
needs to build at least 22,000 classrooms in time for school year 2016 to 2017, and an
additional 22,000 for school year 2017 to 2018 according to Erice.
The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six
years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior
High School) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop
lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills
development, employment, and entrepreneurship.
Co-authors of the bill are Cojuangco, Ungab, Reps. Dakila Carlo Cua (Lone
District, Quirino), JC Rahman Nava (Lone District, Guimaras), Mariano Piamonte (Party
List, A TEACHER), Leopoldo Bataoil (2nd District, Pangasinan), Leah Paquiz (Party List,
NARS), Juliette Uy (2nd District, Misamis Oriental), Jose Atienza, Jr. (Party List,
BUHAY), Arthur Defensor, Jr. (3rd District, Iloilo), Jesulito Manalo (Party List,
ANGKLA), Ronald Cosalan (Lone District, Benguet), Sonny Collantes (3rd District,
Batangas), Arthur Yap (3rd District, Bohol), Antonio Lagdameo, Jr. (2nd District, Davao
Del Norte), Jorge Almonte (1st District, Misamis Occidental), Cheryl Deloso-Montalla
(2nd District, Zambales), and Jonathan Dela Cruz (Party List, ABAKADA). (30) rbb

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