Our public school teachers are considered as the primary agents of the State as the State fulfills its constitutional duty to provide accessible quality education for all. As they render service to our nation and moulding the young minds of our youth to reach their full potentials, they courageously face work hazards and dangers in order to deliver the best education that our schoolchildren deserve. Their courage and strong dedication in the fulfillment of their calling deserves due recognition.
Cognizant of the work related hazards and untoward dangers that our public school teachers face in the practice of their profession, this measure seeks to provide free education for the children and qualified dependents of our public school teachers who died while still in service or who have been deemed permanently incapacitated. This bill seeks to extend social guarantees to our public school teachers and their families by granting educational scholarship and other benefits to their qualified beneficiaries should they encounter their untimely demise or have been permanently incapacitated while still in service.
It is deemed appropriate and necessary that when our public school teachers who we consider as our second parents die while in the performance of their teaching profession, their families especially their children must not suffer and left uncared and unaccounted for. As our public school teachers ensure that our schoolchildren receive quality education, their children and qualified dependents should also receive the same quality education especially in extraordinary circumstances like untimely death.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought and requested.
Table of Contents
House Bill No. 8009
Introduced by Manila Teachers Representative
VIRGILIO S. LACSON
AN ACT PROVIDING FREE EDUCATION FOR THE CHILDREN AND QUALIFIED DEPENDENTS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS WHO DIED IN SERVICE
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as “Survivorship Educational Benefit for Public School Teachers’ Dependents Act”
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and to take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all. Cognizant thereof, our public school teachers, being the primary providers of quality education, shall be given necessary social guarantees which will secure that their children shall have free education should any untoward incident cause their immediate demise while in service.
SEC. 3. Educational Benefit. – All public school teachers who died in service or has suffered permanent incapacity shall be qualified for educational benefits for their children in the form of educational scholarships from the time of their death or permanent incapacity until they graduate from a four (4) or five (5) year degree in college in any State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).
All qualified beneficiaries shall be exempted in the payment of any school fees and shall also be entitled to a monthly stipend, book and clothing allowance.
SEC. 4. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within sixty (60) days after its approval the Department of Education as the lead agency, in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Budget and Management, shall issue and promulgate the implementing rules and regulations for the efficient and effective implementation of this Act.
SEC. 5. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part thereof is held invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected shall remain valid and subsisting.
SEC. 6. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, issuances, orders, rules and regulations or portions thereof, in contrary to, or inconsistent with any provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modifed or amended accordingly.
SEC. 7. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette and two (2) major newspapers of general circulation
Approved,