Win Motion to Ratify Bicameral Conference Committee Report | SBN 1365 & HBN 6910 Alternative Learning System in Basic Education
An Act Institutionalizing the Alternative Learning System in Basic Education for
Out-of-School Children in Special Cases and Adults and Appropriating Funds Therefor
(Senate Bill No. 1365 and House Bill No. 6910)

Mr. President, esteemed colleagues, good afternoon.

I have the honor of submitting for ratification a copy of the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on the Disagreeing Provisions of Senate Bill No. 1365 and House Bill No. 6910, also known as the "Alternative Learning System Act".

After four pre-bicam meetings, the Senate and the House panels have met and discussed to work out a reconciled version of our respective bills at the bicameral conference committee meeting held last September 17th. The product of all the time and work dedicated to this bill is a legislation that will give a second chance to the millions of out-of-school Filipino children in special cases, as well as adults, who continue to be left behind by our basic education system.

Mr. President, when we were hearing and refining this bill, there were at least 24 million Filipinos over the age of 15 who have not completed basic education, and an additional 2.4 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 who were not in school and denied the right to basic education as enshrined in the 1987 Constitution.

This pandemic caused the total number of 26.4 million Filipinos to even increase by as much as 2.3 million - which represents the differencei between the 2019 and 2020 total enrollment in the basic education sector. This brings the current total of out-of-school children and youth to around 28 million or more than one-fourth of the Philippine population.

Mr. President, the law on ALS will be one of the government's primary means of providing these millions of Filipino learners with a second chance to obtain accessible quality education, earn a decent income, and uplift their lives.

Ang panukalang batas na ito ay naglalayong mailapit sa ating mga kababayan, lalo na sa mga kabataan, ang pagkakataon para magkaroon ng mas maganda at mas masaganang kinabukasan. Paiigtingin din ng panukalang batas na ito ang programang ALS upang matiyak na dekalidad ang edukasyong ihahatid natin sa mga nangangailangan ng pangalawang pagkakataon.

Finally, Mr. President, I take this opportunity to thank my colleagues who are both co-authors and co-sponsors of this bill - Sen. Nancy Binay and Sen. Manny Pacquiao; as well as the other co-sponsors - Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Sen. Bong Revilla, Jr. And last but not the least, Mr. President, I thank Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Sen. "Bato" Dela Rosa for joining me and Senators Binay and Pacquiao as conferees to the bicameral conference committee.

Mr. President, the comprehensive details of the disagreeing provisions are reflected in the Joint Explanatory Statement. With the permission of the Body, I move that said Joint Explanatory Statement on the Disagreeing Provisions of Senate Bill No. 1365 and House Bill No. 6910 be read in toto in to the Record, and that the Bicameral Conference Committee Report beratified. Thank you very much and good afternoon.

___________________________________

i As of Sept. 28, 2020, DepEd enrollment stands at 24.7 million which is 2.3 million lower than the previous school year (SY 2019-20). This would mean that the number of out-of-school youth would increase by at least 2.3 million due to the current pandemic.

DATA:
DepEd Enrollment as of Sept. 28 = 24,661,788
DepEd Enrollment in SY 2019-20 = 27,008,605
Difference = 2,346,817