SENATE BILL NO. 1907 [COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 134]
"An Act Instituting Services And Programs For Learners With Disabilities
In Support Of Inclusive Education, Establishing Inclusive Learning Resource Centers Of Learners With Disabilities In All Municipalities And Cities, Providing For Standards, Approrpiating Funds Therefor, And For Other Purposes"

Co-Sponsorship Speech
By Senator Joel Villanueva

Mr. President and esteemed colleagues:

It is my honor to co-sponsor Senate Bill No. 1907 entitled "Instituting Services and Programs for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education Act" under Committee Report No. 134 introduced by the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture chaired by our very hardworking colleague and seatmate and a "teacher-at-heart",Senator Win Gatchalian.

We would also like to thank the good Chairman for considering our bill, Senate Bill No. 345 or the "Inclusive Education for Children and Youth with Special Needs Act", as one of the 10 Senate Bills that were considered in drafting the committee report.

Mr. President, Special Education or SPED has become a "buzzword" in education but it remains a difficult topic. That's why we need this bill, first and foremost, to address the "conceptual confusion" and to provide an overarching legal framework for our learners orstudents with disabilities.

Meeting the needs of SPED has been a challenge long before the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 has demonstrated and put to the front the inequality and disadvantage that has always existed in education in general and special education in particular.

That's why we applaud our SPED teachers who never get tired of implementing printed modules and even following-up their students via text, call, chat and web conferences. I've learned that some of our Schools Division Offices (SDOs) in Central Luzon even created TV episodes for children with special needs. I've also heard stories that teachers in self-contained SPED classes have to modify their modules to "individualize" their approach.

Sa madaling salita, doble-trabaho po sa marami nating mga guro dahil mula sa regular na mga modules, kailangang i-simplify ang language at format, gayundin ang delivery at flow ng content depende sa pangangailangan ng mga bata na nakasaad sa kanilang IEP o Individual Education Plan.

Teacher Aljie Juridico, a SPED teacher in Apalit Pampanga, shared with us his experience of having a student with mild autism. Eventhough he provides the child with the same printed modules, he is forced to spend "extra time" just to give some accommodations and supplementary activities.

It's a blessing, of course, that Teacher Aljie has a special training on SPED but in most cases, schools have not fully embraced the idea of inclusion.

Ngayon at noong bago magkaroon ng pandemya, may ilang magulang na nae-engganyong kumuha ng tutor para sa kanilang anak na may special need subalit alam naman po nating hindi lahat ng mga magulang ay may kakayanang magbayad ng tutor o caregiver.

Mr. President, this bill seeks for genuine inclusion in our schools by making explicit the rights of students who require special education services.

Naniniwala po tayo na kailangan ang panukalang batas na ito para mabigyang daan ang training at hiring ng mas maraming SPED teachers sa DepEd at mabago rin ang kalakaran sa pagtatayo ng mga SPED Centers.

Marami pong eskwelahan na nagtatayo ng SPED center kahit hindi naman malinaw sa kanila ang layunin ng SPED program. Ang resulta, walang sapat na mekanismo para i-identify o tukuyin ang mga batang may espesyal na pangangailangan, walang sapat na mgaLearning Resource Centers, at higit sa lahat, walang mga SPED teachers na may special training at capability.

At present, we only have around 4,000 SPED teachers in the public schools. The proposed measure will address the dire need for DepEd to increase the number of our SPED teachers. This is also in conjuction with our on-going efforts to reform the pre-service training, licensure exam and in-service training of our teachers.

Mr. President, we do not have enough teacher training for elementary and secondary teachers during undergraduate years to equip them with the skills to cater to students with special needs in mainstream settings. Some only get SPED electives while others don't even encounter SPED in college!

The PRC does not even have an exam for teachers majoring in SPED. For example, when Teacher Fred Pasiliao, a SPED major, took the LET in March 2017, he took Mathematics - his minor, as a Field of Specialization instead.

It takes a village to raise a child, yes. But what more of raising a child with exceptionalities? The Intervention of SPED teachers are not enough to develop the maximum potentials of learners with disabilities. The proposed bill stresses an approach that is multidisciplinary - Medical Doctors, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Behavioral Therapists, tutors, nannies, regular classroom teachers, shadow teachers and SPED teachers must work hand in hand.

Above all good reasons and purposes, the bill seeks to break the culture of pity for learners with disabilities. It can be done through a whole-of-community approach to providing quality education specially tailored for children and youth with special needs.

Kasabay po ng iba't ibang mga okasyon para sa ating mga kababayang may kapansanan tulad ng National AD/HD Awareness Week (3rd Week of October), Deaf Awareness Week (November 10-16), at International Day of Persons With Disabilities in the Philippines (December 3), ipasa po natin ang Senate Bill No. 1907 para makamit na natin ang matagal nang hangaring gawing tunay na inklusibo ang edukasyon sa bansa.

Thank you and God bless us all.