On the 3rd reading passage of SB 1907
Gatchalian: Bill ensuring equal opportunities for learners breezes through third reading

The Senate has approved on third and final reading a bill that would institute services for learners with disabilities in support of inclusive education. For Senator Win Gatchalian, sponsor and co-author of the measure, this is a major step forward in ensuring that learners with disabilities are not left behind in the basic education sector's better normal.

At the heart of Senate Bill No. 1907 or the "Instituting Services for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education Act" is the declaration that no learner with disability shall be denied admission and inclusion in any public or private basic education institution.

Under the proposed measure, the provision of educational opportunities to learners with disabilities will be in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the UNESCO Convention Against Discrimination in Education, the Incheon Strategy to Make the Rights Real for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific, and the Alternative Learning System Act (Republic Act No. 11510).

The proposed measure seeks to establish and maintain at least one Inclusive Learning Resource Center (ILRC) in all cities and municipalities. Among the services that ILRCs will offer are linguistic solutions for deaf learners' concerns, speech-language pathology and audiology services, physical and occupational therapy, counseling and rehabilitation, and medical and transportation services, among others.

ILRCs will implement the Child Find System (CFS) to ensure that all learners with disabilities who are not receiving basic education services are identified, located, and evaluated to facilitate their inclusion in the general education system.

Multidisciplinary teams composed of professionals and experts such as special needs teachers, educational psychologists, guidance counselors, psychometricians, developmental pediatricians, physical therapists, and speech and language therapists, among others, will staff these ILRCs.

While the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) estimates that more than 5 million Filipino children are living with disabilities, there were only an estimated 439,700 learners with disabilities enrolled in DepEd schools for SY 2019-2020.

Gatchalian also thanked the co-authors of the measure: Senators Pia Cayetano, Manuel "Lito" Lapid, Sonny Angara, Cynthia Villar, Joel Villanueva, Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr., Nancy Binay, Risa Hontiveros, and Majority Leader Miguel "Migz" Zubiri. Other co-authors include Senators Christopher "Bong" Go, Richard Gordon, Leila De Lima, Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, and Francis Tolentino.

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Aprubado na sa panghuling pagbasa sa Senado ang SB 1907

Gatchalian: panukalang batas sa 'inclusive education' para sa learners with disabilities pasado na sa Senado

Pasado na sa ikatlo at huling pagbasa ang panukalang batas na layong suportahan ang inclusive education at itaguyod ang mga serbisyo para sa mga mag-aaral na may kapansanan o learners with disabilities. Para kay Senador Win Gatchalian na sponsor at isa sa mga may akda ng panukalang batas, ito ay isang mahalagang hakbang upang masigurong ang mga mag-aaral na may kapansanan ay hindi mapag-iiwanan sa better normal ng edukasyon.

Sa ilalim ng Senate Bill No. 1907 o ang "Instituting Services for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education Act," walang mag-aaral na may kapansanan ang maaaring mapagkaitan ng oportunidad na pumasok at makapag-aral sa pampubliko o pribadong paaralan sa basic education.

Sa ilalim ng panukalang batas, ang paghahatid ng edukasyon sa mga mag-aaral na may kapansanan ay dapat sang-ayon sa United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ang UNESCO Convention Against Discrimination in Education, ang Incheon Strategy to Make the Rights Real for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific, at ang Alternative Learning System Act (Republic Act No. 11510).

Layunin ng panukalang batas na magkaroon ang bawat lungsod at munisipalidad ng Inclusive Learning Resource Center (ILRC). Ang mga ILRCs ay maghahatid ng mga serbisyong tulad ng linguistic solutions para sa mga deaf learners, mga serbisyo sa speech-language pathology and audiology, physical at occupational therapy, counseling at rehabilitation, at serbisyong medikal at transportasyon.

Ang mga ILRCs din ang magpapatupad ng Child Find System (CFS) upang matiyak na ang mga mag-aaral na may kapansanan na hindi nakakapag-aral ay matukoy, mahanap, masuri, at matulungang maging bahagi ng sistema ng basic education.

Bawat ILRC ay magkakaroon ng multidisciplinary team na kinabibilangan ng mga propesyonal at mga eksperto tulad ng mga special needs teachers, educational psychologists, guidance counselors, psychometricians, developmental pediatricians, physical therapists, at speech and language therapists.

Bagama't tinataya ng Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) na may limang milyong kabataang Pilipino ang may kapansanan, wala pang kalahating milyon (439,700) ang enrolled sa mga DepEd schools para sa SY 2019-2020.

Pinasalamatan naman ni Gatchalian ang mga kapwa niyang may akda sa panukalang batas na sina Senador Pia Cayetano, Manuel "Lito" Lapid, Sonny Angara, Cynthia Villar, Joel Villanueva, Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr., Nancy Binay, Risa Hontiveros, at Majority Leader Miguel "Migz" Zubiri. Kasama rin sa mga may akda ng panukala sina Senador Christopher "Bong" Go, Richard Gordon, Leila De Lima, Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, at Francis Tolentino.

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