House approves Special Education Centers bill

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill establishing special education (SPED) centers in every public school division.

Passed was House Bill 4558, also known as the “Special Education (SPED) Centers Act,” which was a consolidation of nine bills authored by 47 lawmakers.

Quezon City Rep. Francisco Calalay Jr., one of the authors of the measure, said the bill is one of the priority bills of the chamber.

He said main objective of the bill is to provide children with special needs (CSN) access to basic education and facilitate their inclusion and integration with mainstream education.

It also ensures that they fully develop their potentials towards self-sufficiency and become more effective partners in the affairs of the country, he said.

The Department of Education, in coordination with the departments of Social Welfare and Development, Interior and Local Government, Health, Finance and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) shall promulgate and issue the necessary guidelines for the creation and operation of SPED centers within 60 days after the effectivity of the bill.

Calalay said the measure seeks to establish at least one SPED center in every school division but a maximum of three if the school division is big to cater to the needs of CSN.

He said the bill “is just an implementation of a declared policy of the government which is to protect the CSN and for them to have access to quality education.”

He said the Philippines, being one of the signatories to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, should be responsible in ensuring that the rights of the CSNs are well-protected.