Last Mile Schools Act

Senate Office of the Scererary TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) FEB -2 P4:25 First Regular Session RECEIVED BY SENATE Senate Bill No. 1737 Introduced by Senator JOEL VILLANUEVA AN ACT ESTABLISHING PUBLIC BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS IN GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED AND DISADVANTAGED AND CONFLICT-AFFECTED AREAS, PROVIDING ACCESS ROADS LEADING TO LAST MILE SCHOOLS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR EXPLANATORY NOTE Basic education is the foundation of an individual's intellectual, social, and moral development. However, children living in geographically isolated, disadvantaged, and conflict-affected areas (GIDCA) continue to face persistent structural barriers that place them at a disadvantage compared to their peers, resulting in significant learning gaps. The Philippines is home to approximately 110 ethnolinguistic groups and an estimated 12 million Indigenous Peoples.! Studies examining the educational experiences of Indigenous communities, such as the Dumagat communities in the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Aurora, reveal that access to education remains severely constrained by poverty. Moreover, the continued use of English as the primary medium of instruction in many Indigenous Peoples' curricula presents additional challenges to effective learning. Inquirer. Indigenous People's Voices in the Philippine Education Landscape. Published on 08 August 2025. Available https://opinion.inguirer.net/185241/indigenous-peoples-voices-in-the-philippine-education- landscape (Accessed on 28 January 2026). 2 Sage Journals. Indigenous Peoples and the Right to Education: The Dumagat Experience in the Provinces of Nueva Philippines. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440211009491 (Accessed on 28 January 2026).

In light of these challenges, the State must respond through the provision of adequate and quality educational infrastructure that supports the holistic development, training, education, and overall well-being of learners, consistent with the rights of the child. This bill seeks to address educational inequities by establishing Last Mile Schools mandated to deliver quality and accessible basic education to learners in GIDCA, including those from Indigenous Cultural Communities. The Last Mile Schools shall be placed under the administration and supervision of the Department of Education (DepEd). DepEd shall be responsible for the formulation and implementation of programs specifically designed for Last Mile Schools, ensuring that these initiatives are responsive to the unique needs, contexts, and conditions of both teachers and learners in these areas. This measure likewise defines the classifications of Last Mile Schools, which include schools with fewer than four (4) classrooms, those utilizing makeshift or nonstandard facilities, those lacking reliable electricity, or those that have not received funding for repairs or new construction within the past four (4) years. To ensure that these schools are adequately equipped with essential educational facilities and services, DepEd shall closely coordinate with the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Energy, the National Electrification Administration, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, particularly in the provision of school infrastructure, electricity, and connectivity. DepEd shall likewise be required to submit periodic reports on the learning outcomes of students enrolled in Last Mile Schools. This requirement ensures that learner progress is systematically monitored, learning gaps are identified, and appropriate interventions are implemented to further strengthen the effective implementation of this Act. Through this measure, the State affirms its commitment to prioritizing education by investing in school facilities, access roads, and context-responsive programs tailored to the distinct circumstances of these communities. Furthermore, this bill reinforces the State's obligation to recognize, respect, and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, as enshrined in Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997. In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

Senate Office of the Secretarp TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES FEB -2 P4:25 First Regular Session RECEIVED BY: SENATE 1737 Senate Bill No. _ Introduced by Senator JOEL VILLANUEVA AN ACT ESTABLISHING PUBLIC BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS IN GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED AND DISADVANTAGED AND CONFLICT-AFFECTED AREAS, PROVIDING ACCESS ROADS LEADING TO LAST MILE SCHOOLS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 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 the "Last Mile

2 Schools Act."

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the State to

protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, 5 and to take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. 6 The State recognizes and promotes the rights of Indigenous Cultural 7 Communities within the framework of national unity and development. To this end, the State shall recognize the right of indigenous families and communities to retain shared responsibility for the upbringing, training, education, and well- being of their children, consistent with the rights of the child. The State shall improve the quality and access to basic education for children in far-flung, isolated, disadvantaged, and conflict-affected areas, as well as those in Last Mile Schools, by investing in school infrastructure, access roads, and programs responsible for their unique contexts.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:

(a) Basic Education refers to the intended basic learning needs which provide the foundation on which subsequent learning can be based. It includes kindergarten, elementary and secondary education as well as alternative learning systems for out-of-school learners and those with special needs; (b) Basic Education School refers to learning institutions accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd) to deliver services addressing the intended basic learning needs of students; 10 (c) Geographic Isolated and Disadvantaged and Conflict-Affected Areas (GIDCA) refer to schools or communities situated in remote or marginalized locations, with limited access to essential services and infrastructure, or impacted by conflict or insecurity; (d) Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs)/Indigenous Peoples (IPs) refer to the same definition stated in Section 3h, Chapter 2 of Republic Act No. 8371, or The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997, which describes it as "a group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who have continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories, sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and cultures, became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. ICCS/IPs shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or colonization, or at the time of inroads of non- indigenous religions and cultures, or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions, but who may have been displaced from their

traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains;" and (e) Last Mile Schools refer to public basic education schools with gaps in resources and facilities, which are located in GIDCA.

SEC. 4. Establishment of Last Mile Schools. - The Last Mile Schools

are hereby established, under the administration of the DepEd, to cater to the basic education of learners throughout the country's GIDCA. The establishment of Last Mile Schools in locations situated by the ICCS shall be undertaken in consideration of the rights of the IPs, in accordance with Republic Act No. 8371.

SEC. 5. Access to Education. - The DepEd shall collaborate with

concerned national government agencies for the delivery of the infrastructures necessary to ensure access to education in the Last Mile Schools, namely: (a) The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), for the construction of access roads leading to the location of Last Mile Schools; (b) Department of Energy (DOE) and National Electrification Administration (NEA), for the installation of electricity; and (c) Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), for the installation of information and communications technology.

SEC. 6. Criteria. - The indicators used in identifying a public school to

be considered a Last Mile School may include any of the following: (a) Having fewer than four (4) classrooms; (b) With makeshift or nonstandard rooms; (c) Absence of or irregular electricity; (d) Have not been allocated funds for repairs or new construction projects in the last four (4) years unless destroyed; (e) With travel distance of more than one hour from the center of a city or municipality, or with difficulty of terrain or of such nature as to be considered having difficulty of access to existing educational institutions; (f) Having multigrade classes or rooms; (g) With less than five (5) teachers; (h) Having a student population of less than one hundred (100) learners;

1 (i) With more than seventy-five percent (75%) IP learners; and 2 (j) Having such other circumstances that make it difficult for learners to access school facilities.

SEC 7. Tailored Programs for Last Mile Schools. - The DepEd shall

5 formulate and implement programs responsive to the unique context of Last Mile Schools, teachers, and learners, including but not limited to: 7 (a) Learning delivery and intervention mechanisms; 8 (b) School staffing standards, given the unique needs of learners in Last Mile Schools; 10 (c) Formula for school maintenance and other operating expenses, in consultation with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM); (d) Learning tools and equipment; (e) Learner support services; (f) Relevant pre-service teacher education curriculum and assessment with the Teacher Education Council (TEC), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Professional Regulation Commission; (g) Relevant in-service training, through the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP); and (h) Teacher, school head, and school evaluations, in coordination with the Civil Service Commission.

SEC 8. Implementation. - The school building program for Last Mile

Schools shall be established and completed within a period of five (5) years after the effectivity of this Act. To facilitate synchronicity, harmony and complementarity of plans, resources, and efforts of both the national government and the local government units (LGUs) towards the attainment of the objectives of this Act, the DepEd shall plan and implement the programs, projects, and activities that address the needs of the Last Mile Schools, in coordination and collaboration with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), DPWH, DICT, DOE, NEA, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), National Disaster

• Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), DBM, CSC, TEC, and concerned LGUs.

SEC. 9. Reporting on Learner Outcomes. - The DepEd shall assess

and report on learner outcomes separately for students enrolled in Last Mile Schools, to ensure that progress and gaps are systematically monitored and addressed.

SEC. 10. Policy Review. - The DepEd shall review and revise existing

relevant policies, standards, and guidelines to directly address the specific conditions and contexts of Last Mile Schools.

SEC. 11. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the

implementation of this Act shall be included in the budgets of the concerned departments, agencies and Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90)

days from the approval of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall, in consultation with the NCIP, DPWH, DICT, DOE, NEA, DSWD, DENR, NDRRMC, DBM, CSC, TEC, CHED, and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, formulate the rules and regulations implementing the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 13. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act

is declared unconstitutional, the remainder hereof or any provisions not affected thereby shall remain in force and effect.

SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,

executive order, letter of instruction, rule, or regulation inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 15. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after

its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Approved,