Abot Alam Act
Filed on August 5, 2025, and referred to the Committees on Basic Education, Youth, and Finance; it has been pending in the committee since then with no recorded action.
The bill addresses educational disparities affecting a significant portion of the youth population.
The bill responds to the ongoing issue of educational access for out-of-school youth, which has been exacerbated by socio-economic challenges.
Abot Alam Act
The Abot Alam Act aims to institutionalize the Abot Alam Program of the Department of Education, which provides educational opportunities for out-of-school youth and marginalized adults. It includes the establishment of a comprehensive database and various educational modalities to support these individuals.
Compared with current law:
No formal program for out-of-school youth.
Establishes a structured program to support out-of-school youth and marginalized adults.
Limited access to vocational training.
Provides vocational and entrepreneurship training through the Abot Alam Program.
No comprehensive database for out-of-school youth.
Creates a Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System for better tracking and support.
The Abot Alam Program is an initiative by the Department of Education aimed at providing educational opportunities to out-of-school youth and marginalized adults. It includes various educational modalities such as Alternative Learning Systems and vocational training.
Source · full text✦ Dashed tags are AI-suggested nuance; solid tags follow the committee taxonomy.
Stalled: the bill has sat in committee for over two months with no action since its referral on August 27, 2025.
No floor deliberations yet — this measure has not reached plenary. Its committee-stage actions appear under Legislative history above.
ottom of rice TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session 25 AUG -5 P2:02 SENATE RECEIVED BY S. No. _ Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE "ABOT ALAM" PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES EXPLANATORY NOTE In the Philippines, a significant number of youth face barriers to accessing formal education, leading to a high incidence of out-of-school youth (OSY). These young individuals, whose potential remains untapped, struggle to gain the necessary skills and qualifications to participate in the workforce, further exacerbating poverty and social inequality. Addressing the needs of out-of-school youth is essential to ensure a prosperous future for the nation. This measure seeks to institutionalize the "Abot Alam Program", a comprehensive initiative designed to address the educational and livelihood needs of out-of-school youth (OSY), marginalized students at risk of dropping out, and adults who have not completed basic education. By formalizing this program, the bill guarantees its sustainability and extends its reach to more Filipinos in need of educational opportunities and life skills deveiopment. Filed by Senator Grace Poe in the 19th Congress, this program aims to create an inclusive system that provides alternative learning pathways for youth and adults
who are currently excluded from the formal education system. It offers a vital second chance to those who need it the most, providing access to basic education, vocational skills, and livelihood programs. The bill proposes a unified and accessible approach to addressing educational disparities by establishing a Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System, creating a nationwide database to identify OSYs, and mapping available programs across different regions. The Abot Alam Program will be delivered through Alternative Learning Systems (ALS), entrepreneurship training, and technical-vocational education, ensuring a broad range of educational services that are adaptable to the unique needs of each learner. In addition to the creation of new pathways for education, the program also integrates the joint efforts of various government agencies, including the Department of Education (DepEd), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). These collaborations aim to provide comprehensive support to out-of-school youth and marginalized adults in the country, helping them gain skills that will help them succeed both in the workforce and in their personal lives. Hence, the immediate approval of this bill is therefore earnestly sought. front l JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA
TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session AUG -5 P2:02 SENATE RECEIVED 0% S. No. 891 Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE "ABOT ALAM" PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Abot Alam Act".
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is a policy of the State to protect and promote
the right of all citizens, especially the poor and the marginalized, to quality education 4 at all levels. Furthermore, the State recognizes the essential role of education in 5 promoting a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and 6 independence of the nation and free the people from poverty. Therefore, the "Abot 7 Alam" program of the Department of Education is hereby institutionalized and 8 recognized as a means to provide education to out-of-school youths, adults who have neither undergone nor completed basic education, and to other individuals who cannot be adequately served by the formal educational system.
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms shall be
defined as follows: a) Abot Alam - refers to the "Abot Alam" program of the Department of Education which is institutionalized under Section 4 of this Act; b) Abot Alam Enlisted Learners or Enlisted Learners - refers to individuals, whether out-of-school youths or adults who have neither undergone nor
completed basic education, who are enrolled in any of the components of the Abot Alam Program; c) Abot Alam Partner or Partners - refers to individuals, groups, organizations or agencies (e.g. LCDs, NGOs, private institutions/companies, religious groups, etc.) implementing the Abot Alam Program In different areas using their own resources and/or which provide technical assistance or other resources in support of the Program at any level; d) Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System or Targeting System refers to the comprehensive database of OSY established under Section 5 of this Act; e) Alternative Delivery Modes - as defined and adopted from Department of Education Order No. 54, s. 2012, refers to alternative modalities of delivering education which allows schools to deliver quality education to marginalized students and those at risk of dropping out in order to help them overcome personal, social and economic constraints in their schooling. It shall include, without limitation, the following: 1. Enhanced Instructional Management Parents, Communities and Teachers (E-IMPACT); 2. Modified In-School Off-School Approach (MISOSA); and 3. Open High School Program (OHSP); f) Alternative Learning System - as defined and adopted from Republic Act No. 9155, otherwise known as the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, is a parallel learning system to provide a viable alternative to the existing formal education instruction. It encompasses both the non-formal and informal sources of knowledge and skills; and g) Out-of-School Youth or OSY - refers to Individuals who are seven (7) to twenty- four (24) years of age who are not enrolled in formal schooling.
Sec. 4. Institutionalization of the Abot Alam Program. - There is hereby
established a nationwide program to be known as the "Abot Alam" Program, herein referred to as "the Program".
Sec. 5. Objectives. - The Program aims to:
a) Create a comprehensive database of OSY in the country by organizing a Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System;
b) Unify and harmonize the efforts and resources of all agencies and organizations directed towards providing education and training for OSY in the Country; c) Ensure that all OSYs have access to programs and services of different agencies and organizations; and d) Integrate adults who have neither undergone nor completed formal education in the Program.
Sec. 6. Coverage. - This Act shall cover:
a) Out-of-School Youths; b) Marginalized students who are at risk of dropping out; and c) Adults who have neither undergone nor finished basic education.
Sec. 7. Barangay Abot Alam Targeting System. - A comprehensive database of
OSYs in the country is hereby established. The targeting system shall be based on information collected and updated by Barangays on OSYs in their jurisdiction, in coordination with the relevant Public Schools District Supervisors and School Heads. The database shall be updated annually and shall include information such as one's name, age, location, and learning needs. All information shall be submitted to and consolidated by the Philippine Statistics Authority. Existing enrollees of the Program need not be included in the database.
Sec. 8. Components. - The Program shall have three (3) modalities:
a) ALS-Education - a community-based ALS program which helps Enlisted Learners to acquire basic reading, writing, numeracy skills and the ability to read with comprehension and solve simple numeracy problems. Enlisted Learners under this program shall undergo an accreditation and equivalency test before and after the program duration which will measures their learning competency. Passers of the test are shall be given a diploma certifying their competencies as comparable graduates of the formal school system and shall be considered qualified to enroll secondary and post- secondary schools. This program shall be implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd), in coordination with interested Partners. b) ALS-Entrepreneurship - an ALS program which provides livelihood and entrepreneurship training and assistance to Enlisted Learners. This shall be
a joint program of the DepEd and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in coordination with interested Partners. c) ALS Technical-Vocational and Employment Program - an ALS program which provides technical-vocational skills training to Enlisted Learners. This shall be a joint program of the DepEd and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in coordination with interested partners.
Sec. 9. Utilization of Alternative Delivery Modes. - The DepEd and concerned
8 Partners shall, in addition to formal, school-based modes of delivering education, shall 9 maximize the utilization of Alternative Delivery Modes of education.
Sec. 10. Program Implementation. - DepEd Division Offices, in consultation
11 with all concerned Partners, shall map and provide information on all of the ALS programs of intervention that they are offering in their jurisdiction and match the needs of Enlisted Learners with the available programs mapped;
Sec. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days from
the effectivity of this Act, the DepEd, TESDA, and the DTI, in consultation with relevant government agencies and Partners, shall promulgate the rules and regulations for the effective regulation of this Act.
Sec. 12. Appropriations. - An amount of Ten million pesos (P10,000,000.00) is
hereby allocated for the initial implementation of this act. Such amounts as may be necessary for the continuing implementation of this Act shall be included as a separate line-item under the appropriations of the DepEd under the General Appropriations Act and may be augmented by grants, donations and endowments from domestic and foreign sources, pursuant to existing laws and regulations.
Sec. 13. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act shall be held
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions not otherwise affected shall remain in full force and effect.
Sec. 14. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations
inconsistent with or contrary to this Act, are hereby deemed accordingly repealed or amended.
Sec. 15. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect upon its approval and
completion of publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. Approved,
Reproduced from the Senate document. The official PDF is the authoritative version.