Two lawmakers from Camarines Sur on Thursday pushed for the passage of a bill that establishes a program to build “last mile” schools for children in all geographically isolated, disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas (GIDCAs), as well as those in indigenous cultural communities (ICCs).
Camarines Sur Reps. Luigi Villafuerte (Second District) and Miguel Luis Villafuerte (Fifth District) appealed to the Senate to support the measure that has already been approved on final reading noted that the House of Representatives has already approved the measure on third and final reading earlier this year.
“The best way for the Department of Education (DepEd) to improve the quality of, and access to, basic education of kids in remote areas nationwide is to expand and accelerate the construction of “last mile” schools in all GIDCAs and ICCs, along with the necessary infrastructure such as access roads and power facilities leading to these communities,” the two Villafuertes said.
They filed House Bill (HB) 4745, which mandates “a five-year implementation of the school building program through a coordinated multi-agency approach.” The bills was passed on third and final reading last October.
In pushing for the bill’s enactment, the two lawmakers acknowledged the constitutional provision on the promotion of the rights of all Filipinos to quality education at all levels.
The Education department launched its “Last Mile Schools” Program in 2019 which aims to address the lack of access to quality education in GDCAs.
Last mile schools are defined in the bill as schools with less than four classrooms, makeshift rooms and multigrade classes, fewer than five teachers, a student population of less than 100, no regular electricity, no ICT access, and no infrastructure investment in recent years.
“Last mile schools also refer to areas that have not been allocated with funds for repairs or new construction projects in the last four years, and with a travel distance of more than one hour from the center of a city or municipality, or with difficulty of terrain or of access to existing educational institutions,” Rep. Migz added.
Under the bill, the DepEd’s “Last Mile Schools” program shall be completed within five years after the effectivity of the proposed law.
