Republic of the Philippines

12th National Youth Parliament

Davao City
Youth Bill No 0001
____________________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCED BY: CONCORDE ALBER J. DENIEGA

____________________________________________________________________________
EXPLANATORY NOTE

“The youth is the hope of the future,” said National Hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. But, the
advent of modern technology and the influence of various factors have drastically changed the
behavior of the new generation of Filipinos. Many Filipino youths have been delinquents. It
seems that the youth themselves become the major dilemma of our country at this moment.
The Social Weather Station (SWS) Survey in 1996 revealed that Filipino youth are proud
of being Filipinos and willing to defend their country in case of war. They put importance on
marriage and family, friends, education, work, religion, society and money but as time passes
by, there is an unexpected high incidence of youth involvement in criminality, illegal drugs and
illicit sex.
The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) reported that more than 52, 000 Filipino
youths from 1995-2000 were “in conflict with the law.” Data from Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD) said that, from 2001-2010, close to 64,000 youths had been
detained by the government. Further, Current statistics show that not all crimes committed by
youths are juvenile in nature. Some of them were also involved in crimes like rape, murder and
even insurgency.
Moreover, statistics from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the government’s anti-narcotics body, present that there were
24,000 minors out of 800,000 drug users and dealers who surrendered in November 2016. In
addition, between January 2011 and July 2016, 956 children aged 6 to 17 were rescued
nationwide from illegal drug activities and turned over to DSWD. They were mostly involved with
marijuana and shabu. However, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) in 2016
visited detention centers, interviewed children and discovered that many of them suffered acts
of abuse and even torture.
It is also undeniably observable that many young Filipino men and women have lost the
desirable Filipino values such as nationalism, patriotism and respect for elders. Many of them
become rebel and liberated. They do what they want to do even if it can bring them into trouble.
They fail to see what their priorities are and it brings them to a senseless direction.
Furthermore, it is often seen and watched in news programs that individuals range from
ages 14-24 are involved in drugs, alcohol and smoking. In 1994, a certain study presented that
there were 2.75 million young smokers and 4.7 million drinkers.
Since majority of the Filipino youths are of school age, the Department of Education,
being one of the influential sectors of the society, has made ways and means to address these
issues and problems.
Through the Executive Order (EO) No. 366 series of 2004 or the Rationalization
Program and the issuance of DepEd Order (DO) No. 52 series of 2015 which introduces new
organizational structures of the central, regional and schools division offices of DepEd, the
Youth Formation Division (YFD) was born under the Bureau of Learner Support System (BLSS).
The Youth Formation Division (YFD) provides youth serving units and organizations with
responsive, learner-centered, youth-oriented policies, standards, guidelines, programs and
projects that contribute to the holistic development of learners who are values-driven, career-
oriented, culturally-rooted and socially responsible citizens.
However, the programs, projects and activities of the YFD are not fully implemented in
schools because there is no particular office in school that handles these. These are handled by
Supreme Student Government (SSG) advisers who also perform other teaching related
functions.
So, in order to institutionalize the conduct of a holistic youth formation to all high school
students, the establishment of Youth Formation Centers headed by full time Youth Formation
Coordinators with the help of the Local Youth Development Office (LYDO) is deemed
appropriate.
 Republic of the Philippines
12th National Youth Parliament
Davao City
Youth Bill No 0001
____________________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCED BY: CONCORDE ALBER J. DENIEGA

____________________________________________________________________________

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING YOUTH FORMATION CENTERS (YFC) IN ALL PUBLIC SECONDARY
SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREOF

Section 1. Short Title. This act shall be known as the “Youth Formation Act of 2018.’

Section 2. Coverage. This act shall cover all public secondary schools in the Philippines.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. For the purposes of this Act, the following terms are defined:

(a) Bureau of Learner Support System (BLSS) refers to an office in the Department of
Education (DepEd) that is in charge of school health, sports and youth formation.

(b) Local Youth Development Office (LYDO) refers to the office headed by a Youth
Development Officer (YDO) who represents the youth and youth-serving organizations in the
provincial, city and municipal levels.

(c) Public Secondary School refers to a school under the Department of Education
offering either Junior High School or Senior High School or both.

(d) Supreme Student Government (SSG) refers to the highest student governing body
in public secondary schools.

(e) Youth shall refer to those persons whose ages range from fifteen (15) to thirty (30)
years old as defined in Republic Act No. 8044;

(f) Youth Formation Division (YFD) refers to the division under the Bureau of Learner
Support System (BLSS) of the Department of Education that takes charge of youth formation
from the DepEd Central Office down to the Division Office.

Section 4. Rationale. All public secondary schools are mandated to establish Youth Formation
Centers (YFC) in coordination with the DepEd Youth Formation Division and the Local Youth
Development Office (LYDO).

Section 5. Creation of the Youth Formation Center. To ensure wide youth participation, there
shall be in every public secondary school, a Youth Formation Center (YFC) which shall be
headed by a full time Youth Formation Coordinator receiving at least salary grade 11 and shall
automatically be the Supreme Student Government (SSG) adviser. Such must be under the
Youth Formation Division (YFD) of every schools division and always in close coordination with
the Local Youth Development Office (LYDO).

Section 6. Nature of the Youth Formation Center. The Youth Formation Center (YFC) shall take
charge of the total and integral formation of high school students. It shall be the umbrella of the
Supreme Student Government (SSG) and other school clubs and organizations in the conduct
of curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular programs, projects and activities. The
Department of Education (DepEd) Youth Formation Division (YFD) and the Local Youth
Development Office (LYDO) shall exercise full responsibility and authority in its operations,
oversight and maintenance.

Section 7. Duties and Functions of the Youth Formation Center. The Youth Formation Center
shall exercise the following duties and functions:

(a) Provide the students with responsive, learner-centered, youth-oriented policies,

standards, guidelines, programs and projects that contribute to the holistic development of
learners who are values-driven, career-oriented, culturally-rooted and socially responsible
citizens;

(b) Empower the students who are responsible, hardworking, enterprising, persevering,
value-driven and culturally-rooted equipped with world class skills and imbued with values such
as Maka-Diyos, makatao, makabansa, at makakalikasan; and

(c) Oversee the curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities of the Supreme
Student Government (SSG) and other school clubs and organizations.

Section 8. Qualifications of Youth Formation Coordinators. The Youth Formation Coordinator in

every school shall meet the following requirements:

(a) A graduate of any baccalaureate degree related to youth formation (e.g. Education,
Social Work, Philosophy, Psychology, Community Development, Sociology, etc.);

(b) must be a duly licensed professional or a Civil Service eligible;

(c) must be active in any of the following: community organizing, youth ministering and
the like;

(d) must be affiliated with any Government Organization (GO), Non-Government

Organization (NGO) or People’s Organization (PO); and

(e) has a strong passion for youth formation.

Section 9. Duties and Functions of Youth Formation Coordinators. The Youth Formation
Coordinator in every school shall:

(a) coordinate with the Local Youth Development Office (LYDO) for the planning and
appropriation of budget.
 (b) coordinate with the Project Development Officer I of the Youth Formation Division of
every schools division for the planning and implementation of the programs, projects and
activities.

(c) formulate Strategic Youth Development Plan, Annual Youth Development Plan and
Activity Plans.

(d) implement the programs, projects and activities stipulated in the plans.

(e) evaluate the implementation of the programs, projects and activities.

(f) submit monthly and annual reports of accomplishments of the programs, projects and
activities initiated, organized and implemented to the Office of the School Principal, Schools
Division Youth Formation Division and Local Youth Development Office (LYDO)

(g) be the adviser of the Supreme Student Government (SSG)

Section 10. Preparation. Immediately after bill approval within the two-year latency period, both
the DepEd Youth Formation Division and the Local Youth Development Office (LYDO) shall
continue to identify issues and problems that can be addressed by the Youth Formation
Center’s (YFC) programs, projects and activities.

Section 11. Funding. The Local Youth Development Office (LYDO) through the Sangguniang
Bayan or Panlungsod shall include in its annual budget the programs, projects and activities of
the Youth Formation Center (YFC). Moreover, each school shall appropriate funds for the same
purpose under the 5% Gender and Development (GAD) Fund from the Maintenance and Other
Operating Expenses (MOOE).

Section 12. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, rules and
regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby replaced or modified accordingly.

Section 13. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is held invalid or unconstitutional,
the other provisions not affected hereby shall remain valid and subsiding.

Section 14. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days upon publication in at
least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.