A panel in the House of Representatives has approved House Bill 1587 institutionalizing the role of Parent-Teacher and Community Associations in the total and integral development of children and the youth.
The House Committee on the Welfare of Children, chaired by Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez of Tingog Sinirangan, approved the bill known as the “Parent-Teacher and Community Associations Act of 2019.”
Rep. Yedda, and her husband, Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez principally authored the bill.
The bill proposes to amend Article 77 Chapter ll of Presidential Decree 603, otherwise known as “The Child and Youth Welfare Code”, by providing that an association of parents-teachers shall be organized by every elementary and secondary school and where appropriate, a duly recognized community group, for the development of children and the youth as well-rounded, stable and sociable persons and civic-oriented citizens.
In her explanatory note of the bill, Romualdez said it was imperative that an integrative and coordinative mechanism for a total children and youth development program involving parents and teachers, among others, be institutionalized and enhanced.
“In this respect, the PTCAs can serve as a powerful voice for the welfare of school children, a relevant tool for engagement by their families and the communities they live in and a strong advocate for basic education,” Romualdez said.
The bill provides that an association of parents-teachers shall be organized by every elementary and secondary school and where appropriate, a duly recognized community group, for the development of children and the youth as well-rounded, stable and sociable persons and civic-oriented citizens.
It states the PTCA shall be the forum for the discussion of problems and solutions, issues and concerns relative to such a development program, thus ensuring the full cooperation of parents, teachers and other community stakeholders in its efficient and effective implementation.
Similarly, the measure provides that all parents who have children enrolled in a school shall be considered members of its PTCA and are obliged to comply with the duties and responsibilities such membership entails.
The PTCAs all over the country shall assist municipal and other local authorities and school officials in the implementation of programs and projects and activities designed to promote the welfare and protect the rights of children and the youth, including but not limited to juvenile delinquency control measures, school achievements and related development initiatives.
Given their critical involvement in school and community affairs, the PTCAs shall be recognized as partners of the government and, as appropriate, their principal officer be designated as ex-officio members of the local school board and the legislative bodies provided for under the Local Government Code.