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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Law on assistance to students, teachers in private schools enacted in 1989 remains enforceable -- DOJ

Law on assistance to students, teachers in private schools enacted in 1989 remains enforceable -- DOJ

Published Jul 7, 2024 05:09 am

The law on government assistance to students and teachers in private schools enacted in 1989 remains enforceable, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

In a legal opinon, the DOJ said that Republic Act No. 6728, the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act (GASTPE), has not been repealed by RA 8545, the 1998 law on Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Schools (EGASTPE), the DOJ said in a legal opinion issued by Justice Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez said: 

In behalf of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla, Undersecretary Vasquez said: "After a careful review of RA No. 6728 and RA No. 8545, we opine that the latter did not repeal the former."

The legal opinion issued last May 16 was sought by Pasig City Rep. Roman T. Romulo who wanted to know if RA 6728 has been repealed by RA 8545 since the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Culture has been in the process of studying a substitute bill that will amend EGASTPE.

Citing RA, 8545, Vasquez said the GASTPE’s repealing clause states that: “All laws and decrees, particularly Presidential Decree Nos. 932 and 1371, and such letters of instructions, rules and regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.”

“In our view, it is clear that RA No. 8545 explicitly repealed Presidential Decree Nos. 932 and 1371 only. We echo the Supreme Court's pronouncement in a long line of cases that when the law is clear and free from any doubt or ambiguity, it must be given its literal meaning or applied according to its express terms, without any attempted interpretation,” he said.

Vasquez pointed out that GASTPE and EGASTPE “do not appear to be inconsistent with each other that would lead to the conclusion of an implied repeal of RA No. 6728.”

He stressed that it is clear that "the legislative intent of RA 8545 is to merely expand the coverage of RA No. 6728.”

He noted that GASTPE was enacted “to provide government assistance to students and teachers in private basic elementary and secondary education” while, in EGASTPE, “the coverage of the government assistance was expanded even to post-secondary vocational and technical education and higher education, and provided salary subsidy to teachers in private high schools.”

At the same time, he said that EGASTPE also provides “new provisions, deleted one, and renumbered some, but the principles of RA 6728 remain.”

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