Section 1.
Subsection (b), section seven of Republic Act Numbered One thousand one
hundred seventy-nine, is amended to read as follows:
"(b) Over-all
supervision of the Pilot Adjustment and Training Center and all the
regional training centers that may be established;"
Sec. 2. The second paragraph of subsection (c),
section eight of Republic Act Numbered One thousand one hundred
seventy-nine, is amended to read as follows:
"The Pilot Adjustment and
Training Center and the regional training centers that may be
established shall operate eight hours a day, five instruction days per
week for a minimum duration of three months with individual extension
possible up to a maximum of twelve months."
Sec. 3. Two new sections are inserted after
section eight of Republic Act Numbered One thousand one hundred
seventy-nine to read as follows:
"REGIONAL TRAINING CENTERS"
"Sec. 8-A. (1) Creation. — To ensure that
vocational rehabilitation services shall benefit the blind and other
handicapped in the provinces, there shall be established, in addition
to the now existing Pilot Adjustment and Training Center at Barranca,
Cubao, Quezon City, according to the period hereinafter specified
suitable regional adjustment and training centers for vocational
rehabilitation, as follows:
"For the fiscal year nineteen hundred and sixty, Region No. 1,
comprising the provinces of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Abra, La Union,
Mountain Province, Pangasinan, Zambales, Tarlac and the cities of
Baguio and Dagupan, possibly in the regional headquarters at Dagupan
City; and Region No. 7, comprising the Provinces of Misamis Occidental,
Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Sulu and the cities of
Zamboanga, Ozamis and Basilan, possibly in the regional headquarters at
Zamboanga City;
"For the fiscal year nineteen
hundred and sixty-one, Region No. 4, comprising the provinces of
Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes and
Masbate and the City of Naga, possibly in the regional headquarters at
Naga City; and Region No. 5, comprising the provinces of Negros
Occidental, Romblon, Antique, Capiz, Aklan and Iloilo and the cities of
Bacolod, Roxas and Iloilo, possibly in the regional headquarters at
Iloilo City;
"For the fiscal year nineteen hundred and sixty-two, Region No. 2,
comprising the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and
Batanes, possibly in the regional headquarters at Tuguegarao, Cagayan,
and Region No. 8, comprising the provinces of Surigao, Bukidnon,
Misamis Oriental, Lanao, Agusan, the cities of Davao, Butuan, Cagayan
de Oro and Marawi, possibly in the regional headquarters at Cagayan de
Oro City; and Region No. 9, comprising the provinces of Cotabato and
Davao and the cities of Davao and Cotabato in the regional headquarters
at Davao City.
"For the fiscal year nineteen
hundred and sixty-three, Region No. 3, comprising the provinces of
Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan, Bataan, Rizal, Quezon, Cavite, Laguna,
Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque and Palawan
and the cities of Cabanatuan, Pasay, San Pablo, Tagaytay, Cavite, Trece
Martires, Lipa, Quezon and Manila, possibly in San Pablo City; and
Region No. 6, comprising the provinces of Negros Oriental, Bohol,
Leyte, Samar and Cebu and the cities of Cebu, Dumaguete, Calbayog,
Tacloban and Ormoc, possibly in the regional headquarters at Cebu
City.
"(2) The establishment of these regional adjustment
and training centers shall be at the cost of at least fifty thousand
pesos each and shall be patterned after that of the first pilot project
now in operation. The funds for these constructions may be drawn from
the fiduciary funds of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. And the
operating expenses of all existing rehabilitation centers under the
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation shall be incorporated in the
General Appropriation Act to be marked as "Special Purposes for
Vocational Rehabilitation.'
"(3) The following shall compose the nucleus of the
staff for such regional centers with the corresponding compensation:
"(a) One superintendent, at P3,984 per annum, range
P43
"(b) One
clerk, at P1,476 per annum, range P23
"(c) One intake social worker, at P1,884 per annum,
range P28
"(d) One social worker, at P1,884 per annum, range
P28
"(e) One homebound social worker, at P1,884 per
annum, range P28
"(f) Two vocational counselors, at P1,884 per annum,
range P28
"(g) One part-time physician, at P1,800 per annum,
range P27
"(h) One chief instructor, at P3,108 per annum,
range P38-40
"(i) One Braille instructor at P1,716 per annum,
range P24-32
"(j) One travel technique instructor at P1,716 per
annum, range P24-32
"(k) One craft
instructor, at P1,716 per annum, range P24-32
"(l) One rural project instructor, at P1,716 per
annum, P24-32
"(m) One clerk-laborer, at P1,152 per annum, range
P18
"(n) One caretaker, at P1,152 per annum, range P18
"(o) One guard-driver, at P1,440 per annum, range P22
"The compensation for the staff of the regional centers shall be drawn
from the fiduciary fund of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
which are its net proceeds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes draw
as stipulated in section ten (b) of Republic Act Numbered One thousand
one hundred seventy-nine.
"NATIONAL COUNCIL ON REHABILITATION
"Sec. 8-B.
(a) Creation. — In order to have a central body to coordinate
activities relating to all phases of rehabilitation of handicapped
persons, there is hereby established a National Council on
Rehabilitation, hereinafter referred to as the Council.
"The Council shall have fifteen members composed as follows:
"The first six members shall be nominated by the heads of the following
Government agencies: Department of Health; Department of Education;
Department of Labor; Department of National Defense; Social Welfare
Administration and the Social Security System, which shall be referred
to as Group I.
"Under Group II, shall be four representatives from medical,
educational, scientific and legislative fields; four representatives
from civic, financial, industrial, labor organizations, and one
representative from radio and press.
"All these fifteen members shall be appointed by the President to
compose the National Council on Rehabilitation.
"(b) Term of
Office. — Each appointed member of the Council shall hold office for a
term of four years, except that any member appointed to fill a vacancy
occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his predecessor
is appointed shall be appointed for the remainder of such term; and
except that, of the members first appointed, Group I shall enjoy four
years of office; members of Group II shall be appointed with three
holding office for three years, another three for two years and the
next three for one year as designated by the President at the time of
appointment.
"None of these members shall be eligible for re-appointment until a
year has elapsed after the end of his preceding term; however, the six
members from Group I shall enjoy eligibility of re-appointment to
ensure continuity and direction of program without the stipulated one
year provision.
"(c) Duties and Functions. — It shall be the duty
and function of the Council:
"(1) To formulate policies regarding rehabilitation
of the handicapped in the Philippines;
"(2) To help
provide proper coordination of existing rehabilitation programs so as
to extend maximum services to the blind and other handicapped persons
and to prevent or minimize overlapping of services;
"(3) To help determine standards and criteria for
all organizations and agencies engaged in rehabilitation work, whether
governmental or voluntary;
"(4) To formulate rule and regulations to implement
the purposes for which the council has been established;
"(5) To initiate appropriate actions, including
legal, for any violation of such rules and regulations which shall be
promulgated;
"(6) To initiate research on rehabilitation;
"(7) To
compile statistics on the following:
"(aa) Census of handicapped individuals in the
Philippines in relation to number and classification;
"(bb) Census of rehabilitation facilities;
"(cc) Census of rehabilitation needs;
"(dd) Census of already qualified handicapped
workers; and
"(ee) Census of employment opportunities;
"(8) To conduct and supervise campaigns to raise
fund as provided for in section ten (a) of Republic Act Numbered one
thousand one hundred seventy-nine; and
"(9) To submit annual report to Congress.
"(d) Chairman.
— The fifteen members of the Council shall appoint its chairman by
democratic process from among its members within fifteen days from the
date of appointment while meeting in banc.
"(e) Executive Secretary. — The Council is also
empowered to appoint an executive secretary outside of its members by a
majority vote. The executive secretary shall be paid an annual
compensation of five thousand four hundred pesos which shall be drawn
from the fiduciary fund of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
which are its net proceeds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes draw
as stipulated in section ten (b) of Republic Act Numbered One thousand
one hundred seventy-nine, and shall possess the following
qualifications: At least five years experience with accepted competence
in rehabilitation work, at least a four-year college course graduate
and with good moral standing.
"(f) Compensation of the members of the Council. —
The members of the Council which shall meet at least six (6) times a
year shall receive no compensation, but shall be entitled to an
honorarium not exceeding twenty-five pesos per meeting; and shall also
be entitled to receive an allowance for actual and necessary traveling
and subsistence expenses while so serving away from their places of
business."
Sec. 4. This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.
Approved: August 1, 1959
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