DBPH Admin2 
EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Senator Win Gatchalian expressed frustration over the prolonged delays in implementing Republic Act No. 11650, also known as the Inclusive Education Act.
“The law was signed on March 11, 2022, and the IRR was signed on July 18, 2024. It took two years to craft the IRR, and now that it is signed, hindi pa rin published,” Senator Gatchalian said during an oversight hearing conducted today by the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
Explaining the delay, the Department of Education (DepEd) Director Leila Areola of the Bureau of Learning Delivery stated that the IRR is lodged with the DepEd’s Legislative Liaison Office, not under her bureau.
In her presentation on the implementation status, 32 Special Education (SPED) centers have been converted into Inclusive Learning Resource Centers (ILRCs), with two ILRCs established in each region. For the school year 2023-2024, DepEd reported a total enrollment of 324,968 learners with disabilities (LWDs). However, this only accounts for 20% of the 1,595,000 estimated LWDs aged 2-17 in the Philippines, based on UNICEF data.
“We created this law because we saw the urgent need,” Gatchalian emphasized. “But we left it to the department for implementation, and now the IRR has been engulfed in the bureaucratic process. Naipit sa red tape. We are nearing five years, from the time we crafted this law to full implementation.”
Director Areola further disclosed that the Child Find System (CFS), remains non-operational. The CFS is a system designed to identify, locate, and evaluate all learners with disabilities up to 24 years old who are not receiving basic education services, and children below five years old who are not receiving early education services as mandated under Republic Act No. 10410.
Although DepEd has sought additional funding in the 2025 budget to operationalize the CFS, the lack of a published IRR has stalled its implementation. This delay has also impacted other key components of the law, including the finalization of the Inter-Agency Council, the Advisory Committee, and the Multi-Year Roadmap.
“So itong mga ito — the Child Find System, Inter-Agency Council, Advisory Committee, as well as the Multi-Year Roadmap — ay hindi ma-finalize until ma-publish itong IRR. We go back to step one,” Gatchalian said.
“Hindi ba kayo nag-uusap usap? Coordinate within the department, or even raise this to the Secretary. Nagkukulang lang kayo sa usap. You should be able to coordinate this within yourselves. This is a need, especially the Child Find System,” he added.
Gatchalian urged DepEd to fast-track the publication of the IRR, noting that with it already signed last July, the only remaining step is its release. He stressed that the publication of the IRR will allow for the full implementation of the law and enable the finalization of the Multi-Year Roadmap for inclusive education initiatives.
