Law Summary
Definitions
- School: includes elementary, secondary, or tertiary institutions with students, administration, faculty, and non-faculty personnel
- Student Publication: any independently published printed material that serves the needs and interests of the student body
- Student Journalist: bona fide enrolled students who meet editorial board qualifications and maintain satisfactory academic standing
- Editorial Board: composed differently depending on school level; tertiary level includes student journalists qualified through exams and optionally a publication adviser; elementary/high school levels include a faculty adviser, qualified editor, and Parents-Teachers' Association representative
- Editorial Policies: guidelines for managing student publications, covering publication frequency, article selection, and compliance with laws and school policies
Student Publication Structure and Autonomy
- Published by student body through editorial board and publication staff selected by fair and competitive examinations
- Editorial board has the freedom to determine editorial policies and manage publication funds independently
Funding
- Sources: school appropriations savings, student subscriptions, donations, and other funds
- Department of Education, Culture and Sports or school administration must release funds from savings and subscriptions automatically without withholding
Publication Adviser Role
- Selected by school administration from recommendees submitted by publication staff
- Adviser's function limited to technical guidance only
Security of Tenure for Student Journalists
- Must maintain student status to retain publication membership
- Cannot be expelled or suspended solely based on published articles or journalistic duties
Press Conferences and Training
- Department of Education, Culture and Sports sponsors periodic competitions, press conferences, and training seminars
- Participation includes student-editors/writers and teacher-advisers from elementary to tertiary levels
- Events held at institutional, divisional, regional levels, culminating in annual national conferences at culturally and historically significant sites
Rulemaking
- Department of Education, Culture and Sports in coordination with national student publication and journalist organizations shall promulgate necessary rules and regulations for effective act implementation
Tax Exemption
- All grants, donations, and contributions exclusively used for promotion of campus journalism are exempt from donor's or gift tax
Appropriations
- Initial funding authorized at Five million pesos charged against Department of Education savings
- Future funding to be included in General Appropriations Act
Effectivity
- Law takes effect fifteen days after publication in the Official Gazette or two newspapers of general circulation