Guidelines on Religious Instruction in Public Schools

The State shall encourage and promote the teaching of religion to children in public elementary and high schools within regular class hours.
The Order recognizes the vital role of religious instruction in citizen formation, particularly molding youth.
Religious instruction is recognized as necessary not only in private schools but also in public schools.
Implementation must reflect the constitutional rule that government cannot favor a particular establishment or religion and cannot prohibit the free exercise thereof.
Implementation must not entail additional cost to the government.

The Order applies to all public elementary and high schools in the Philippines.
Religious instruction covered by the Order is optional religious instruction requested for students/pupils by their parents or guardians.

Religion is an institutionalized system of beliefs, attitudes and practices.
Values Education is the integration into the school curriculum of universally accepted as well as Filipino human, social, moral, political, economic and cultural values.
Optional religious instruction refers to religion classes in public elementary and high schools for students/pupils whose parents opted to request religious instruction in public schools for their children or wards.
The optional character of religious instruction is the prerogative or choice of the parents or guardians, who may request or not request religion instruction for their children under their care.
Regular class hours are the regular or normal scheduled periods of instruction or laboratory work for a student.
Class period is the average length of time scheduled for one session or instructional period in a course.

Religious teachers/instructors who teach religion classes in public elementary and high schools must be formally sourced or recruited by the respective principal or school head in accordance with the request for optional religious instruction.
After designation or nomination by religious authorities, religious teachers/instructors must submit proper authorization papers and a request for time allocation and schedule to the principal or school head.
Ordinary teachers teaching in a particular school may teach religion in the same or another school during periods free from ordinary teaching loads.
Ordinary teachers must have authorization from the competent religious authority of their denomination.

Religious instruction recipients are the students/pupils whose parents/guardians opted to request that their children/wards be taught the religion of their choice.
The option to request religion instruction must be expressed in writing by the parent or guardian.
The parent or guardian must accomplish the necessary application form in full.
No student/pupil may attend religious instruction classes without the written application and duly accomplished request of the parent or guardian.

The application must clearly indicate:
- The faith or religious instruction the student/pupil should receive from the authorized religion teachers/instructors; and
- The preferred schedule for religious instruction.

Students not receiving religious instruction, or those who have requested but lack available teachers/instructors for the requested denomination, must be under the supervision of their respective class advisers during the time religion classes are going on.

Optional religious instruction must be taught during regular class hours only.
Religious classes must not be taught before or after class time, nor during recess time.
Religious classes must not exceed forty (40) students of the same level and the same religion.
A religious authority may certify that a larger number may be allowed due to practicality, availability of time slot/schedule, instructors/teachers, classroom materials, and related matters.
The principal or school head must fix the schedule of religion class hours considering the number of religious teachers/instructors that can be fielded by different denominations at one time.
Optional religious instruction must be allotted at least ninety minutes (90) a week, spread over at least two (2) but not more than three (3) meetings in one week.
In no case may class periods be allotted less than ninety (90) minutes per week.

Optional religious instruction and values education are separate, different, and distinct subjects.
Religious instruction must be allotted separate class hours.
Available time slots for religious instruction must be arranged with the principal.

Any principal, school head, or teacher who violates any provision of the Order must, after due process, be subjected to appropriate disciplinary sanctions.