The Marcos administration has taken a decisive step toward ensuring every child’s right to quality care and education.
With the signing into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of Republic Act 12199, known as the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Systems Act, the Philippines has established a comprehensive framework that explicitly recognizes and accommodates children with disabilities.
Closing critical gaps
The new legislation addresses a long-standing inequity in the Philippine early childhood system, where children with disabilities have historically faced significant barriers to accessing essential services.
“Children with disabilities often face delayed identification due to gaps in screening, social stigma, or lack of awareness among parents and frontline workers. These missed opportunities during early childhood have life-long consequences. This law addresses those gaps head-on,” explained Joy Sampang, Save the Children Philippines’ ECCD Technical Advisor.
By mandating holistic development support for all children from birth to age eight, the law creates a unified approach to health, nutrition, education, and social services that prioritizes inclusivity and equity.
Advocacy to action
Save the Children Philippines played a crucial role in shaping the legislation through its participation in the Technical Working Group led by EDCOM II. The organization successfully advocated for specific provisions ensuring children with disabilities receive reasonable accommodations, accessible environments, and respect for their cultural and linguistic diversity.
Under the new law, services must be delivered through appropriate languages and means of communication that meet each child’s needs. Additionally, learning and play environments must be designed to maximize both academic and social development – a critical consideration as Child Development Centers are established in every barangay nationwide.
“We welcome the creation of Child Development Centers and ECCD offices across all provinces, cities, and municipalities,” Sampang said. “This opens the door to moving from separate, disconnected efforts toward an integrated, systems-focused ECCD model.”
The legislation builds on successful pilot initiatives like “ABLE,” a pioneering inclusive ECCD program implemented by Save the Children Philippines with support from Save the Children Hong Kong and bioMérieux.
Currently reaching over 1,700 children and families in Taguig, Parañaque, and Pateros, the project demonstrates how inclusive early intervention can work in practice.
The program employs a comprehensive approach that includes:
Parent-child sessions promoting responsive and inclusive care at home; training for ECCD workers on inclusive practices; and establishment of referral systems connecting families with needed services.
Soon, the organization will pilot a Conditional Cash Transfer scheme to help low-income families access assessments and early interventions – addressing the economic barriers that often prevent families from seeking help.
“We are seeing encouraging results in our three program areas,” Sampang said. “Children are accessing services earlier, parents are more engaged, and local governments are showing increasing ownership. We hope to replicate these gains and experience nationwide.”
Building on progress
The new ECCD law represents a natural progression from Republic Act No. 11650, the “Inclusive Education Act,” which Save the Children Philippines championed in 2022. While that legislation focused on educational inclusion, the ECCD law extends support to the critical early developmental period from birth, when intervention can have the most significant impact.
Stakeholders are now drafting the Implementing Rules and Regulations, Save the Children Philippines has offered its technical expertise to ensure the law’s provisions translate effectively into action.
For the thousands of Filipino children with disabilities who will benefit from earlier identification, appropriate accommodations, and inclusive environments, this legislation marks a transformative step toward a future where every child can thrive regardless of ability. (JCO/PIA-NCR)
