REPUBLIC ACT NO.

8370 the President for purposes of administrative

CHILDREN'S TELEVISION ACT OF 1997 The Council shall be composed of five (5)
members who shall be appointed by the
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as President for a term of three (3) years:
the "Children's Television Act of 1997". Provided, That of the first appointees:

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State a) the term of the first set of two (2) members
recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation- shall be for three (3) years;
building and shall promote and protect their
physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social b) the term of the second set of two (2)
well-being by enhancing their over-all members shall be for two (2) years; and
development, taking into account sectoral needs
and conditions in the development of c) the term of the remaining member shall be
educational, cultural, recreational policies and for one (1) year.
programs addressed to them.
The members of the Council shall elect a
Likewise, the State recognizes the importance chairperson from among themselves.
and impact of broadcast media, particularly
television programs on the value formation and Members of the Council shall be appointed on
intellectual development of children and must the basis of their integrity, high degree of
take steps to support and protect children's professionalism and having distinguished
interests by providing television programs that themselves as an authority in the promotion of
reflect their needs, concerns and interests children's rights to responsible television
without exploiting them. programming and shall represent the following
sectors, namely: academe, broadcast media,
The State recognizes broadcasting as a form of child development specialists, parents and child-
mass communication guaranteed by the focused non-government organizations duly
Constitution, the exercise of which is impressed registered with the Securities and Exchange
with public interest, and which imposes upon Commission (SEC) and with membership
the broadcast industry the social responsibility preferably in all the cities and provinces
of ensuring that its activities serve the interest throughout the country. The nominees shall be
and welfare of the Filipino people. nominated by their respective organization and
the Council for the Welfare of Children in
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes consultation with the Advisory Committee.
of this Act, the following terms shall mean:
The members of the Council shall serve and
a) Children - all persons below eighteen (18) continue to hold office until their successors
years old; shall have been appointed and qualified. Should
a member of the Council fail to complete his/her
b) Children's television - refers to programs and term, the successor shall be appointed by the
other materials broadcast on television that are President, but only for the unexpired portion of
specifically designed for viewing by children; the term.

c) Child-friendly programs - refer to programs The ranks, emoluments and allowances of the
not specifically designed for viewing by children members of the Council shall be in accordance
but which serve to further the positive with the Salary Standardization Law and other
development of children and contain no applicable laws.
elements that may result in physical, mental
and emotional harm to them. These include SECTION 5. The Council Secretariat. - The
various formats and genre that appeal to Council shall organize a secretariat to be headed
children and are made available for all ages by an Executive Director and with not more than
from early childhood to adolescence; and twenty (20) personnel, as may be determined
by the Council. The Council shall determine the
d) Child-viewing hours - hours which are secretariat's staffing pattern, determine the
considered to be appropriate for children to qualifications, duties, responsibilities and
watch television taking into account other functions, as well as compensation for the
activities which are necessary or desirable for positions to be created by the Council upon
their balanced development. recommendation of the Executive Director
subject to the National Compensation and
SECTION 4. Establishment of a National Council Classification Plan and other existing Civil
for Children's Television. - There is hereby Service rules and regulations.
established a National Council for Children's
Television (NCCT), hereinafter referred to as the SECTION 6. The Advisory Committee and Its
Council, which shall be attached to the Office of Composition. - There is hereby constituted an
Advisory Committee which shall assist the hours and work closely with the industry for the
Council in the formulation of national policies adoption and implementation of said standards;
pertaining to children's broadcast programs and
in monitoring its implementation. The Council e) to initiate the conduct of research for policy
and the Advisory Committee shall meet at least formulation and program development and
once every quarter of a year. disseminate its results to broadcasters,
advertisers, parents and educators on issues
The members of the Advisory Committee shall related to television and Filipino children;
be composed of the following:
f) to promote media education within the formal
a) the Executive Director of the Council for the school system and other non-formal means in
Welfare of Children; cooperation with private organizations;

b) the Chairman or Executive Director of the g) to monitor the implementation of this Act and
National Commission for Culture and the Arts; other existing government policies and
regulations pertaining to children's broadcast
c) the President of the Kapisanan ng mga programs, as well as to recommend and require
Brodkaster sa Pilipinas; the appropriate government agencies and/or
self-regulatory bodies concerned to enforce the
d) the President or Executive Director of the appropriate sanctions for violations of these
Philippine Association of National Advertisers; regulations and policies based on their
respective mandates;
e) Press Undersecretary/Officer-In-Charge of
the Philippine Information Agency; h) to recommend to Congress appropriate
legislative measures which will grant incentives
f) the Chairman of the Movie and Television for independent producers and broadcasters to
Review and Classification Board; and encourage the production of quality local
children's television programs; and
g) a representative from the National
Telecommunications Commission. i) to act on complaints committed in violation of
this Act with the goal of protecting children from
Whenever any member of the Advisory the negative and harmful influences and to
Committee is unable to attend, he or she shall cause or initiate the prosecution of violators of
designate a representative to attend as his or this Act.
her alternate.
SECTION 8. Submission of Comprehensive
SECTION 7. Functions of the Council. - The Media Program for Children. - Within one (1)
Council shall have the following functions: year from the effectivity of this Act, the Council
in consultation with the Advisory Committee
a) to formulate and recommend plans, policies shall submit to Congress a comprehensive
and priorities for government and private sector development and protection program with the
(i.e. broadcasters, producers, advertisers) end in view of formulating policies on children's
action towards the development of high quality media programs, and recommending plans and
locally-produced children's television priorities for government towards the
programming, to meet the developmental and promotion, development, production and
informational needs of children; broadcasting of developmentally-appropriate
media programs for children. Likewise, it shall
b) to promote and encourage the production prescribe an appropriate set of criteria for
and broadcasting of developmentally- evaluating programs with the end in view of
appropriate television programs for children establishing a Television Violence Rating Code.
through the administration of a national
endowment fund for children's television and Towards this end, the Council may consider
other necessary mechanisms; internationally-accepted programs of action for
children's television. More particularly, the
c) to monitor, review and classify children's Council shall be guided by the following
television programs and advertisements aired standards herein to be known as "The Charter of
during the hours known to be child-viewing Children's Television":
hours in order to take appropriate action such
as disseminating information to the public and a) Children should have programs of high
bringing monitoring results to the attention of quality which are made specifically for them,
concerned agencies for appropriate action; and which do not exploit them. These programs,
in addition to being entertaining should allow
d) to formulate, together with the television children to develop physically, mentally and
broadcast industry, a set of standards for socially to their fullest potential;
television programs shown during child-viewing
b) Children should hear, see and express of the lotto operations of the Philippine Charity
themselves, their culture, languages and life Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and another Thirty
experiences through television programs which million pesos (P30,000,000) from the gross
affirm their sense of self, community and place; income of the Philippine Gaming Corporation
(PAGCOR) shall form part of the Fund.
c) Children's programs should promote an
awareness and appreciation of other cultures in a) The Fund shall be created for the purpose of
parallel with the child's own cultural developing and producing high quality television
background; programs that are culturally-relevant and
developmentally-appropriate for children.
d) Children's program should be wide-ranging in
genre and content, but should not include b) The Fund is intended to contribute to the
gratuitous scenes of violence and sex; development of media programs that contribute
to Filipino children's awareness and appreciation
e) Children's program should be aired in regular for their cultural identity, national heritage and
time slots when children are available to view social issues that will in turn help them grow to
and/or distributed through widely accessible be productive and nationalistic citizens.
media or technologies;
c) Access to the Fund shall be provided by the
f) Sufficient funds must be made available to Council through a grant application process for
make these programs conform to the highest qualified producers and organizations with
possible standards; and proven track record in the production of high
quality children's television programs.
g) Government, production, distribution and Necessary requirements are to be submitted to
funding organizations should recognize both the the Council for approval.
importance and vulnerability of indigenous
children's television and the steps to support d) Copyright for programs and products to be
and protect it. developed with assistance from the Fund will be
jointly owned by the Council and the producers.
SECTION 9. Allotment of Air time for
Educational Children's Programs. - A minimum e) Priority shall be given to independent
of fifteen percent (15%) of the daily total air producers and organizations or institutions
time of each broadcasting network shall be including youth organizations who do not have
allotted for child-friendly shows within the access to the resources of a national network.
regular programming of all networks granted
franchises or as a condition for renewal of f) The Council is authorized to accept grants,
broadcast licenses hereinafter, to be included as contributions or donations from private
part of the network's responsibility of serving corporations and international donors for the
the public. National Endowment Fund for Children's
Television: Provided, That such grants,
SECTION 10. Implementing Rules and contributions, or donations are exempted from
Regulations. - The Council, in consultation with donor's and donee's taxes: Provided, further,
all appropriate government agencies and non- That these funds will be used strictly for the
government organizations, shall issue the endowment fund.
necessary rules and regulations for the
implementation of this Act within ninety (90) SECTION 13. Appropriations. - For the initial
days after its effectivity. operating expenses of the Council, the amount
of Five million pesos (P5,000,000) is hereby
SECTION 11. Penalty. - In the exercise of its appropriated out of the funds of the National
administrative function, the Council shall Treasury not otherwise appropriated.
petition the proper government agencies and/or Thereafter, it shall submit to the Department of
appropriate self-regulatory bodies to suspend, Budget and Management its proposed budget
revoke or cancel the license to operate for inclusion in the General Appropriations Act,
television stations found violating any provision approved by Congress.
of this Act and its implementing rules and
regulations. SECTION 14. Separability Clause. - If any
provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional,
SECTION 12. The National Endowment Fund for the same shall not affect the validity and
Children's Television. - The creation of a effectivity of the other provisions thereof.
National Endowment Fund for Children's
Television, hereinafter referred to as the Fund, SECTION 15. Repealing Clause. - All laws,
is created for the promotion of high standards of decrees, executive orders, presidential
indigenous program development in children's proclamations, rules and regulations or parts
television and media specifically intended for thereof contrary to or inconsistent with the
Filipino children. An amount of Thirty million provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or
pesos (P30,000,000) sourced from the income modified accordingly.
SECTION 16. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall
take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2)
newspapers of general circulation.

Approved: October 28, 1997