Bislig City now has a permanent body whose only job is literacy. City Ordinance No. 2026-09, known as the "Bislig City Literacy Coordinating Council Ordinance," creates the Bislig City Literacy Coordinating Council (BCLCC) and sets out who sits on it, what it does and how often it meets.

When it was passed

The Sangguniang Panlungsod enacted the ordinance on March 31, 2026, during its 37th regular session. Mayor Florencio C. Garay approved it on April 13, 2026, and it took effect immediately upon approval.

It was authored by Councilor Apolio C. Alvar and sponsored by Indigenous Peoples Representative Florio S. Josafat, Jr., Councilor Jonas A. Cacayan, SK Federation President Ana Mae M. Agusa and Vice Mayor Conrad C. Cejoco.

Why the council says it is needed

The ordinance builds on Republic Act No. 7165, as amended by Republic Act No. 10122, which created the national Literacy Coordinating Council. It also cites Administrative Order No. 324 of 1997, which asked local governments to adopt the council's Blueprint for Action, and DILG memorandum circulars from 2007 and 2023 that encourage every local government to set up its own literacy council.

In its whereas clauses, the city council points to the underperformance of Filipino students in international standardized tests and to reports of a "learning crisis," and says these call for immediate strengthening of local mechanisms to improve learner outcomes. It also cites the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, which says the education system needs urgent transformation.

Who sits on the council

The mayor chairs the council, and the DepEd Schools Division Superintendent of Bislig serves as co-chair. The regular members are:

  • The chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Education
  • The City Administrator
  • The City Local Government Operations Officer (DILG)
  • The City Planning and Development Officer
  • The City Social Welfare and Development Officer
  • The City Health Officer
  • The City Accountant, City Budget Officer and City Treasurer
  • The DepEd division focal person for the Alternative Learning System (ALS)
  • One representative each from a non-government organization, a civil society organization and the academe
  • The SK Federation President, the city's Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative and the Liga ng mga Barangay President

The mayor may add or remove members as needed.

What it will do

Under the ordinance, the council will:

  • Serve as the city government's advisory and coordinating body for literacy programs of the National Literacy Coordinating Council and DepEd at the local level.
  • Help the national council and DepEd shape policies and strategies that fit Bislig's literacy and continuing education needs.
  • Help spread information that supports basic and functional literacy.

The council itself will write the implementing rules, including how the NGO, civil society and academe representatives are chosen. The mayor and the schools division superintendent will each assign staff to serve as its secretariat.

Meetings and reports

The council must meet at least once every quarter, and either co-chair may call a meeting. A majority of all members makes a quorum. When the mayor and the superintendent are both present, the mayor presides.

After each meeting, the council must submit a report that includes policy recommendations needing action from the city council "towards the total eradication of illiteracy." That last requirement matters for residents. It means the city's lawmakers should receive regular written recommendations on literacy, not just a one-time plan.

Funding

The ordinance does not set a peso amount. It directs the city government to fund the council's work and to include it in the annual city budget.

What it means for Bislig learners

The council does not run classes itself. What it does is put city hall, DepEd, the ALS program, health and social welfare offices and barangay and youth leaders at one table on a fixed schedule. For out-of-school youth and adults who never finished basic education, ALS is the main route back into learning, and its division focal person now has a permanent seat in that room.

Source: City of Bislig, Sangguniang Panlungsod Ordinance No. 2026-09 (enacted March 31, 2026; approved April 13, 2026), published on the city's Ordinances 2026 page at bislig.gov.ph.