To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau Directors
Directors of Services, Centers and Heads of Units
Regional Secretary, ARMM
Regional Directors
Schools Division/City Superintendents
Heads, Public Elementaiy and Secondary Schools
All Others Concerned

1. Pursuant to DepEd Memorandum No. 39, s. 2012 which created the National Uniform Committee (NUC), enclosed are the designs and descriptions of the textile materials which will be used for the DepEd National Uniforms (Male and Female) for Schools Years (SYs) 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. The designs of the national uniforms can be downloaded at the DepEd website: www.deped.gov.ph for better appreciation.
2. There shall be two national uniforms consisting of two designs (blouse and pants/skirt for female and polo jack/polo barong and pants for male). The first design shall be used/worn on Mondays and Wednesdays and the second design on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, the regional and division offices which have selected their respective uniforms may use these on Wednesdays and/or Thursdays. Fridays are wash days. Enclosed is the schedule of wearing the uniforms.
3. The annual clothing and uniform allowance shall be released in the full amount of Five Thousand Pesos (P 5,000.00) cash to the teachers and non-teaching personnel. DepEd officials are prohibited from withholding any amount as payment for uniforms and/or fabrics and other uniform materials and fees for services of a tailor/dressmaker. The responsible finance officer shall coordinate with the payroll processing units to credit the full amount of the clothing and uniform allowance to the payroll accounts of the teachers and non-teaching personnel.
4. With this, the teachers and non-teaching personnel from the regional, division and district offices, and public elementary and secondary schools are free to purchase and obtain the prescribed uniform materials from any available source that complied with the standards set by the NUC. Any DepEd official found violating this rule shall be subject to appropriate sanctions and disciplinary action. All concerned must send to this Office a written report of any DepEd official who compels or coerces teachers and non-teaching personnel to purchase the uniform materials from a specific source including the official himself/herself.
5. Teachers’ cooperatives are encouraged to offer the prescribed DepEd uniform materials to the teachers and non-teaching personnel at the best/reasonable price possible. On the other hand, associations of teachers and non-teaching personnel are requested to ensure compliance to and facilitate the distribution of the prescribed uniform materials.
6. Modifications or adjustments on the prescribed uniforms (e.g. long sleeves instead of short sleeves, skirts instead of pants for the female employees) to conform with religious, social and cultural requirements or any legitimate practice related thereto shall be allowed.
7. The following personnel are exempted from wearing the prescribed uniforms:
   1. School officials who occupy third level positions in the Career Executive Service (CES);
   2. Medical and Dental staff who shall wear their profession’s uniforms;
   3. Janitors, utility and maintenance personnel who shall wear appropriate working attire;
   4. Legal officers, i.e. lawyers/attorneys, whose nature of work requires a different dress code;
   5. Teachers and non-teaching personnel with physical disabilities and other legitimate health reasons;
   6. Pregnant employees who shall wear maternity dresses during their period of pregnancy; and
   7. Teachers and non-teaching personnel who are in mourning may wear the appropriate mourning clothes.
8. The effectivity of wearing the prescribed uniforms shall be on the first day of SY 2013-2014.
9. This Office wishes to reiterate and inform all concerned that it has not endorsed, accredited nor authorized any particular supplier to approach the regional and division offices declare himself/herself as the exclusive distributor of the textile materials for the DepEd uniforms. Any uniform supplier who visits DepEd offices and uses the name of the undersigned or of any official in the Central Office (CO) in trying to get a deal for the supply of the DepEd uniforms must be reported to the Office of the Secretary (OSEC), Attention: National Uniform Committee (NUC).
10. Non-compliance to and deliberate defiance of this Order shall be dealt with administratively pursuant to Section 22.C (Violation of Reasonable Office Rules and Regulations), Rule XIV, Revised Omnibus Rules Implementing Book V of the Administrative Code of 1987 (Executive Order No. 292).
11. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

Encl.: As stated
References: DepEd Memorandum: (No. 39, s. 2012); DepEd Order No.: 27, s. 2011

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
BUREAUS & OFFICES
SCHOOLS
EMPLOYEES
TEACHERS
POLICY
UNIFORM
RULES & REGULATIONS

DO_s2013_007