To: Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries
Bureau Directors, Regional Directors and Schools Superintendents
Heads of State Colleges and Universities
Heads of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities
Heads of Community Colleges and Universities and Vocational Schools

1. The ultimate collective of the DECS Physical Education Program is to develop physically fit and healthy school children and youth. To attain this objective, the developmental approach is used whereby graded activities, instructions and practices are incorporated in the physical education curriculum.
2. Cardio respiratory endurance (CARE) is the most important component of physical fitness. It refers to the ability to maintain activity movement for an extended period of time. It involves the capacity of the heart, lungs and blood vessels to postpone the onset of fatigue thus enabling the body to persist in doing a strenuous task.
3. Children do not develop cardio-respiratory endurance on their own pace of growth and development. Attainment of cardio-respiratory endurance follows a sequential pattern enhanced by exposure to various and vigorous physical activities. Thus, it is necessary to conduct regular and proper physical activities by trained teachers in school.
4. Starting to exercise as an adult may be too late. Medical evidence shows that the earliest bodily changes leading to heart diseases begin early in life. Cardio-respiratory diseases claim many lives every year. Developing healthy lifestyle patterns early in life will prevent/minimize cardio-respiratory diseases.
5. Jump rope and aerobics exercises have been found to be an excellent physical activity in increasing cardio-respiratory endurance. On this basis, the project “Physical Fitness Through Jump Rope and Aerobics Exercises” is being launched. The school children shall go through 30 graded lessons in jump rope and lessons in aerobics. They will also be taught to measure the intensity of the activity as indicated by their heartbeats through their pulse rate.
6. Intensity of exercise is measured by heartbeats which can be monitored through pulse rate. All elementary pupils and high school students should learn to count their respective resting pulse rates as well as their exercise pulse rates.
7. The Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports (BPESS) shall be the lead bureau in the implementation of this program on physical fitness which includes the following activities:
   1. Information campaign
      * Production/Distribution of jump rope manual/posters/video-audio tapes;
   2. Training of regional and provincial trainors;
   3. Monitoring and data gathering;
   4. National jump rope contest;
   5. Pretest/Posttest; and
   6. Data analysis and norm establishment per age level.
8. The Three-Minute Step Test will be used as the evaluation instrument, for the pre and posttests. The posttest will he given after five months of Jump rope training.
9. Participation of the private sector is encouraged. Sponsorship in the production of posters, manuals, video-audio tapes shall be arranged by the BPESS. Initial expenses shall be charged against BPESS funds subject to the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations. Expenses for reproduction of purchase for additional copies shall be charged against local funds.
10. Mass rope jumping shall be presented during “Field Day” and/or opening and closing program of provincial and regional athletic meets as field exhibition.
11. For wide dissemination and compliance.

Reference: None
Allotment: 1-2-3-4—{M.O. 1-87)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
ATHLETICS
HEALTH EDUCATION
PROGRAM, SCHOOL
PUPILS
STUDENTS