Free Higher Education Act

Sen. Bam: Students to enjoy free SUCs starting 2nd sem of school year 2017-18

A senator expects students to benefit from the free education in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) beginning the second semester of school year 2017-18.

 “Napag-usapan sa bicam na it will be effective second semester ng school year 2017-2018 because by the time na ma-publish ito at maging batas, baka tapos na ang enrollment ng first semester,” said Sen. Bam Aquino, the principal sponsor and co-author of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act in the Senate.

 “We’re hoping that by November or second semester, libre na ang tuition at iba pang bayarin sa ating SUCs,” the senator added.

 As one of its major salient points, the measure prohibits SUCs from collecting other fees from students, making tertiary education totally free for underprivileged students.

 “Kapag napirmahan na ito bilang batas, magiging state policy na libre na ang tertiary level education pagdating sa SUCs at LUCs natin,” said Sen. Bam, who defended the measure in plenary debates and interpellation during his stint as chairman of the Committee on Education.

 Sen. Bam was also the co-chairman of the Senate delegation to the bicameral conference committee, together with new Committee on Education chairman Sen. Francis Escudero. Other members of the Senate panel are Sens. Sherwin Gatchalian and Ralph Recto.

 If enacted into law, it will institutionalize free tuition and other fees in SUCs and LUCs all over the country, giving underprivileged students a chance to earn a college degree.

 It will also make scholarship grants available to students of both public and private college and universities.

The final version of the measure has been ratified by the Senate on Tuesday.

Sen. Bam on Bicam approval of free tuition bill or Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act

We are happy to report some good news during these challenging times in our country.

 Our bill providing access to quality higher education has passed the Bicam process.

 This will make tuition and other fees in our SUCs free. It will provide billions of scholarships and loans to students in private higher education institutions.

Pirma na lang ng Presidente ang kailangan para maging batas ang Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.

 Malaking panalo ito para sa mga estudyante at pamilyang Pilipino!

 I became a legislator primarily to spearhead reforms that help our countrymen reach their hopes and dreams, so I am very proud to have pushed for this major reform as the main sponsor and co-author in the Senate.

 We’d like to thank and congratulate all the legislators, stakeholders and supporters that contributed to this measure!

 Let’s give every Filipino access to quality education – from kinder to college.

 Bigyan po natin ng oportunidad ang ating mga kababayan na makamit ang kanilang pangarap.

Sen. Bam sees more access to higher education, high-paying jobs for Filipinos

If measure on free tuition in SUCs is enacted into law

If enacted into law, the measure providing free tuition in state universities and colleges (SUCs) will lead to more college graduates and higher paying jobs, giving underprivileged students a chance at a brighter future, according to Sen. Bam Aquino.

“We’ve already passed the Affordable Higher Education for All Act in the Senate and we’re confident it will become law within the year,” said Sen. Bam, the principal sponsor and co-author of Senate Bill No. 1304.

“Kapag ito’y naisabatas, mas malaki na ang pagkakataon ng ating mga estudyante na makatapos ng kolehiyo at magkaroon ng magandang trabaho,” he added.

During his short stint as chairman of the Committee on Education, Sen. Bam defended the measure on the floor during plenary debates and interpellation. The measure was approved by the Senate on third and final reading via an 18-0 vote.

After the House passes its own version of the bill, a bicameral conference committee will be held to consolidate both versions. If the final version is ratified by both Houses, it will be transmitted to Malacanang for the President’s approval.

The measure aims to institutionalize free tuition in SUCs all over the country, giving underprivileged students a chance to earn a college degree.

 It will also streamline and strengthen all Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAP), making it available to students who want to pursue higher education in private institutions, as well as subsidizing other expenses of SUC students.

Sen. Bam clarified that the measure is different from the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) released recently by the Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Budget and Management.

The senator said the IRR issued by the CHED and DBM was for the P8 billion earmarked in the 2017 budget for the free tuition fees in SUCs. 

The senator stated that under the currently allotted budget, only around half of the students in SUCs stand to benefit from free tuition.

However, if Senate Bill No. 1304 is passed into law, every SUC student can avail of free tuition. There will also be a mechanism for more financially-abled students to opt to pay for their tuition fee.

Bam: CHED ‘out of touch’ on claim SUC students are ‘moneyed, non-poor’

Senator Bam Aquino described as “out of touch” the Commission on Higher Education’s claim that students in state colleges and universities (SUCs) are mostly moneyed and non-poor.

 “Three out of four ng estudyante sa SUC ay nagda-drop-out dahil kulang ang kanilang pambayad. Paano sila naging mayaman,” said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress.

 Sen. Bam’s reaction came after CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan said in a television interview that “only moneyed and non-poor students will enjoy the P8.3-billion budget for free tuition fee in SUCs”.

 While he admitted that the country’s “poorest of the poor” are not in college, Sen. Bam said many of the students in SUCs still come from families of minimum-wage earners.

 “Hindi masasabing sila ang poorest of the poor, pero kailangan pa rin nila ng tulong pinansiyal para makatapos ng kolehiyo,” said Sen. Bam.

As chairman of the Committee on Education, Sen. Bam said the institutionalization of free tuition in SUCs will keep students in schools and lead to more college graduates.

 “We want more people to get a degree. Sana sa tulong ng repormang ito, dumami pa ang college graduates sa Pilipinas na makatutulong sa kanilang pamilya sa malapit na hinaharap,” Sen. Bam said in a television interview.

Aquino filed Senate Bill No. 177 or the Free Higher Education for All Act giving free tuition fee to all students in SUCs.

 Aside from Sen. Bam’s bill, several senators have filed similar measures to institutionalize free college education in SUCs beyond the allocation of P8.3 billion in the 2017 budget.

“We’re very positive about it, we’re very hopeful about this bill, and we’re getting a lot of cross-party support. We hope to pass it as soon as possible,” said Sen. Bam.

Aside from free tuition fees in SUCs, Sen. Bam has also filed other education-related bills in the 17th Congress.

 Among them is the Senate Bill No. 1278 or Trabaho Centers in Schools Act, which recently hurdled the committee level and will be discussed in plenary this year.

Sen. Bam also wants to give out of school youth (OSY) in the country access to education through his Senate Bill No. 171 or the Abot Alam Bill, which seeks to institutionalize alternative learning system (ALS).

TRANSCRIPT: Bam on free tuition fee in SUCs

Transcript of “Umagang Kay Ganda” interview

 

Q: Senator, paano po ba ang proseso ng deliberation at paano tayo nakaabot sa ganitong klaseng desisyon in terms of making a law para magbigay ng ganung subsidy sa mga estudyante?

 

Sen. Bam: Dalawang bagay. Unang-una, iyong budget for 2017 iyan iyong katatapos pa lang at may nakalaan na P8.3 billion budget for next year sa ating SUCs para sa libreng tuition ng mga estudyante. That’s for next year.

 Iyan ipinaglaban natin ng ating chairperson ng finance, si Senator Legarda, si Senator Lacson. Ang iba sa amin sumuporta po diyan.

 In fairness, pumayag naman ang Kongreso na ilagay iyan sa ating budget. For next year, okay na po iyan.

Ang gusto po natin, in succeeding years, maging institutional na po ito, na libre talaga ang tuition fee sa ating mga eskuwelahan.

Kaya tinutulak po namin iyong Free Tuition Fee in SUCs Act that we’re hoping to pass by March of next year para by June, nakalaan na rin ang mga detalye kung paano ito i-implement and for the succeeding years na rin.

 

Q: Senator, para lang di magkaroon ng kalituhan. Kunwari ang magulang bitbitin ang anak niya next year, i-enroll sa SUC, pag sinabing libre ang matrikula, wala na talagang babayaran?

 

Sen. Bam: Hindi po kasi ang binabayaran ng ating mga estudyante, mayroong tuition fee, mayroon miscellaneous expense. Kung ang kurso mo may laboratory, may laboratory expense pa ito. Kung engineering ka, mas malaki ang ibabayad mo.

Itong tuition fee is about 30 to 40 percent of the cost ng ating mga estudyante. Kahit paano, malaking tulong pa rin ito pero hindi po totally free.

 Ito po ay isang bagay na tinatrabaho pa natin. Hopefully, in the succeeding years, mas maging mura talaga at maging ganap na libre na ang ating tuition fee.

 For now, ang pinag-uusapan po ay tuition fee na 30 to 40 percent.

 

Q: Magkano ang inilaan ng gobyerno sa bawat estudyante sa taong 2017?

 

Sen. Bam: Roughly its about P8,000. Iyong average kasi natin is somewhere there. May mga ibang SUCs, nasa P6,000 a year. In fact, last week galing tayong Cagayan at Isabela, doon P3,000 per sem lang ang kanilang tuition fee.

 Noong nakaraang buwan naman, galing tayong Negros Occidental, P8,000 iyong kanilang tuition fee per sem. So magkakaiba.

 

Q: Lahat po ba ng estudyante iyan? Kasi halimbawa sa eskuwelahan ni Atom Araullo, ang mga estudyante diyan puro de kotse. Mas marami pa ang kotse ng estudyante kaysa sa teacher.

 

Sen. Bam: Actually, iba talaga rin ang sitwasyon ng UP. Kasi UP, being the premier university, kasama ang UP dito. Kasama siya sa state university and college. Although admittedly, mas malaki porsiyento talaga ng nasa UP ngayon ang masasabing may kaya.

But karamihan, the other 113 SUCs natin, iyong karamihan po diyan, mga kabataang nangangailangan.

Ang inilaan po namin na free tuition fee at iyong binabalak po natin sa batas ay walang diskriminasyon, walang pinipiling bracketing, walang pinipiling kurso.

 Lahat talaga ng pumapasok sa government state university at college, iyon po dapat libre na ang tuition. Iyon ang intention ng ating batas.

 

Q: Halimbawa sa UP, ang per unit sa UP ngayon is P1,500. Pinakamahal sa lahat ng mga SUC pagdating sa tuition. Kaya ko tinatanong na pati ang mapepera… siguro naman, kung nanonood sa atin ang mga kabarkada ko diyan sa Forbes Park na nag-aaral sa UP, baka puwedeng i-waive niyo na kung walang specific na makikinabang dito.

 

Sen. Bam: Alam mo Anthony (Taberna), the truth is kasi iyong UP system, isang school system iyan compared to nakapakaraming SUCs, Cagayan State, Isabela State, Tarlac State, Central Luzon State.

 Kahit kasama ang UP dito, masasabi nating sila talaga ang medyo outlier o medyo kakaiba talaga ang sitwasyon. But iyong karamihan, majority kung hindi man close to 70 to 80 percent, mga kabataang nangangailangan.

 Mahirap kasing gawing standard iyong UP Diliman ang standard mo for SUCs. Iba talaga siya.

 Hopefully by March next year, pasado na ang batas, maging yearly itong budget item na ito and talagang malibre natin itong part.

 Ang sabi lang namin, baka naman ilibre mo iyong tuition fee, iyong miscellaneous dumoble. Kailangan talagang bantayan na hindi tataas ang ibang fees habang nililibre mo ang tuition.

 

Q: Napag-usapan nga namin ni Tunying kahapon. Katulad sa amin sa Bulacan State University, pag nalibre po senator next year, kung saka-sakali ang mga susunod na taon, hindi naman ni-release ang budget, mahihinto sa pag-aaral, dropout.

 

Sen. Bam: Kaya namin gustong isabatas ito. Kasi ang budget mo, is good for one year. Definitely, malaking bagay po itong ginawa ng mga kasamahan natin sa Senate na ipasok ito for next year but gusto natin itong makita na regular and yearly.

Sana po ay maging yearly na with the passage of our bill.

 

Q: Bakit ang pahayag ng ibang senador ay P12,000 ang laan sa ibang estudyante ng SUCs, bakit ang nabanggit niyo ay P8,000. Ano ba talaga?

 

Sen. Bam: Magkakaiba kasi iyong per SUC. In some SUCs, P12,000 ang kanilang per year. Iyong iba nga P6,000 lang. More or less, ma-a-average out iyan. But ang balak talaga niyan, wala ka nang ilalabas para sa tuition fee.

 

Q: Sino ba talaga ang dapat naming pasalamatan natin dito? Pasensiya na, sa ganda ng istorya, nag-aagawan po ang sinu-sino. Sa inyo na po manggaling.

 

Sen. Bam: Panahon ng pagbibigayan. Dapat lahat ng kasama, masabi natin na mabigyan ng tamang praise. To be fair, ito po’y naging Senate initiative, wala po ito sa original budget.

 Naitulak po ito ni Sen. Legarda at Sen. Lacson. Ang iba nating mga kasama po natin na may ganitong adbokasiya, si Sen. Gatchalian, Recto, Angara, Escudero, marami ho.

 In fairness, noong hinarap natin ito sa Kongreso, pumayag din.

Matagal na itong pinaglalaban ni Cong. Sarah ng Kabataan Partylist, si Cong. Hofer.

 Kapag pinirmahan ni President Duterte ito, mayroon ding siyempreng praise para sa kanya dahil naituloy ito.  Si CHED is also behind this.

Huwag na nating pulitikahin ang edukasyon. Ang edukasyon napaka-importanteng bagay, kailangan tayong magtulungan.

 

Q: For the record, ito po kasing P8.3 billion na ito, originally sa ARMM po ito. Tapos ginawa ng ibang congressman, nilagay sa national DPWH. Noong nakita ni Sen. Lacson, pork barrel. Nabisto po ni Sen. Lacson kaya ang P8.3 billion from DPWH napunta po sa SUCs.

 

Sen. Bam: Tama iyan. Just for the record. And hopefully by next year, nagkakasundo naman ulit tayo dito, gawin na nating yearly. Ituloy natin ang batas na iyon.

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