Senate Bill No. 177

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).

Bam: Free college tuition fee bill expected to be passed next year

Sen. Bam Aquino is optimistic that measures pushing for free tuition fees in state colleges and universities will be enacted into law next year.

 “We’re hoping we can pass this by February or March in time for June school year at para libre na ang college tuition every school year,” said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Education, during a media interview in Tuguegarao City.

“Masaya rin tayo na maraming senador ang sumusuporta sa panukalang ito na ng libreng tuition fee ang mga mahihirap na estudyante sa ating SUCs,” added Sen. Bam, who 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, five other similar measures were filed in the Senate during the 17th Congress.

While P8 billion was already earmarked for free tuition fees in SUCs in next year’s budget, Sen. Bam stressed that a law is needed to make it a regular item in succeeding national budgets.

“Malaking bagay po ang dagdag na budget na ito but hopefully, by next year, we can do the accompanying law na maglalaan ng regular na pondo para rito bawat taon,” Sen. Bam said.

 During his visit to several state colleges in Cagayan and Isabela recently, Sen. Bam also held a dialogue with students, informing them about the education-related bills he has filed 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 next 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).

 

Bam: P8B budget for college tuition, good sign for free higher ed law

The additional P8 billion budget for free tuition in colleges and universities is a good sign that we will pass the Free Higher Education for All bill, according to Sen. Bam Aquino.

  “The Senate initiative to make colleges and universities tuition-free is a major reform that will greatly benefit Filipino families and the approved 8-billion peso budget for SUCs is a good sign that our bill will pass,” said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Education.

During Tuesday’s bicameral conference committee, lawmakers approved the additional P8 billion budget to be distributed to different SUCs in 2017.

As chairman of the Committee on Education, Sen. Bam has filed Senate Bill No. 177 or the Free Higher Education for All Act giving free tuition fee to all students in SUCs.

 Earlier, Sen. Bam expressed confidence that the measure will be enacted into law next year due to the Senate’s overwhelming support for its passage.

 “Mahalaga na mabigyan ng tulong ang ating mahihirap na estudyante at pati ang kanilang mga magulang. Marami sa amin ang talagang tinutulak ito,” said Sen. Bam.

 During a recent hearing, several sectors pushed different methods to implement the measure. Some groups want to focus on specific courses while others believe that it should be based on the student’s capacity to pay.

 Different groups also raised the possibility of expanding the measure’s coverage by providing poor students with miscellaneous expenses, transportation expenses and living expenses, in addition to a free tuition fee.

 Aside from improving access to tertiary education, Sen. Bam said he will also work to improve the quality of public education in the Philippines and address underemployment and jobs mismatch through Trabaho Centers.

 

Bam to work for passage of free education in SUCs

Sen. Bam Aquino expressed confidence that the measure giving free education to all students in State Colleges and Universities (SUC) will be passed within a year.
 
“We’re quite hopeful that this will pass. Mahalaga na mabigyan ng tulong ang ating mahihirap na estudyante sa SUC. Marami sa amin ang talagang tinutulak ito,” said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Education, after hearing several proposals to give free tertiary education in all SUCs. 
 
Sen. Bam has filed Senate Bill No. 177 or the Free Higher Education for All Act giving free tuition fee to all students in SUCs.
 
The senator said the committee will hold several technical working groups to iron out and consolidate provisions of the different measures and come up with a version that will truly help poor students who want to finish college.
 
“I think we owe it to our students to go through a tedious process to refine the bill. But I’m confident that we can get this done within a year,” said Sen. Bam.
 
During the hearing, several sectors pushed different methods to implement the measure. Some groups want to focus on courses that student will take while others believe that it should be based on the student’s capacity to pay.
 
Different groups also raised the possibility of expanding the measure’s coverage by providing poor students with miscellaneous expenses, transportation expenses and living expenses, in addition to a free tuition fee.
 
Aside from improving access to tertiary education, Sen. Bam said he will also work to improve the quality of education in SUCs.
 
“Just because we’re working on this bill, hindi ibig sabihin kakalimutan na natin ang kalidad. We have to ensure quality as well as access,” said Sen. Bam.
 
“Kung itutulak mo ito (free tuition fee) plus magsabay ka ng intervention sa kalidad, mas gaganda ang quality ng SUCs,” he added.

 

Bam hopes Duterte’s SONA includes plans for employment, poverty reduction

Apart from his intensified campaign against illegal drugs, President Duterte can lay down a clear plan on how he will address the country’s other pressing problems, such as employment, education and poverty reduction, in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25.

“President Duterte can discuss important topics that matter to the lives of Filipinos like education, employment and poverty reduction,” replied Sen. Bam when asked in a television interview about his wish list of issues that should be discussed by Duterte in his SONA.

“He can talk about the West Philippine Sea issue as well. These are things, I think that people will be very interested in,” added Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.

“We need to ensure that prices are stable and more importantly, that Filipino families have the wherewithal to address their most basic needs.”

In the recent Pulse Asia’s Ulat ng Bayan survey conducted from July 2 to 8, Filipinos want the new Duterte administration to prioritize three economic issues.

These are increase in prices of goods (68 percent), creation of jobs (56 percent) and implementation of pro-poor initiatives (55 percent). Around 48 percent of Filipinos mentioned fighting criminality as the fourth most pressing concern.

In the 17th Congress, Sen. Bam has filed several measures that will help end contractualization in the labor sector, provide free college education, and boost the government’s poverty reduction program. 

Sen. Bam Aquino filed Senate Bill No. 174 or the End Endo Act that seeks to eliminate the unjust “Endo” (end contract) practice in the country.

The measure will put a stop to fixed term employment or hiring of workers based on a limited and fixed period without regularization so more Filipinos are assured of job security and steady compensation.

The senator also filed Senate Bill No. 177 that pushes for free tertiary education in all State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) for all students.

He also filed the Trabaho Center in Schools Bill (Senate Bill No. 170) and the Abot Alam Bill (Senate Bill No. 171).

In his Trabaho Center in Schools Bill, Sen. Bam wants to create a job placement office or Trabaho Center to assist Senior High School graduates who opt to find employment and help them find those opportunities.

The Abot Alam Bill will create a comprehensive national framework designed to achieve the government’s aim to provide education for each and every Filipino, particularly out-of-school youth (OSY).

The bill seeks to institutionalize the highly successful Abot Alam convergence program led by the Department of Education and National Youth Commission.

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