THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
j 
i, 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
JUL 26 
First Regular Session 
) 
S E N A T E  
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The government has always valued the role of education in nation 
building. In fact, the education sector always gets the largest share in the annual 
appropriations of the national government. 
One of the many legislations which broadens access to education is RA 
6728, as amended by RA 8545, which provides government assistance to 
students and teachers in the private education in the form of supplements in their 
tuition fees. 
The existing law, however, has limited both the amount of assistance to be 
extended to deserving college students as well as the course to be covered by 
the scholarship program by only including the so-called "priority course program" 
to be determined by the concerned agencies of the government. 
This proposed legislation seeks to address the said restriction by means 
of providing the college students beneficiaries with a higher amount of 
scholarship assistance from half to full coverage of the tuition fee. This bill 
likewise encourages college students to take up any technical course or college 
degree of their choice other than those identified by the government under its 
priority program. 
Realizing that the limitations set forth in the existing Government 
Assistance Student Education Act are primarily due to the government's limited 
resources, this proposed piece of legislation will authorize the government to 
accept financial support from private donors with the hope of accumulating 
enough funding to fully support student grantees under this program. 
Considering the urgency to provide assistance to the country's 
impoverished but well deserving students, immediate approval of this bill is 
earnestly sought. 


THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
) 
6 Jut 26 '-'? "' 5 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session 
) 
S E N A T E  
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid 
AN ACT 
FURTHER EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF THE COLLEGE STUDENT 
BENEFICIARIES UNDER THE STUDENT VOUCHER SYSTEM OF PRIVATE 
EDUCATION STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (PESFA) PROGRAM, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT 
NO. 
8545 
OTHERWISE 
KNOWN 
AS 
"EXPANDED 
GOVERNMENT 
ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN PRIVATE EDUCATION 
ACT", AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION I - Section 8 (a) of RA 8545, is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 
"SEC. 8. Assistance to College Freshmen. - (a) The Voucher System of 
Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) Program. XXX. 
The 
program shall be equitably allocated to provinces and cities TO ANY DEGREE 
AND VOCATIONAUTECHNICAL COURSE BEING OFFERED BY PRIVATE 
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. pn accordance with regional and national 
plans to priority courses as determined by the CHED and the TESDA.] 
xxx. 
SEC. 2 - Section 9 of RA 8545, is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"SEC. 9. 
Further Assistance to Students in Private Colleges and 
Universities.- Tuition fee supplements for students of private post secondary 
vocational and technical institutions and higher educational institutions enrolled in 
ANY DEGREE AND VOCATIONAUTECHNICAL COURSE [priority course 
programs determined by the TESDA and the CHED] shall be provided by the 
government through a voucher system in the following manner: 


“For students in PESFA PROGRAM ENROLLED in ANY DEGREE AND 
VOCA TIONAL/TECHNICA L COURSE [priority programs] in schools charging an 
effective per unit tuition rate of such amount as may be determined by the State 
Assistance Council, the government shall provide the student with a voucher for 
the amount of tuition fee supplement RANGING FROM ONE HALF TO FULL AS 
determined by the State Assistance Council. 
,’ xxx 
SEC. 3. - Insert a new Section 10 - 
“SEC. IO - SCHOLARSHIP DONATION FUND, - THE GOVERNMENT 
MAY 
ACCEPT 
SCHOLARSHIP 
DONATIONS 
FROM 
ANY 
SOURCE, 
DOMESTIC OR FOREIGN, WHICH WILL FORM PART OF A SCHOLARSHIP 
FUND BENEFITTING COLLEGE STUDENTS UNDER THE VOUCHER 
SYSTEM: PROVIDED, THAT ANY DONATION WHICH WILL BE MADE FOR 
THE PURPOSE OF THE SCHOLARSHIP DONATION FUND, SHALL BE 
EXEMPTED FROM TAXES OF ANY KlND AND SHALL CONSTITUTE 
ALLOWABLE DEDUCTION FROM THE INCOME OF THE DONORS. 
SEC. 4. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, order or administrative 
rules and regulations or any part thereof which may be inconsistent with the 
provision of this act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 5. Separability Clause. If for any reason, any provision of this Act 
is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act shall not be 
affected 
SEC. 6. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect immediately upon 
publication in a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,