Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
Nineteenth Congress 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No. ___ 
Introduced by Representative PAUL R. DAZA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The proposed measure seeks to amend Republic Act 10931 otherwise known as 
Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (UAQTE) Act, a landmark legislation which 
institutionalized free tuition and exemption from other fees in state universities and colleges 
(SUCs), and local universities and colleges (LUCs) in the country. 
While the UAQTE Law undoubtedly made tertiary education more accessible for our 
financially challenged kababayans, there are still many gaps in the statute that need to be 
addressed to increase its responsiveness to the myriad of challenges confronting our students. 
One such gap is the inflexibility of the provision in the UAQTE Law which currently governs 
the targeting and identification system for beneficiaries under said law. 
This amendatory measure seeks to provide for much-needed flexibility in the 
designation of the targeting and identification system of beneficiaries, regardless of policy 
changes in the coming years. This would effectively future-proof the UAQTE Law so that 
future generations may also benefit from this statute.  
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
          PAUL R. DAZA 
Representative, 1st District of Northern Samar 
August 16, 2023
3:58 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
Nineteenth Congress 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No. ___ 
Introduced by Representative PAUL R. DAZA 
“AN ACT 
AMENDING SECTION 7 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10931, OTHERWISE KNOWN 
AS THE UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO QUALITY TERTIARY EDUCATION ACT” 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 7 of Republic Act No. 10931 is amended to read as follows: 
“Sec. 7. TES for Filipino Students. - To support the cost of tertiary education 
or any part or portion thereof, a TES is hereby established for all Filipino 
students who shall enroll in undergraduate-post-secondary programs of 
SUCs, LUCs, private HEIs, and all TVIs. The TES shall be administered by 
the UniFAST Board and the amount necessary to fund the TES shall be 
included in the budgets of the CHED and the TESDA: Provided, That 
prioritization shall be given to students in the following order: (a) members 
of a 4Ps household beneficiary; (b) all students who are part of the 
housholds included in the latest National Household Targeting 
System/Listahan of the DSWD or the Community-Based Monitoring 
System (CBMS) of the National Economic and Development Authority 
(NEDA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), ranked according to 
estimated per capita household income; and (c) students not part of the latest 
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NHTS/CBMS or any other system for targeting of beneficiaries, ranked 
according to estimated per capita household income based on submitted 
documentation of proof of income to be determined by the UniFAST Board: 
Provided, further, That such prioritization shall not apply to Filipino 
students in cities and municipalities with no existing SUC or LUC campus: 
Provided, finally, that admission and retention requirements will be 
streamlined for students or members of 4Ps household beneficiaries. 
 
SEC. 2. Separatability Clause. If any provision or part of this Act be declared 
unconstitutional or invalid, the remainder of the provisions not otherwise affected shall subsist 
and remain valid and effective. 
 
SEC. 3. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations 
which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.  
 
SEC. 4. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.  
 
Approved,