Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

12

House Bill No.

Introduced by
KABATAAN Party-list Representative RENEE LOUISE M. CO
and ACT Teachers Party-list Representative ANTONIO L. TINIO

AN ACT
PROMOTING COMPREHENSIVE FREE PUBLIC TERTIARY EDUCATION BY
PROVIDING FOR QUALITY, ADEQUATE, AND ACCESSIBLE UNIVERSITY
SERVICES—HOUSING, HEALTH SERVICES, AND STUDENT MEALS—AND
QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE FOOD SERVICES IN STATE UNIVERSITIES AND
COLLEGES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article I, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution, recognizing the importance of youth in
national development, states: “The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building
and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being.”

In line with the above, Section 17 of the same Article provides the various mechanisms
by which youth development must occur ~ the first of which is education: “The State shall give
priority to education [...] to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress. and
promote total human liberation and development.”

With these, the State shall always be concerned with the development of the “whole
student”, which includes a student's intellectual capacity and achievement, emotional make-up,
physical condition, social relationships, vocational aptitudes and skills, moral and religious
values, economic resources, and aesthetic appreciation. Developing these aspects attend not only
to the maturity of students as human beings, but also help all youth reach their full potential.

‘Through this framework, this representation filed House Bill No. 4800 during the 17*
Congress to accord all youth the requisite attention for holistic development by making public
education up to the tertiary level free and accessible to all. This representation fought zealously to
pass the same into law, which resulted in Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to
Quality Tertiary Education Act.



However, we are far from the envisioned comprehensive free higher public education.
Despite the existence of R.A. No. 10931, higher education attrition rates (colloquially “college
dropout rates”) are at 39% nationally but reaches 93.4% in BARMM, followed by Region VII
(60.7%), Region IX (59.5%), and CAR (54.9%).' Many students cite financial concerns as
reasons to not pursue tertiary education, opting to secure employment instead.

For Filipino youth to contribute to total human liberation and development, the members
of the sector must not be forced into a rat race to find work for mere survival. Rather, the State
‘must be true to its constitutional policy to “assign the highest budgetary priority to education” and
provide the deserved focus toward holistic development through an education program that not
only makes enrolment free of charge, but also reliably provides the necessary services to ensure
the delivery of adequate and accessible services in universities.

Thrust before Congress is a bill drafted collectively by youth and students in the
Philippines to holistically address the worsening state of the Philippines public higher education
system. This proposed bill not only seeks to make public education up to the tertiary level free
and accessible to all, but also to uphold the public character of our state-run higher education
institutions and address the structural ills of the Philippine education system.

International recognition of rights to adequate standard of living, health, and free education

Articles 11, 12, and 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (ICESCR)—a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on
December 16, 1966, signed by the Republic of the Philippines on 19 December 19, 1996, and
ratified on June 7, 1974—declares the right to an adequate standard of living (right to adequate
food, housing, etc.), right to health, and right to free education, respectively, of each citizen of the
world:

Right to an adequate standard of living
Article I affirms every person's entitlement to a sufficient standard of living,

encompassing rights to adequate nutrition, clothing, housing, and sustained enhancement of
living conditions. It further obligates states to collaboratively eradicate global hunger.

The right to food necessitates culturally appropriate sustenance in sufficient quantity and
quality, free from contaminants, to meet dietary requirements. Accessibility for all demographics
mandates targeted support for marginalized groups, while this right inherently encompasses
access to water.

The right to housing guarantees secure, peaceful, and dignified habitation. This entails
affordable access to privacy, sufficient space, structural safety, proper lighting and ventilation,
essential infrastructure, and proximity to employment and basic services.

Right to health

Article 12 establishes everyone's claim to the highest achievable level of physical and
mental well-being. Health encompasses bodily autonomy (including reproductive rights) and
freedom from violations like torture or non-consensual medical procedures. States must
safeguard this through universal access to health determinants—clean water, sanitation, nutrition,
and housing—and via nondiscriminatory, affordable healthcare systems.

‘Second Congressional Commission on Education (2025). Fixing the Foundations: A matter of national
survival, EDCOM II year two report: 2. Congress of the Philippines.


Under Article 12.2, states undertake concrete measures such as reducing infant mortality,
enhancing child welfare, improving environmental and occupational health, combating
epidemics, and ensuring equitable medical access. These examples are indicative rather than
exhaustive.

This comprehensive right extends beyond medical care to include foundational health
prerequisites like safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, nutritious food, habitable housing, and
healthy work and environmental settings.

Right to free education

Article 13 guarantees universal access to education, with primary schooling free and
compulsory, while secondary and tertiary education must become progressively tuition-free.
Education aims to cultivate human potential, instill dignity, and enable full societal participation.
As both a fundamental right and essential enabler of other rights, this article holds exceptional
significance in the Covenant.

Article 13.2 specifies implementation steps: universally available compulsory primary
education; broadly accessible secondary education (including technical/vocational pathways);
and equitable admission to higher education

State of student accommodations

Globally, food and housing challenges in tertiary education are apparently rising in
numbers. The growing cost of living accompanied by consistent fee increases translates to a
situation where students are struggling to access necessities such as food and shelter. A genuinely
inclusive higher education system would allow opportunities for access, participation and success
for students irrespective of their socioeconomic status or available monetary resources.”

Housing accommodation for students is crucial in providing an environment for the
holistic development of students: It should be a safe, secured, clean, and comfortable place to live
in as it serves as a second home that nurtures students in their pursuit of academic excellence and
creates an environment contributive to their integral development as future leaders of the nation
and active members of the community.

It plays an important role in the total development of students. These student
accommodations provide an atmosphere conducive to sound intellectual, physical, emotional,
spiritual, social and cultural pursuits. They are living laboratories on campus where students can
integrate the interplay between academic and non-academic learning experiences. No other
system of any education institution has the potential to impact the passing student more than
his/her place of residence. Student housing built-in programs of activities and services
complement the academic programs of the education institutions and capture the essential
elements of a “home away from home” where our student-residents obtain an enriching group
living experience.

Students of state universities and colleges come mostly from remote areas, neighboring
cities and municipalities and some from the different parts of the country. It is also observed that

Dominguez-Whitehead, Y. “Food and housing challenges: (Re)framing exclusion in higher educati
Journal of Education, no. 68 (2017): 150-169.

» UNESCO. (1994). The Salamanca Statement and framework for action on special needs education. Paris:
UNESCO.



some students, especially from poor families, drop out from school because they cannot afford to
pay for the high cost of board and lodging and food within and near the school or university. To
ensure their well-being and continuing education, it is important to provide them with decent
living quarters or dormitories and free/ affordable meals and food options. This added benefit will
guarantee the quality of education. Travel time will also be lessened, giving the students more
time for their academic endeavors.

Yet, most facilities and housing services fail to consider the safety and welfare of students
in tertiary education.

State of student food security

Food and housing are proven crucial resources for academic success yet these two remain
overlooked generally and assumed automatically accessible for higher education students. Food
has been perceived to have an essential role in early childhood education; research shows
malnutrition and undernutrition cause stunting, and poor cognitive and educational performance.

Food challenges are prevalent at higher education institutions across Asia, such as South
Africa, with nutrition and hunger issues being the primary issues.’ While food concerns within
higher education have been under-researched, we know that students are more likely to
experience hunger toward the end of a term, when they have depleted their funds.* This is
particularly concerning given that students write examinations at the end of the term, and this is a
time of year when students perhaps most need to have access to food in order to perform well. It
is often understood that students who experience food acquisition challenges consume poor diets
that lack nutritious food; this is due to more affordable foods having high energy density and a
low nutrient density; for, example, fruits and vegetables have more nutrients and fewer calories,
but tend to be more expensive, than for example, bread.’ That situation results in food insecure
students’ being more prone to obesity than of their food secure counterparts, as they are the often
consumers of less expensive food that is high in energy density, but low in nutrient density.’ Food
insecurity is a state where one experiences compromised access to sufficient food generally, or to
healthy food.?

In the United States of America, they have Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)—a
non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas. CEP allows

*  Dominguez-Whitehead, Y. “Food and housing challenges: (Re)framing exclusion in higher education”
Journal of Education, no. 68 (2017): 150-169.

* South Affican Government (2016). Minister Blade Nzimade: 2017 University Fees Media Briefing.
Retrieved from
http://www.gov.za/speeches/minister-blade-nzimande-20 17-university-fees-media-briefing- |9-sep-2016-00
00. | Dominguez-Whitehead, Y. “Food and housing challenges: (Re)framing exclusion in higher education”
Journal of Education, no. 68 (2017): 150-169.

© Munro, N., Quayle, M., Simpson, H., & Bamsley, S. (2013). Hunger for knowledge: Food insecurity among
students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Perspectives in Education, 31(4), 168-179. |
Dominguez-Whitehead, Y. “Food and housing challenges: (Re)framing exclusion in higher education”
Journal of Education, no. 68 (2017): 150-169.

7 Dominguez-Whitehead, Y. “Food and housing challenges: (Re)framing exclusion in higher education”
Journal of Education, no. 68 (2017): 150-169. | Kassier, S., & Veldman, F. (2013). Food security status and
academic performance of students on financial aid: The case of University of KwaZulu-Natal. Alternation,
9, 248-264.

*  Dominguez-Whitehead, Y. “Food and housing challenges: (Re)framing exclusion in higher education”
Journal of Education, no. 68 (2017). 150-169. | Wilde, P-E., & Peterman, J.N. (2006). Individual weight
change is associated with household food security status. Journal of Nutrition, 136(5), 1395-1400.

°  Dominguez-Whitehead, Y. “Food and housing challenges: (Re)framing exclusion in higher education”
Journal of Education, no. 68 (2017): 150-169.



the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all
enrolled students without collecting household applications. Instead, schools that adopt CEP are
reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free
meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs, such as the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

‘As a society we expect—and demand—that schools provide every student with the
resources necessary for learning—books, a desk, a qualified teacher, a safe learning environment.
Of course, the most basic and fundamental resource that every student need in order to learn is
nourishment for the brain and body—an adequate and healthy diet that supports learning and
keeps the child healthy. Students who are hungry cannot learn. They cannot concentrate. They are
more likely to be absent and tardy. They get “hunger headaches,” giving students a hard time to
concentrate in class.

Universal Free School Meals then come into the picture. In the U.S., their Community
Eligibility Provision enables schools to offer two no-cost meals—known as universal school
meals—to all students each school day. The meals meet federal nutrition standards and help
ensure students have the nutrition they need to learn throughout the day.

Here are the accompanying benefits it resulted to: increased participation; healthy
students as they are more likely to eat fruits, vegetables, and milk which are nutrient-dense foods
that contribute to a healthier Body Mass Index (BMI) and lower chances for obesity; more time to
eat and study as the time for students to line up and pay a cashier got eliminated: less stress as
financial strain on the family food budget was reduced; and better learners as research shows a
well-nourished student is a better learner, test-taker and participant in school.

State of school health services

‘The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined the social determinants of health as
conditions in which people live and survive and are shaped by “the distribution of money, power
and resources at global, national and local levels”."” These include but are not limited to social
exclusion, public health programs and social determinants, women and gender equality,
globalization, health systems, measurement and evidence, and urbanization. The intention of
understanding the social determinants of health are set on addressing the issue of health inequities
which would seek to lessen health divides among people.

The school health service to promote healthy development and wellbeing, so
students and the university community may reach their full potential, and to provide information
and support to students (and their families) to help them make informed decisions about their
health, wellbeing and development.

Each public higher education institution must then have a health service that offers
experienced general practitioner and emergency medical care services to all members of the
University community: current students (undergraduate and postgraduate), staff and their families
and employees of other organizations working on campus.

It shall have the capability to handle simple, uncomplicated and stable medical
ions, engages in preventive-promotive activities such as physical - medical examinations,
tions; consultants on such fields as internal medicine, general surgery, neurology,
OB-gynecology, psychiatry, allergology-immunology and dermatology.

“World Health Organization. About social determinants of health. Retrieved from:
hhttps:/vww.who.int/social_determinants/sdh_definition/en/


In line with the public’s genuine concern for a healthcare system that immediately caters
to the poor, mismanagement, misallocation, and misuse of resources and funds in the health
sector have gravely affected the output of public health institutions. Independent and private
health services have been more efficient in providing health services, yet have proven costlier
than its public counterpart.

This failure in the part of national and local authorities has its respective reprises even for
the youth and students. As community-based health facilities and services remain low and futile,
the youth look towards health services provided in their education institutions as a source to
address their issues with regard to health. Yet, the status of health services in public higher
education institutions remains a concern in need of immediate action and solution. A persistent
problem of inequity in the improvement of health services and facilities in public higher
education institutions remains a general concern of students.

The proposed bill addresses the constitutional mandate that the State must give priority to
and ensure quality holistic education, which is relevant to the needs of the people and society.
This state obligation does not only include the provision of free and quality education, but also
the advancement of holistic development and sound and favorable environment for learning.

‘The need for the creation of such an environment is highlighted by the current worst state
of dormitories and boarding houses, or lack thereof, that students have to live with, and the
inadequacy and quality of readily available and affordable meals or food options, and health
services in universities.

‘Through the fiscal years, funding for capital outlay, or for the construction of additional
facilities such as dormitories or residence halls of the state universities and colleges, decrease,
coupled with the privatization of management and non-academic services such as health and food
(under Republic Act 8292 or the Higher Education Modemization Act of 1997, Sec. 4, Powers
and duties of Governing Boards, part (w))-leading to the inaccessibility and unaffordability of
food products and health services within the universities and colleges-~and the appalling
continued increase of inflation rates.

This reality is even made worse for those students who belong to the lower income
families, majority of them from the provinces, and they are the vast stakeholders of our public
higher education institutions. Thus, the need for free university services.

Through this we can facilitate the creation of a safer and better learning environment and
achievement of holistic development of our youth.

If passed, this bill stands to benefit not only those enrolled currently in SUCs, but also
millions of others who will be able to get back or enter college without fearing the heavy cost. At
a more fundamental level, the passage of this bill, after the recent landmark legislation Universal
Access to Quality Tertiary Education, will also result in the gradual reversal of decades of attacks
on the right of every Filipino to education.

Believing that fundamental changes in education should address the basic ills that hound
the system, we need to collectively strive for a type of education that is not only free, but also
empowering and liberating.


For the foregoing reasons, the passage of this bill is sought.

Rep Ri - louse M.CO — ANTONIO L. TINIO

Party-List ACT Teachers Party-List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

212

House Bill No.

Introduced by
KABATAAN Party-list Rep. RENEE LOUISE M. CO
and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. ANTONIO L. TINIO

AN ACT.
PROMOTING COMPREHENSIVE FREE PUBLIC TERTIARY EDUCATION BY
PROVIDING FOR QUALITY, ADEQUATE, AND ACCESSIBLE UNIVERSITY
SERVICES—HOUSING, HEALTH SERVICES, AND STUDENT MEALS—AND
QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE FOOD SERVICES IN STATE UNIVERSITIES AND
COLLEGES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. This Act shall be otherwise known or cited as the “Delivery of
Adequate and Accessible Services in Universities Act of 2025”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared that quality education is an
inalienable right of all Filipinos and it is the policy of the State to protect and promote the
rights of all students to quality education at all levels. Therefore, the State shall take
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. For these intents, the State shall

(a) recognize the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and
protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It
shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their
involvement in public and civic affairs;

(b) give priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to
foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total
human liberation and development;

(©) provide all Filipinos with equal opportunity to quality tertiary education in
public educational institutions;



(d) provide adequate funding and such other mechanisms to increase the
participation rate among all socioeconomic classes in tertiary education;

(@) always be concerned with the development of the "whole student
student's intellectual capacity and achievement, emotional make-up, phy:
condition, social relationships, vocational aptitudes and skills, moral and
religious values, economic resources, and aesthetic appreciations~the basic
tenets of helping students reach their full potential; and

(f) ensure the optimized utilization of government resources in quality holistic
education by providing quality affordable food services, and free and adequate
university housing and health services, and discontinuing privatization of
these services which should really be part of the cost of education that the
State shall provide for.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall

mean:

(a) “academic personnel” refer to those who are formally engaged in actual
teaching or in research assignments, either on full-time or part-time basis;

(b) “academic support personnel” refer to those who perform certain prescribed
academic functions directly supportive of teaching, such as registrars,
librarians, guidance counselors, researchers, and other persons performing
similar functions including institution officials responsible for academic
matters and affairs;

(©) “non-academic personnel” refer to the rank-and-file employees of the
institution engaged in administrative functions and maintenance of a higher
education institution;

(@) “school health facilities” refer to places that health services which include but
are not limited to clinics and hospitals, shall have the capability to handle
simple, uncomplicated and stable medical conditions, engages in
preventive-promotive activities such as, but not limited to, physical - medical
examinations, immunizations, consultations on fields such as, but not limited
to, internal medicine, general surgery, neurology, OB-gynecology, psychiatry,
allergology-immunology and dermatology;

(e) “school health services” refer to services that promote health including, but
not limited to, physical, dental, and mental health assessment, examination,
and treatment;

(f) “state universities and colleges” (SUCs) refer to public HEIs established by
national government and are governed by their respective independent boards
of regents or trustees;

(g) “university food services” refer to campus dining centers, food courts, cafes,
catering, vending, and the likes that provide comprehensive dining services to


students, faculty and staff that should be affordable and meet the nutritional
demands of diverse campus community; and

(h) “university housing” refers to residence halls, dormitories, buildings and the
likes that provide accommodation to students, and academic and academic
support personnel during their stay in school.

SECTION 4. Free School Health Services. All enrolled students, and academic and
non-academic personnel of SUCs shall be entitled to free health services in school health
facilities.

SECTION 5. Free Student Meals. All enrolled students of SUCs shall be entitled to
free and healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals in school canteens/ cafeterias or
equivalent.

SECTION 6. Quality and Affordable University Food Services. All enrolled
students, academic and academic support personnel, and non-academic personnel of SUCs
shall be entitled to quality, affordable, and safe food products and services with the nutrition
standards set by previous laws on community nutrition within SUCS.

SECTION 7. Free and Adequate University Housing. All universities and colleges
shall have a university housing such as residence halls, dormitories, buildings and the likes
that provide accommodation to students, and academic and academic support personnel
during their stay in school.

Qualified students, academic and academic support personnel in SUCs shall be
entitled to free university housing provided that they are financially-disadvantaged and/or
staying from home. All SUCs must provide adequate housing, i.e. construct for at least 40%
of the student, academic, and academic support personne! population.

SECTION 8. No Collection Policy and Determination of Funding. All SUCs are
prohibited from collecting health services fees from all students, and academic and academic
support personnel, and non-academic personnel; university housing fees from qualified
students, and academic and academic support personnel; and student meals fee from all
students. In lieu of collecting said fees, the amount required for the implementation of free
university housing, health services, and student meals in SUCs shall be determined by the
respective governing boards of SUCs.

SECTION 9. Development Plan. All SUCs are hereby mandated to formulate and
submit to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and to the Joint Congressional
Oversight Committee on Universal Access to Tertiary Education, a detailed development
plan which shall include plans to increase student housing capacity and improve school
health facilities.

SECTION 10. Transitory Provisions. The CHED shall formulate the appropriate
and mechanisms needed to ensure smooth and swift implementation of free and
affordable university services. Taking into consideration the influx of students who will enter
public tertiary schools and/or continue college studies, CHED — in partnership with other
government agencies including the Department of Budget and Management — shall craft
strategies that may cover changes in physical; infrastructure, manpower, organizational and



structural concerns.

To manage the initial implementation, the CHED, and the public higher education
institutions shall coordinate closely with one another to implement strategies that ensure the
academic, physical, financial, and human resource capabilities of state-run universities and
colleges. For this purpose, a transition period shall be provided for in the implementing rules
and regulations of this Act, which shall cover capacity-building, infrastructure development,
and the hiring and proper compensation of additional needed personnel

SECTION 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Upon enactment of this Act, the
CHED shall establish a multi-sectoral committee that will craft the Implementing Rules and
Regulations (IRR) needed for the implementation of this Act. This Committee shall be led by
the CHED Chairperson with the following members: (1) a representative from the Philippine
Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC); (2) an academic personnel
representative, (3) academic support personnel representative; (4) a non-academic personnel
representative; (5) and representatives from national youth and student organizations and
formations: Provided, That the committee shall finish and promulgate the IRR within ninety
(90) days after the effectivity of this Act.

SECTION 12. Appropriations. The amounts necessary to carry out the provisions of
this Act, specifically Sections 4, 5, and 7 shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act (GAA) and shall be appropriated under SUCs, and CHED, in accordance
with the provisions of this Act. The President is hereby authorized to realign or transfer any
item of appropriation within the CHED and/or utilize any savings therein to carry out the
purposes of this Act.

SECTION 13. Separability Clause. If any provision or part thereof is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
remain valid or subsisting.

SECTION 14. Repealing Clause. Pertinent provisions of Batas Pambansa Blg. 232
or the “Education Act of 1982,” Republic Act No. 8292 or the “Higher Education
Modernization Act of 1997,” Republic Act No. 10931 or the “Universal Access to Quality
Tertiary Education Act,” and all other laws, decrees, executive orders, and rules and
regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or
modified accordingly.

SECTION 15. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,