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

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 4591

Introduced by: REP. SALVIO B. FORTUNO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Constitution explicitly provides that the State shall protect and promote the right of
all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such
education accessible to all.

In pursuance of this expressed Constitutional mandate, Congress passed the Free
Secondary Education Act of 1988 to give opportunity to all citizens, particularly the poor, to
enfoy free secondary education. However, due to our present economic condition, many high
school graduates, particularly those who belong to the marginalized sector, have been deprived
of the opportunity to pursue college education by reason of poverty. No matter how bright or
brilliant the student is, if the family has no money to send their children to college, such bright or
brilliant student will most likely end up doing household chores. What a waste of talent!

It is therefore the paramount objective of this bill to provide golden opportunity to
qualified poor but deserving students to pursue college education by virtue of the scholarship
grant under this Act.

The government and society will somehow benefit from such scholarship granted to such
students if one day they become productive members of society.

The foregoing reasons warrant the immediate approval of this bill.

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rep. sf 10 B FORTUNO

Fifth Pistrict, Camarines Sur


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

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 45914

Introduced by: REP. SALVIO B. FORTUNO-

AN ACT
REQUIRING ALL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIP:
GRANTS TO POOR BUT DESERVING STUDENTS REPRESENTING AT LEAST FIVE
PERCENT (5%) OF THE TOTAL STUDENT POPULATION

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

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Scholarship Grants for the
Poor Act of 2011.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. —It is hereby declared a policy of the State to give highest
priority to education, protect and promote the rights of all citizens to quality education and shall
ake appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. Towards this end, there shall be
granted scholarship to poor but deserving students in all colleges and universities.

SEC. 3. Definition. — As used in this Act, the term “poor but deserving students” shall
refer to any Filipino student who graduated high school with academic weight average of at least
85% and whose family has no visible means of income or with an annual income of not more
than fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00)..

SEC. 4, Coverage of the Scholarship Grants. ~ Scholarship grants shall cover only free
tuition fee to any poor but deserving students as defined under the immediately preceding
Section. The scholarship grantees shall not be less than five percent (5%) of the total student
population of the college or university.

SEC. 5. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ The Secretary of the Department of
Education (DepEd) and Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED, in
consultation with the President of duly recognized organization of colleges and universities, shall
ismue the necessary rules and regulations to implement this Act.


SEC. 6. Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and
regulations found inconsistent with this Act are hereby amended, repealed or modified
accordingly.

f SEC. 7. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,