Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

16" CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO, __ 2728

Introduced by REP. EVELINA G. ESCUDERO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The 1987 Constitution, under Article XIV, Section 1 thereof provides: :The State shall
protect the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to
make such education accessible to all.”

Pursuant to this mandate, the State’s primordial concem is to provide every citizen high
quality standard of education,

State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) are great help in our country as they educate
those who are willing to study but could not afford the tuition fees in private colleges and
universities.

Through the years, a great number of SUCs have proliferated, especially in the
countryside. To date, there are already 111 existing State Universities and Colleges in the
country. And it is expected that that there will still be a great numbers of proposals creating
's that would await the approval of Congress.

It is an unfortunate reality, however, that the quantity of
of education,

°s does not guarantee quality

The unregulated propagation of SUCs is not matched with the corresponding increase in
the budget for these institutions, thereby diminishing the quality of service that these academic
institutions should be known for.

In fact, there are SUCS that are not functional or those that are “just created for the vanity
of politicians”. The existing budget for these SUCs should be directed to a select number of
SUCS that are proven to produce exceptional graduates and to conduct innovative researches,

The whole process of creation and/or conversion of SUCs has become so politicized, that
in the end, lawmakers have sometimes completely disregarded the CHED guidelines for high
standards of educational system, just to provide SUCs in their respective congressional district.

It is imperative, therefore, to assess the situation.

On October 7, 1999, former President Joseph E. Estrada issued a Memorandum
addressed to the CHED reiterating its administration policy “not in any way support the creation
of new state universities and colleges and the conversion/upgrading of existing state colleges and
universities”. J



Unfortunately, despite this policy recommendation for the moratorium, the creation
and/or conversion of SUCs persisted

‘The basic questions that should be resolved now are: Are the SUCs really providing
quality education for our students? Is the Philippine educational system, through the SUCs,
competitive enough to meet the challenges of the global education environment? Is the National
Government allocating enough money to fund the budgetary needs of all the SUCs in the contry?
Until we provide the answers to these queries, there must be a suspension or moratorium in the
creation and/or conversion of SUCs.

This bill proposes a three (3) years moratorium on the creation of new State Universities
and Colleges, and conversion or upgrading of existing States Colleges into Universities, within
three (3) years from the effectivity of this Act. This will provide Congress and the CHED
reasonable time to assess, monitor and upgrade the educational system of higher education that
would truly meet the challenges of the changing times.

In view of thereof, the passage of this bill is eamestly requested.

_Ctckiel

EVELINA G. ESCUDERO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

16" CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO, _2728

Introduced by REP. EVELINA G, ESCUDERO

AN ACT
IMPOSING A THREE-YEAR MORATORIUM ON THE CREATION OF NEW STATE
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES AND CONVERSION OR UPGRADING OF
EXISTING STATES COLLEGES INTO UNIVERSITHES

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

This Act shall be known as “Moratorium on the Creation or
jes and Colleges Act of 2013”.

SEC, 2, Declaration of Basie Policy ~ It is the policy of the State to give utmost
importance to quality education that is accessible to all Filipinos. The State shall likewise
provide an integrated system of education that is relevant to the needs of the people, and the
changing times.

SEC, 3. Coverage — The moratorium mandated by this Act shall cover all existing public
higher education institutions and State Colleges all over the country.

SEC. 4. Moratorium on the Creation of State Universities. There shall be a moratorium or
suspension on the creation of new State Universities and Colleges, and conversion or upgrading
of existing State Colleges into Universities, for a period of three (3) years from the effectivity of
this Act.

SEC. 5, Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) is hereby tasked to draft the implementing rules and regulations of this Act within sixty
(60) days following its complete publication.

residential decrees, executive orders, rules and
ent with the provisions of this Act are hereby

SEC. 6. Repealing Clause ~ All laws,
regulations or parts thereof which ate inconsi
repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 7. Separability Clause ~ If any part or provision of this Act shall be held
unconstitutional or invalid, other provisions hereof which are not affected shall continue to be in
full force and effect.

SEC. 8. Effectivity — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication to
two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,