Republic of the Philippines a DEPRESS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Ae EX
Constitution Hills, Quezon City REG
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THE “ i
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS Fi

First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 4226

Introduced by Representative Salvador B. Belaro, Jr.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

There is an on-going trend that many Filipino students go abroad to study
post-graduate degrees, whether on scholarship grants or not. These Filipino
students need the assistance of the government as they embark on their
scholastic pursuits in a foreign land and should be provided incentives so that
they will be encouraged to go back to the Philippines to apply what they have
learned abroad.

This Act aims to provide assistance to our aforementioned overseas
Filipino students.

SA — be ELARO, JR.
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1-Ahg Edukasyon Party List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Constitution Hills, Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 4226

Introduced by Representative Salvador B. Belaro, Jr.

AN ACT
PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO FILIPINO OVERSEAS
GRADUATE STUDENTS,

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 “Pinoy Overeseas
Scholarship Act of 2016”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. Filipino students who take post-graduate studies
abroad, whether on scholarship grants or not deserve the assistance of
government during their period of studying abroad, and should be encouraged to
return to the Philippines to apply what they have learned abroad.

SEC. 3. This Act covers all Filipino citizens who will be taking or are taking
post-graduate degrees and programs in schools and universities abroad.

SEC. 4. All embassies and consulates of the Philippines are hereby tasked to
extend assistance to all our Filipino students covered by the preceding section
and for this purpose, shall assign at least one staff who would attend to the
concerns of said students including that relating to visas, lodging, travel, and
other matters which would help our Filipino students during their period of
post-graduate study.


SEC. 5. Cost of Post-graduate Study as Tax Deductions.- To incentivize
Filipino graduate students abroad to return to the Philippines after studying
abroad, the expenses they incurred for tuition and other school expenses shall be
allowed as deductions in full for the purpose of computing their individual
income taxes for the number of years equivalent to the period of their studies in
a foreign country.

SEC. 6. Exemption from Travel Tax. — Filipino post-graduate students abroad,
during their period of study, shall be exempted from the payment of travel taxes
in case they go home to the Philippines during school breaks and holidays.

SEC. 4. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA), and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) are mandated to
formulate the rules and regulations of this Act.

SEC. 5. The funds necessary to carry out the provision of this Act shall be
included in the General Appropriation Act of the year following its enactment
into law and thereafter

SEC. 6. Separability Clause. If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or provision not otherwise affected
shall remain valid and subsisting.

SEC. 7. Repealing Clause. All laws, orders, issuances rules and regulations or
parts thereof inconsistent with any provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,

modified or amended accordingly.

SEC. 8. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved.