1 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
House Bill No. _______ 
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE LANI MERCADO-REVILLA 
AN ACT 
EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF THE TERTIARY EDUCATION SUBSIDY, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10931, OTHERWISE 
KNOWN AS THE “UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO QUALITY TERTIARY EDUCATION 
ACT”  
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Republic Act 10931, also known as the “Universal Access to Quality 
Education Act,” was enacted pursuant to the State’s constitutional mandate to make 
education accessible to all Filipinos, particularly the underprivileged, by establishing 
and maintaining a system of scholarship grants, student loan programs, subsidies, 
and other incentives. 
The law underscored the inalienable right of all Filipinos to quality education, 
and emphasized the complementary roles of the public and private learning 
institutions in realizing the State’s goal.  
To ensure wider access to quality education and to recognize the private 
learning institutions’ contribution in shaping the youth’s future, this bill proposes to 
engage the services of the private Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and Technical 
Vocational Institutions (TVI) through a voucher system that will allow indigent and 
academically competent students to enrol and study in private schools.  
July 18, 2022
5:16 pm
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Statistics show that the private sector plays a major role in helping the 
government educate its population.  In 2020, Commission on Higher Education 
(CHED) data indicated that the total number of institutions of higher learning in the 
country is 1,975.  Of this number, 1,729 or 87.5% account for privately-owned 
institutions recruiting about 54% of the total enrolment for tertiary education.  The 
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), on the other hand, 
reported that of the 4,434 Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) 
Institutions operating in the country, 4,001 are privately-owned with an enrolment 
share of 42.8% in the same period.  
By adopting a system that allows for a public-private partnership in the 
provision of education, accessibility to quality education is widened.   By expanding 
the coverage of the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) through a voucher system, 
qualified indigent students are given the choice to attend whichever school is aligned 
with their needs and career objectives.  And by enlisting the services of private HEIs 
and TVIs through this system, the playing field for the provision of quality education 
is levelled.   
This measure was already approved on Third and Final Reading by the 
House of Representatives during the Eighteenth Congress.  
In this light, the immediate passage of this bill is highly recommended. 
LANI MERCADO-REVILLA 


1 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
HOUSE BILL No. _______ 
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE LANI MERCADO-REVILLA 
AN ACT 
EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF THE TERTIARY EDUCATION SUBSIDY, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE 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 or the “Universal Access to 
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Quality Tertiary Education Act” is hereby amended to read as follows: 
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“Sec. 7. TERTIARY EDUCATION SUBSIDY (TES) for Filipino 
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Students. – To support the cost of tertiary education or any part or 
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portion thereof, a TES is hereby established IN ALL SUCs, LUCs, 
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PRIVATE HEIs AND TVIs for all Filipino students who [shall] enroll in 
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the FIRST undergraduate, post-secondary TERTIARY EDUCATION 
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program[s] [of SUCs, LUCs, private HEIs and all TVIs] of their choice. 
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The TES shall be administered by the UniFAST Board and the amount 
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necessary to fund the TES shall be included in the RESPECTIVE 
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budgets of the CHED and the TESDA: Provided, That prioritization shall 
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be given to students in the following order: (a) students who are part of 
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households included in the UPDATED Listahanan 2.0, ranked according 
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to the estimated per capita household income; and (b) students not part 
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of the Listahanan 2.0, ranked according to estimated per capita 
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household income based on submitted documentation of proof of income 
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to be determined by the UniFAST Board; Provided further, That such 
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prioritization shall not apply to Filipino students in cities and 
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municipalities with no existing SUC or LUC campus AND PUBLIC TVI.  
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“THERE 
SHALL 
BE 
A 
PROPORTIONAL 
BUDGETARY 
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ALLOCATION IN THE FORM OF A VOUCHER SYSTEM FOR POOR 
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AND ACADEMICALLY COMPETENT STUDENTS WHO OPT TO 
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STUDY IN PRIVATE HEIs AND PRIVATE TVIs IN CITIES AND 
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MUNICIPALITIES WHERE THERE ARE EXISTING SUCs, LUCs 
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AND PUBLIC TVIs. STUDENTS FROM LISTAHANAN HOUSEHOLDS 
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SHALL BE PRIORITIZED AS BENEFICIARIES OF THE TES IN 
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AREAS WHERE THERE ARE NO EXISTING SUCs, LUCs AND 
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PUBLIC TVIs.  
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“ALL VOUCHERS ISSUED UNDER THIS ACT SHALL BE 
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USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSISTING POOR 
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AND ACADEMICALLY COMPETENT STUDENTS WHO OPT TO 
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STUDY IN PRIVATE HEIs AND PRIVATE TVIs IN CITIES AND 
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MUNICIPALITIES WHERE THERE ARE EXISTING SUCs, LUCs 
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AND PUBLIC TVIs. 
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“TO SUPPORT THE COST OF TERTIARY EDUCATION OR 
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ANY PART OR PORTION THEREOF, [T]the TES may among others, 
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[and to support the cost of tertiary education or any part or portion 
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thereof,] cover the following:  
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a) Tuition and other school fees in private HEIs, and private or 
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LGU-operated TVIs which shall be equivalent to the tuition 
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and other school fees of the nearest SUC or state-run TVI in 
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their respective areas; 
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b) [An] Allowance for books, SCHOOL supplies, transportation 
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TO AND FROM SCHOOL, and [miscellaneous personal 
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expenses, 
including 
a] 
reasonable 
allowance 
for 
the 
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documented rental or purchase of a [personal computer or 
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laptop] DESKTOP OR PORTABLE COMPUTER WHEN 
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APPLICABLE [and other education-related expenses]; 
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c) An allowance for room and board costs incurred by the 
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student WHEN APPLICABLE; 
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d) x x x 
 
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e) x x x 
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ALL TES BENEFICIARIES SHALL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE 
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SUCH BENEFITS OR SUBSIDY UNTIL THEY COMPLETE THEIR 
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POST-SECONDARY 
TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL 
COURSE 
OR 
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HIGHER EDUCATION DEGREE PROGRAM: PROVIDED, THAT 
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THEY DO NOT FAIL IN ANY SUBJECT ENROLLED IN AND 
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COMPLY WITH RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS IN ACCORDANCE 
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WITH THE RULES OF THE HEIs AND TVIs.  
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Sec. 2. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise 
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affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
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Sec. 3. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
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executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation 
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contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, 
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modified, or amended accordingly. 
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Sec. 4. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
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Approved,