FOUR JEENJH CONGRESS OF JH$ REPUBLIC 
7 JUL -3 P 4  ?‘ 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
S E ~ N A T E  
s. B. INO. 
849 
Introduced by Senator Manuel “Lito” M. Lapid 
EXPLAVATORY NOTE 
The government has always valued the role of education in nation 
building. In fact, the education sectoi always gets the largest share in the annual 
appropriations of the national governtpent. 
One of the many legislations Lvhich broadens access to education is RA 
6728, as amended by RA 8545, hhich provides government assistance to 
students and teachers in the private dducation in the form of supplements in their 
tuition fees. 
The existing law, however, ha limited both the amount of assistance to be 
extended to deserving college 
ts as well as the course to be covered by 
the scholarship program by 
the so-called “priority course program” 
to be determined by the 
s to address the said restriction by means 
of providing the college 
beneficiaries with a higher amount of 
scholarship assistance 
full coverage of the tuition fee. This bill 
likewise encourages 
to take up any technical course or college 
degree of their 
identified by the government under its 
priority program. 
Realizing that the limitatio 
set forth in the existing Government 
Assistance Student Education Act 
primarily due to the government‘s limited 
resources, this proposed piece 
will authorize the government to 
accept financial support from 
with the hope of accumulating 
enough funding to fully support 
under this program. 
of the government. 
This proposed legislation 
Considering the urgency 
o provide assistance to the country’s 
impoverished but well deserving s t udents, immediate approval of this bill is 
earnestly sought. 
MA (IEL “LITO” M. LAPID 
9 
Senator 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
First Regular Session 
7 JUL -3 P4 :?ti 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
S.B.No. 847 
Introduced by Senator Manuel “Lito” M. Lapid 
AN ACT 
FURTHER EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF THE COLLEGE STUDENT 
BENEFICIARIES UNDER THE STUDENT VOUCHER SYSTEM OF PRIVATE 
EDUCATION STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (PESFA) PROGRAM, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT 
NO. 
8545 
OTHERWISE 
KNOWN AS 
“EXPANDED 
GOVERNMENT 
ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN PRIVATE EDUCATION 
ACT”, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1 - Section 8 (a) of RA 8545, is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 
“SEC. 8. Assistance to College Freshmen. - (a) The Voucher System of 
Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) Program. m. The 
program shall be equitably allocated to provinces and cities TO ANY DEGREE 
AND VOCATIONALfTECHNICAL COURSE BEING OFFERED BY PRIVATE 
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. Tin accordance with regional and national 
plans to priority courses as determined by the CHED and the TESDA.] 
SEC. 2 - Section 9 of RA 8545, is hereby amended to read as follows: 
“SEC. 9. 
Further Assistance to Students in Private Colleges and 
Universities. - Tuition fee supplements for students of private post secondary 
vocational and technical institutions and higher educational instifufions enrolled in 
ANY DEGREE AND VOCATIONAUTECHNICAL COURSE [priority course 
programs determined by the TESDA and the CHED] shall be provided by the 
government through a voucher system in the following manner: 


‘For students in PESFA PROGRAM ENROLLED in ANY DEGREE AND 
VOCATIONALlTECHNICAL COURSE [priority programs] in schools charging an 
effective per unit tuition rate of such amount as may be determined by the State 
Assistance Council, the government shall provide the student with a voucher for 
the amount of tuition fee supplement RANGING FROM ONE HALF TO FULL AS 
determined by the State Assistance Council. 
SEC. 3. - Insert a new Section 10 - 
“SEC. I O  - SCHOLARSHIP DONATION FUND, - THE GOVERNMENT 
MAY 
ACCEPT 
SCHOLARSHIP DONATIONS FROM 
ANY 
SOURCE, 
DOMESTIC OR FOREIGN, WHICH WILL FORM PART OF A SCHOLARSHIP 
FUND BENEFITTING COLLEGE STUDENTS UNDER THE VOUCHER 
SYSTEM: PROVIDED, THAT ANY DONATION WHICH WILL BE MADE FOR 
THE PURPOSE OF THE SCHOLARSHIP DONATION FUND, SHALL BE 
EXEMPTED FROM TAXES OF ANY KIND AND SHALL CONSTITUTE 
ALLOWABLE DEDUCTION FROM THE INCOME OF THE DONORS. 
SEC. 4. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, order or administrative 
rules and regulations or any part thereof which may be inconsistent with the 
provision of this act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 5. Separability Clause. If for any reason, any provision of this Act 
is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act shall not be 
affected. 
SEC. 6. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect immediately upon 
publication in a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,