Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 42 il

Introduced by Representative ALFRED VARGAS

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The 1987 Philippine Constitution includes multiples provisions that uphold the
youth’s right to education:

“The State shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts,
culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social
progress, and promote total human liberation and development. (Article Il,
Section 17)”

“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. (Article XIV, Section 1)”

President Rodrigo Duterte recently signed the Executive Order 5 which adopts the
25-year long term vision entitled AmBisyon Natin 2040 as a guide for development
planning. The AmBisyon Natin 2040, initiated by the National Economic and Development
Authority, represents the aspirations of the Filipino people and describes the kind of life
that people want to live, as well as how the country will look like by 2040.

According to the studies supporting the AmBisyon Natin 2040, 79% of Filipinos
aspire for a simple and comfortable life which includes having enough earnings to support
the everyday needs of the family and having the capacity to provide college education for
their children. However, 48.5% of Filipinos are not fully confident that they can reach their
goals, Thus, the government must exert all efforts necessary to invest in the Filipino people
and ensure the fulfilment of the aspirations of the people.

This bill seeks to establish a mechanism to enable poor Filipino families to have at
least one graduate. Under this policy, a student-grantee from among the household
beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program shall receive a maximum of
Php60,000.00 per academic year to cover the cost of tuition and other expenses to
empower the student to complete his or her college degree.



Through this initiative, we are providing poor Filipino families with the supreme
opportunity to break the cycle of poverty, thereby gearing our country forward towards
the realization of the AmBisyon Natin 2014.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is sought.

ALFRED VARGAS


Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

4211

HOUSE BILL NO,

Introduced by Representative ALFRED VARGAS

AN ACT.

ESTABLISHING A MECHANISM TO ENABLE POOR FILIPINO FAMILIESS TO HAVE AT
LEAST ONE COLLEGE GRADUATE BY INSTITUTIONALIZING THE EXPANDED
STUDENT GRANTS-IN-AID PROGRAM FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION (ESGP-PA) AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

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 “One Family, One
Graduate Act”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is the policy of the State to protect and promote
the right of all Filipino citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take
appropriate steps to makesuch education accessible to all. Further, it is the policy of the
State to establish and maintain asystem of grants, scholarships and subsidies, which
shall be available to deserving students, especially to the underprivileged, to help poor
families rise above poverty and contribute to national development.

SEC. 3. Objective, This Act aims to contribute to the National Government's
thrust toeffectively address poverty by increasing the number of graduates in higher
education amongpoor households and by ensuring that these graduates are employed in
high-value occupations,This ensures that qualified household beneficiaries of the
government's PantawidPamilyangPilipino Program (4Ps) shall have at least one family
member who graduated from college.

SEC. 4 Establishment of an Expanded Student Grants-in-Aid Program for
PovertyAlleviation.An Expanded Student Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty (ESGP-PA)
shall be established, which shall be exclusively granted and used for the tertiary
education of poor butdeserving students belonging to indigent households under the
National Household ‘TargetingSystem for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), identified by
the Department of Social Welfare andDevelopment (DSWD), or informal sector families.



Potential student-grantees shall be enrolledin State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in
course offerings aligned with the priorities of thegovernment.

SEC. 8. Coverage. Grantees of ESGP-PA shall be limited to poor but deserving
students,giving priority to 4Ps beneficiaries who are qualified to enrol in selected SUCs
to take up priorityprograms of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

SEC, 6, Entitlement. A student-grantee shall be entitled to a maximum of Sixty
Thousand Pesos (P60,000.00) per academic year or Thirty Thousand (P30,000.00) per
semester. Theamount shall cover the cost of tuition and other school fees, academic and
extracurricularexpenses, purchase of textbooks, board and lodging, transportation,
clothing, medical needsand other valid related education expenses and support services
to complete the student-grantee’s degree program,

7. Selection of Student-Grantees and Role of DSWD. The DSWD shall
identify andvalidate potential student-grantees from among the household beneficiaries
of the 4Ps Program,which shall be submitted to participating SUCs for admission
process, It shall likewisecoordinate necessary interventions for the student-grantee and
family at the local level, and co-monitor with CHED the implementation of the program.

SEC. 8. Creation of the National ESGP-PA Committee. A National ESGP-PA
Committeeshall be created, which shall be composed of the following:

1. CHED Chairperson, as Chairperson of the Committee

2. Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), member

3. Secretary of the Department of Welfare and Development (DSWD), member

4, Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), member

5. President of the Philippine Association of States Universities and
Colleges(PASUC),

6. member

SEC. 9. Functions of the National ESGP-PA Committee. The Committee shall have
thefollowing function:

1, Overseas the operation and implementation of the program;

2, Enhance the policies that will ensure that the services provided by the program
hallserve the target student-grantees;

Orient SUCs on the implementation of the program;

Re-allocate unfilled slots to other equally deserving students-grantees;

Decide on appeals, grievances, complaints, request for additional slots; and
Monitor and evaluable the administration and implementation of the program.

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SEC, 10. Qualifications of the Student-Grantees, Student-grantees must have the
following qualifications to be eligible for the program:

Identified “4Ps" beneficiary;

Physically and mentally fit;

High school graduate or equivalent;

No other higher education scholarship/grant from public institutions;
Pass the entrance exam and academic requirements set by the SUCs;
Pass the requirements set by the National ESGP-PA Committee; and
Must enrol in CHED Priority programs.

NOQeeNE

SEC, 11. Responsibilities of Student-Grantees,

1, Carry a full load per semester as prescribed in the curriculum and finish within
therequired period of the program.

2. Maintain a satisfactory academic performance in accordance with the policies

andstandards of the SUC.

Enter into a return service agreement of 2 years after graduation.

4. Adhere to the terms and conditions stipulated in the Contact,

SEC. 12. Responsibilities of Parents/Guardian of the Student/Grantees,

1. Sign the Contract with the SUCs as the executor of the program.

2. Ensure that related expenses and other incidental expenses for health and
clothingshall be paid on time.

3. Ensure that recipient will religiously attend his/her classes, minimize absences,
andcomplete school requirements.

4, Ensure that all financial benefits directly received by the grantee shall only be
spent on legitimate purposes and on time.

5. If the beneficiary is the head of the family, he shall assume the
foregoingresponsibilities to complete his studies,

SEC. 13. Monitoring and Reporting by State Universities and Colleges, State
Universitiesand Colleges (SUCs) where grantees of the ESGP-PA are enrolled shall
monitor and report tothe ESGP-PA Committee the academic performance of the
grantees at the end of eachacademic year until the grantees have graduated.

SEC. 14. Appropriations. The DBM shall release directly to the respective SUCs the
amountof Two Billion Five Hundred Million Pesos (P2,500,000,000.00) for the student-
grantees and theactivities of the program for each academic year, which shall be
included in the Annual GeneralAppropriations Act.



SEC. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations, The CHED, in consultation with the
DSWD,DOLE, DBM and PASUC shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to
carry out theprovisions of this Act, within six (6) months from its effectivity,

SEC. 16, Separability Clause.lf any provision or part of this Act is held
unconstitutional orinvalid, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain
in full force and effect.

SEC. 17. Repealing Clause. All laws, presidential decrees or issuances, executive
orders,administrative orders, rules or regulations contrary to or inconsistent with, the

provisions of thisAct is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.

SEC, 18.Effectivity Clause, This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in anewspaper of general circulation,

Approved,