Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Third Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. $014

~ Introduced by KABATAAN PARTY-LIST Representative Sarah Jane I. Elago

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article II Section 17 of the 1987 Constitution states, “The State shall give priority
to education, science and technology, art, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and
nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and
development.”

This is the guiding principle behind the crafting of the Comprehensive Free
Public Education Bill. Thrust before Congress is a bill drafted collectively by youth and
students in the Philippines to holistically address the worsening state of the Philippine
public higher education system. This proposed bill not only seeks to make public
education up to the tertiary level ultimately free and accessible to all, but also to uphold
the public character of our government-run higher education institutions, and address
the structural ills of the Philippine education system.

Current Higher Education Situation Highlights

Despite having Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education, majority of Filipino
students in tertiary education are in private schools. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of
institutions that offer tertiary-level degrees are privately run, and the remaining is
composed of SUCs, LUCs and other government schools.

Private higher education institutions in the country are now preparing to hike tuition
and other school fees (TOSF) for Academic Year 2019-2020. Around 700 private
schools, universities and colleges will submit applications for 6-8% TOSF increase to
the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED),
which have traditionally approved the annual round of fee increases at the expense of
students and families.

Added burden to already struggling families

The entry of the average Filipino family to schools is obstructed by exorbitant TOSF
as well as other expenses that will keep a student in school. Another round of fees
increases will only cause more dropouts and out-of-school youth. Wages of ordinary,
minimum-wage earners are not enough to ensure the attendance of one student in
senior high school.


Table 1. Breakdown of Cost of Attendance in Private HEIs for AY 2017-2018

ITEM COST (in Php)
Tuition 33,047 - 47,210
Laboratory Fees 5,000 - 10,000
Miscellaneous Fees 8,000 - 16,000
Books 10,000 - 15,000
Daily Expenses 62,500
Supplies and Projects 19,000
TOTAL 167,547 - 229,710

In private higher education, the national average tuition rate as of 2017 is Php 786.84
per unit. An academic load of 42-60 units per academic year will mean that a student
needs Php 33,047 to Php 47,210 for tuition fees.

Including all other costs such as living allowance, student housing, school supplies,
class projects, and other fees besides tuition, college education reaches Php 168,000
pesos and peaks to almost Php 230,000. For the typical Filipino family in Metro Manila
with one parent working as a minimum wage earner, that parent will earn Php 10,240
per month for working 20 days with Php 512 per day. This same parent will earn Php
122,880 annually — an amount that is barely enough to cover even just the cost of
college education.

Rising costs due to Duterte’s TRAIN Law

The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law has caused the prices of
basic goods and services to skyrocket beyond the reach of the many poor families in
the country. Even education is no exemption. For AY 2018-2019, private schools point
to TRAIN Law as a major reason for increasing fees by around 6% which is higher
than the usual rate of 3-4%.

By continuing to implement the TRAIN Law, the Duterte administration is accountable
for pushing the cost of education to go up way beyond its normal rate of increases in
past years. Higher TOSF along with more expensive food, higher transportation costs
and other daily expenses aggravate the problem of already pricey education in the
country.

Even the voucher system in basic education and the Tertiary Education Subsidy in
higher education are poorly implemented. Ultimately, these programs fail to address
the problem of annually increasing TOSF and rising costs to keep students in school.

Deregulated educational system

The government persists in treading the path of deregulation in education. It basically
gives schools the liberty to increase fees without exercising strict control and oversight,
resulting in annual TOSF increases in hundreds of schools nationwide. Over the
decades, school fees have soared because CHED and DepEd act as stamp pads to
the fee increase applications amid calls by students and parents to stop those hikes.

While claiming credit for the free education program, the Duterte government has not
reversed the state policy of deregulating education. This is because the primary


beneficiaries of expensive education are big capitalist educators who earn massive
profits from education among their other business interests: Ayala’s, Sy’s, Lucio Tan,
among others.

The Need for Free Public Higher Education

Clearly, there is a need for a paradigm shift in higher education, a shift that
should reverse the reigning system that turned college education into an expensive
private pursuit. This bill thus seeks to introduce a system of free public higher
education, with particular emphasis on promulgating new state policy that translates
to a repudiation of the neoliberal education framework. This bill has the following

features:

Abolition of the Tuition System — The proposed bill does not espouse
the concept of “subsidizing” tuition and other school fees. Rather, it
rethinks the manner in which public financing of state-run higher
education institutions is done. Instead of creating a separate fund to pay
for the equivalent tuition and other school fee rates of students, this bill
seeks to finance the actual “cost of attendance” of students, the total
amount a particular state-run university or college needs to provide
education for a student per year, including proportional cost per student
for personnel services, maintenance and other operating expenses, and
capital outlay. The total projected cost of attendance will become the
primary determinant of a state-run university or college’s annual funding
from the government and shall also serve as guide for the Executive
Department in preparing the annual national expenditure program.

Readmission of drop-outs — Due to the high cost of education and
related expenses, millions of students are not able to finish their studies.
The bill seeks to give these out-of-school youth an opportunity to
continue studies by including a provision for their readmission.

Special Grant for Financially-Disadvantaged Students — The bill also
creates a special grant that will offer additional support for financially-
disadvantaged students, outside of tuition and other school fees. This
Special Grant covers
© Allowance for books, supplies, transportation, and miscellaneous
personal expenses, including a reasonable allowance for the
documented rental or purchase of a personal computer or laptop;
© Anallowance for room and board costs incurred by the student;
© Fora student with a disability, an allowance determined by the
public higher education institution he/she is enrolled in for
expenses related to the student's disability, including special
services, personal assistance, transportation, equipment, and
supplies that are reasonably incurred; and
© For a student in a program requiring professional licensure or
certification, the one-time cost of obtaining the first professional
credentials.


+ Introduction of a nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented higher
education curriculum — This bill also establishes a new higher
education curriculum responsive to the needs and the goals of the
nation. The curriculum shall:

© Foster patriotism and nationalism by instilling in every student the
firm resolve never to allow our people to be dominated and
controlled by foreign powers or domestic tyrants, and focusing on
developing a self-reliant and independent national economy, with
particular emphasis on agrarian reform, and the development of
the nation’s agriculture and national industries;

o Inculcate a scientific worldview that heightens the social
consciousness of all Filipino students towards total human
liberation, as well as foster a culture of learning that nurtures
learning directed towards understanding and solving the basic
problems of Philippine society

© Serve to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to
serve the Filipino nation. The new curriculum shall also
encourage study programs that respond to community needs.
Students should not only learn through formal learning instruction
and textbooks, but also through immersion into the larger society
that exists beyond their classrooms.

Through this we can facilitate the creation of a safer and better learning environment
and achievement of holistic development of our youth.

If passed, this bill stands to benefit not only the students currently enrolled in
LUCs established, administered, maintained and funded by local government units
and all other public universities and colleges not covered by RA 10931 or the Universal
Access to Quality Tertiary Education, but also millions others who will be able to enter
college without fearing the heavy costs. At a more fundamental level, the passage of
this bill will also result in the reversal of decades of attacks on the right of every Filipino
to education.

Believing that fundamental changes in education should address the basic ills
that hound the system, we need to collectively strive for a type of education that is not
only free, but also empowering and liberating.

In this light, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

Hon. Sarah JAK |. Elago
Representat#@, Kabataan Party-list


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Third Regular Session

9014
HOUSE BILL NO.

~ Introduced by KABATAAN PARTY.LIST Representative Sarah Jane |. Elago

AN ACT
STRENGTHENING AND EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF THE FREE PUBLIC
TERTIARY EDUCATION TO INCLUDE ALL LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND
COLLEGES (LUCS), AND BRANCHES OF STATE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES,
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10931, OTHERWISE KNOWN
AS THE “UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO QUALITY TERTIARY EDUCATION”

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

SECTION 1. Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 10931, otherwise known as the “Universal
Access to Quality Tertiary Education”, is amended to read as follows:

“Section 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:
Xxx Ox x

(e) Local universities and colleges (LUCs) refers to [CHED-accredited] public.
HEls established by local government units (LGUs) through an enabling ordinance,
financially supported by the LGU concerned, and complaint with the policies, standards
and guidelines of the CHED.”

10 Ox 1x
SECTION 2. Section 11 of the same act is amended to read as follows:

“Section 11. Prohibited Act. - Upon effectivity of this Act, it shall be unlawful for
any person, SUC, LUC and state-run TV! to collect tuition and other school fees
from qualified students who voluntarily opt out of the tuition and other school fees
subsidy or make a contribution to the school.”

SECTION 3. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part thereof is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
remain valid or subsisting


Oarnons

SECTION 4. Repealing Clause. — Republic Act No. 10931 is hereby amended
accordingly. All laws, decrees, executive orders and rules and regulations contrary to or
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 5. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Adopted,