REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 962

Introduced by MAGDALO Party List RepresentativesFranciscoAshley L. Acedillo and
Gary C. Alejano

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article XIV Section 1 provides that the State shall protect'and promote the right of all citize!
quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible
to all. However, recent data prove contrary to this policy.

CHED data show that “enrolees in higher education institutions (HEIs) from 2001 to the present
have reached 2.56 million. The same data showed the dropout rate at an alarming 83.7 percent,
meaning the country is producing 2.13-million college dropouts annually.”"The continuing
increase in the cost of tertiary education, inadequate government expenditure on education,
continuous surge in oil and food prices compounded by the looming economic recession will
only seek to exacerbate this alarming statistics unless firm political will is exercised and
appropriate state intervention is put in place.

In this light, this measure seeks to provide scholastically deserving graduates of public and state-
supported highschools the opportunity to enjoy their right to higher education and subsequently,
a better quality of life. It is hoped that the passage of this measure shall see more poor but
deserving high school graduates, who view high school as a dead end, having access to higher
education,

In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this measure is earnestly sought.

=

FR ISCO ASHLEY L. ACEDILLO MARY C. ALEJANO.



REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 962

Introduced by MAGDALO Party List Representatives Francisco Ashley L, Acedillo and
Gary C. Alejano

AN ACT
GRANTING COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TO STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED AS
VALEDICTORIANS AND SALUTATORIANS FROM PUBLIC AND STATE-
SUPPORTED HIGHSCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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

SEC. 1. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the State to establish
and maintain a system of scholarship grants, student loan programs, subsidies, and other
incentives which shall be available to deserving students in public schools, especially to the
underprivileged. Toward this end, the State shall provide financial support or assistance to

qualified honor graduates from public and state-supported secondary schools in the country.

SEC. 2. Coverage. — All state colleges and universities under the governance of the
Commission on Higher Education (hereinafter referred to as CHED) are hereby mandated to
grant four or five-year college scholarship, depending on the degree program, to the top two
graduates or the graduates who gamered the top two highest overall grade average from the
public and private secondary day and night schools in the country. These graduates could be
honored as the valedictorian, salutatorian, or first, second as the case may be.

The qualified scholar shall be entitled to avail of a two (2) or three (3) year
Technical/Vocational course or any four or five-year degree course in any educational institution

of his/her choice.

SEC. 3. Qualifications. — To qualify for the aforementioned scholarship program,
hereinafter referred to as the Program, the graduate must:
a. be citizens of the Philippines, whose parents (natural or adoptive)/ or legal guardians
are residents and registered voters of the country; and

b. have graduated from any public or state-supported secondary school of the country.


SEC. 4, Benefits. — The national government shall grant the qualified applicant the
Sollowing benefits:
: a. Tuition and other fees. — The graduates who eamed the highest and second
5 highest grade average (Valedictorian, Salutatorian) of each of night and day classes are
entitled to receive a scholarship equivalent to a full tuition and other fees;

- b. Food Allowance — The qualified applicants shall receive Five Hundred Pesos

s (PhPS00.00) per month for 10 months in a year for food;

9 c. Transportation allowance. ~ The qualified applicants shall receive an allowance
10 of Five Hundred Pesos (PhPS00.00) per month for 10 months in a year for transportation.
ul d. Book Allowance ~ The qualified applicants shall receive Five Hundred Pesos
12 (PhP500.00) per semester or One Thousand Pesos (P1,000.00) per year of books;

13 . Clothing allowance - The qualified applicant shall receive Five Hundred Pesos
14 (PhPSO0.00)/year for uniform allowance.
15 SEC. 5. Rights of Scholars. — Subject to the limitations prescribed by laws and

16 regulations, the scholar shall enjoy the following rights:

17 a The right to freely choose their field of study subject to existing curricula and to
18 continue their course therein up to graduation, except in cases of academic deficiency, or
19 violation of disciplinary regulations;

20 b. The right to shift to alternative field of study, provided, however, the government,
21 will pay only the remaining years of his/her scholarship.

2 c. The right to make decisions and selecting alternative scholarship programs other
23 than that of the government, Provided, however, That the scholar should not enjoy two
24 scholarships at one time.

os d. That if the beneficiary has availed of any government scholarship program other
26 than the Program, s/he is only entitled to receive Food Allowance, Transportation
27 Allowance, Book Allowance, and Clothing Allowance.

28 SEC. 6. Render of Service - Whenever the State deems it necessary to employ the

29 professional service of a graduate-beneficiary of the Program, he/she shall make him/herself
30 available for the public service to perform a duty and discharge a function subject, however, to
31 the following conditions:

32 a. __ S/He shall be justifiably compensated in accordance with the law;

33 a. The service to be rendered is related to his/her qualifications and skill; and

34 b. In no way s/he can be required to render service for more than two (2) years
35 without her/his consent and approval.


SEC. 7. Funding. - The amount necessary for the effective implementation of this Act
shall be charged to the appropriations for the CHED under the current General Appropriations
Act (GAA). Thereafter, such sum as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this
Act shall be included in the annual GAA.

SEC. 8. Implementing Rules. - The Commissioner of CHED shall issue the pertinent
rules with regard to this Act, including but not limited to the application for, termination of,
suspension and lifting of suspension of the Program.

SEC. 9. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain
valid and subsisting.

SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. — Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order,
letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent with, the
provisions of this Act, is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.

SEC. 11. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
complete publication in the Official Gazette ot in at least two (2) newspapers of general

circulation,

Approved,