Philippines Strengthens Free College Law, Expands Aid for Poorest Students

MANILA, Philippines — More students from poor families can now stay in school and finish their education, Sen. Loren Legarda said as she welcomed on Monday the enactment of Republic Act No. 12325, which strengthens the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education. The new law, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sept. 4, improves the tertiary education subsidy (TES) by directing assistance more deliberately toward the poorest students and recognizing that the cost of education goes far beyond tuition. "It’s not enough that tuition is free if students have no money for fare to go to school and buy books, and then are short of money to buy food, or are forced to stop to help their families. Free college must mean that a student has a real chance not only to enroll, but to stay in school and graduate," Legarda said in a mix of Filipino and English in a statement issued on Monday. Legarda principally sponsored and authored Senate Bill No. 1894, which strengthened Republic Act No. 10931 by making student assistance more responsive to the actual financial burden of pursuing college or technical-vocational education. Among its key reforms is focusing the subsidy more on students who need government assistance most, particularly senior high school graduates from Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households who are admitted to qualified higher education or technical-vocational institutions. The reform addresses a significant gap identified by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom II). Legarda now serves as an Edcom II commissioner, previously serving as its co-chairperson. She was also the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education. As Legarda points out, the share of TES beneficiaries from the poorest households fell from 70.73 percent in 2018 to 22.89 percent in 2022. Of 384,388 senior high school graduates from 4Ps households, only 4,746, or 1.23 percent, received TES as first-year beneficiaries in academic year 2024–2025. "The data is clear. Many youths who should get aid first don’t benefit from it. We strengthened the system to make sure that more families in need will get the opportunity to let their children finish. We can’t describe an opportunity as universal if the poorest are the ones who get aid last," Legarda said. The new law also provides for regular reviews of TES amounts so that it can respond to changes in the actual cost of education. To make tertiary education more inclusive, state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges, and state-run technical-vocational institutions are also required to adopt Equity and Inclusion Plans. This aims to remove barriers faced by persons with disabilities, students from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, indigenous peoples, and learners from other disadvantaged backgrounds. The law also establishes the Private Education Assistance Program, which will support qualified students who need financial assistance in private higher education institutions and technical-vocational schools. Legarda pointed out that the law advances a principle she had been consistently pushing in education policy — that government must look beyond how many students enter school and focus on whether they are actually able to finish. "We hope to ensure that no Filipino youth will lose the opportunity to get a quality education just because their families lack money. The lack of money should not be a reason for their education to be cut short and their dreams blocked," she said.