Senators expect President Duterte to sign into law anytime soon Congress-approved free college education bill.
Sen. Juan Edgardo M. Angara over the weekend voiced confidence the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education bill will be quickly approved by Malacañang to pave the way for enabling poor students to pursue college education “at no cost” when they enroll in State-run universities and colleges (SUCs) as well as local universities and colleges (LUCs) funded by city and municipal governments.
Pointing out that the bill was envisioned to “empower young people, as it will remove a major hindrance to tertiary education”, Angara expressed optimism that Duterte “will sign this on or before his scheduled State of the Nation Address in July”.
“It could be his [Duterte’s] biggest and best announcement for all of us that day,” he said.
Angara made an assurance that once enacted into law, “even the financially incapable Filipino families can give their children college education without worrying how to pay for it, because it will be for free”.
He said it is “high time” for college tuition to be made free, expanding an earlier law authored by his father, former Senate President Edgardo J. Angara, was the principal sponsor of the Free High School Act of 1998.
“This will definitely be a big sigh of relief for parents. With free tertiary education in SUCs and LUCs, [there will be] no more tears of frustration on their part,” said the younger Angara, who also authored the “Universal Kindergarten Education Act” when he was still serving as a congressman representing the lone district of Aurora.
Still, Angara acknowledged that their “work is still not finished” even with the enactment of the free college tuition bill.
“Once we resume our session in July, I would be pushing for the approval of a bill I filed [that] would give our students a 20-percent discount on regular fares not only during schooldays and summer classes but on all days, including weekends, semester breaks and other holidays,” he said.
The Student Fare Discount bill envisioned by Angara will cover train fares, airplane fares, and ship fares.
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I hope that this will be a stepping stone that one day Philippine government will able to sponsor full scholarship to deserving college students set by the quota. Also I also hoped that Philippine government will be able to provide a better if not a full coverage health care plan to the entire population, provide a strong social security that will be able to provide social allowance for those who cannot find a job and a provide a better regulation to streamline the wages of laborers to attain the international standard level of living and to provide a better protection and judicial service to the entire population.