Duterte OKs Bill On Free Tuition In State Universities And Colleges

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the bill on Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education into law on Aug. 3, a few days ahead of Aug. 5 when the bill would have lapsed into a law. The law provides for free tuition in all state universities and colleges, which Pres. Duterte promised to Filipinos during his first few months in office.

According to the Inquirer, the republic act provides for government subsidy for tertiary students who go to state universities and colleges, local tertiary schools and accredited schools and institutions of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Duterte OKs Free Tuition Amidst Disagreements From Economic Team

The president approved the bill despite disagreements from his economic team, led by Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno. According to Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who shared the news, the president studied the bill closely. He cites that Pres. Duterte “weighed everything and came to the conclusion that the long-term benefits that will be derived form a well-developed tertiary education on the part of the citizenry will definitely outweigh any short-term budgetary challenges.”

On Aug. 2, Budget Secretary Diokno declared that the government would need to raise P100 billion to implement the law. According to another Inquirer report, he said during the 2018 budget hearing that the government could not afford this amount. He also cited that subsidizing tertiary “did not make sense from an economic perspective.” He added that this is because college education does not benefit society but only “benefits the individual.”

Time To Raise The Funds Needed

In another report by ABS-CBN, Guevarra notes that since the 2018 budget is still being deliberated on, adjustments can still be made on the expenditure program submitted by the President. Aside from the national budget, he also mentioned tapping official development assistance and grants from local and international donors to ensure that the law is fully implemented.

The law will take effect 15 days after publication in a general circulation newspaper, but Guevarra cleared that it may be applied in the next enrollment period.