Bill expands college subsidy

A PHILIPPINE senator has filed a bill seeking to expand the coverage of the government’s yearly subsidies given to college students, noting the need for increased support for tertiary education students.

“It aims to ensure that assistance is directed to students who need it the most by establishing more precise and equitable prioritization guidelines that give due preference to economically disadvantaged students,” Senator Joel J. Villanueva said in the explanatory note of Senate Bill No. 1604.

The Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) is a government grant program that provides college students funding to cover the cost of their undergraduate degree at State Universities & Colleges, Local Universities & Colleges and approved private higher education institutions.

It provides an annual P40,000 for tuition, other school fees, and living expenses, prioritizing students from low-income households.

Mr. Villanueva added that the proposed measure seeks to broaden the scope of support under the TES to include the coverage of internship and related learning experience fees required by a student’s academic program or curriculum.

The bill also looks to expand beneficiaries to include students who are enrolled in private institutions in areas where there are no state or local universities.

“All TES beneficiaries shall continue to receive such benefits or subsidy until the completion of their respective undergraduate, post-secondary tertiary education, or technical-vocational programs,” the bill states.

Citing the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the senator said that there is a need to establish a centralized and consistent system for defining and identifying eligible beneficiaries under the TES. — Adrian H. Halili