Senate OK sought for budget on free education

MALACAÑANG ON Sunday, Sept. 24, called for the Senate’s approval of the P40-billion budget allotted by the House of Representatives to fund free education in 2018.

In a press conference last Thursday, Davao City Representative Karlo Alexei B. Nograles, who heads the House committee on appropriations, announced that the House had voted that day to approve the P40 billion as part of the proposed P3.8-trillion national budget for next year.

The budget for free education is in line with Republic Act 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law last August.

Of the said P40 billion, P30 billion was taken from the Department of Education’s school building program, P6 billion from scholarship programs of the Commission on Higher Education and state universities and colleges, P3 billion from the Department of Transportation, and P1 billion from the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Mr. Abella, for his part, said in his statement on Sunday, “We welcome the move of the House of Representatives for allotting P40 billion next year for free college education in state universities and colleges and locally funded colleges.”

“The P40 billion would also provide additional stipends for very poor students and allow parents to borrow low-interest loans to help their children complete their education,” Mr. Abella said.

“We hope that the Senate would fully support the House initiative so that more than one million students in our public universities and colleges can enjoy free tuition and miscellaneous fees starting June 2018,” he added.

“The P40 billion would also provide additional stipends for very poor students and allow parents to borrow low-interest loans to help their children complete their education,” Mr. Abella also said. —