Duterte signs free

SUC tuition bill into

law
Published August 4, 2017 10:08am
Updated August 4, 2017 11:36am
By TRISHA MACAS, GMA News
President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to sign into law a
measure that would provide free tuition in state
universities and colleges.

Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra

made the announcement on Friday during the Mindanao
Hour held at Conrad Manila.

"I am pleased to announce that last night, August 3, 2017,

the President signed into law the enrolled bill," he said.

Gueverra said that when the Congress sent the bill to

Malacaang, there were a lot of discussions because of
its heavy budgetary implications, but Duterte's will to
provide free higher education to the public prevailed.

"But free tertiary education in state universities and

colleges is a very strong pillar and cornerstone of the
President's social development policy," he said.

"So he weighed everything and came to the conclusion

that the long-term benefits that will be derived from a
well-developed tertiary education on the part of the
citizenry will definitely outweigh any short-term budget
challenges... If there's a will, there's a way," he added.
Guevarra explained that the law only compels the
government to subsidize free tuition and other fees.
Miscellaneous fees such as allowances for books and
boarding should be covered by the Unified Student
Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education.

As far as I know those are the only mandatory provisions

of the bill for now. The free tuition and other fees. Other
fees would refer to something like library fees, ID fees,
laboratory fees, and stuff like that, he said.

Now as to the subsidy for related educational expenses,

that is something to be processed by the UniFAST board
which is supposed to have a system of priority. In other
words, 'yung mga talagang nangangailangan. The bottom
20 percent will be prioritized in terms of subsidy for
educational-related expenses, he added.

Malacaang has yet to provide the number of the new

Republic Act and the copy of the signed law.

Budget

Gueverra told reporters after the briefing that Commission

on Higher Education pegged the budget for the mandatory
provisions of the law at around P16 billion.

"P16 billion, I think, is manageable," he said.

Presidential Communication Operations Office Assistant

Secretary Marie Banaag on Thursday said Duterte would
listen to his economic managers' opinions on the bill.

But economic managers earlier said the government

could not afford the measure.
Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the government
would need P100 billion to provide free tuition in state
universities and colleges, but Guevarra said CHED thought
otherwise.

The CHED thinks otherwise. The P100-billion estimate of

the DBM seems to be on the very high side because that
is on the basis on the assumption that all aspects of the
free tuition bill will be implemented all at the same time,
he said.

Banaag also pointed out that the government had to

spend on a lot of things, particularly on the rehabilitation
of Marawi City after it was attacked by pro-ISIS Maute
group in May and on the repatriation of overseas Filipino
workers.

"Maraming gastos, so nire-reconsider din ng ating

Pangulo," she said.

Guevarra said that under the bill, Congress would make

the necessary appropriations to fund the measure.

"During the budget deliberations, many things can still

happen. Certain adjustments can be made so possibly a
reallocation maybe done," he said. KG, GMA News

Source:

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/620637/duterte-signs-free-suc-
tuition-bill-into-law/story/