President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the measure on September 4, amending RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. The new law tightens the targeting of the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) and gives top priority to qualified students from Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program households.
Go was among the authors and co-sponsors of Senate Bill No. 1894, the Senate measure that became part of the strengthened law. His own SBN 169, which sought to expand the coverage of the TES, was among the bills consolidated into SBN 1894.
When he co-sponsored the measure in February, Go emphasized that government educational assistance should be directed to students who need it most.
“As one of the authors, the core intention of this bill is very clear: to ensure that the Tertiary Education Subsidy allocation is granted to those students who are truly in need,” Go said during his co-sponsorship speech.
Go recalled that RA 10931 was enacted during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017, making tuition and other school fees free in state universities and colleges and qualified local universities and colleges.
“Simula po nang nilagdaan ni former President Rodrigo Duterte ang Republic Act No. 10931 noong 2017, naging libre po ang tuition sa ating state universities and colleges. Naging malaking hakbang ito tungo sa pantay na oportunidad at mas magandang kinabukasan para sa kabataang Pilipino,” he said.
Go has often described education as a lasting “puhunan” that parents can give their children—something they can carry with them throughout their lives as they work toward a better future.
Under RA 12325, students from 4Ps households receive first priority for TES assistance, while remaining slots are to be allocated based on household per capita income. The law also allows subsidies to vary depending on the undergraduate program and provides additional incentives for students pursuing priority courses identified as important to national development.
The expanded law also recognizes expenses that students in certain courses incur beyond tuition. It includes internship and Related Learning Experience fees for nursing and allied health programs among costs that may be covered under the subsidy.
A new Private Education Assistance program is likewise established to support disadvantaged students taking priority programs in qualified private higher education institutions and technical-vocational institutions.
Go said expanding access should ultimately help students remain in school until they obtain a degree, diploma, or technical-vocational qualification.
“Ang edukasyon ang tanging puhunan natin sa mundong ito. Kaya sisiguraduhin nating makakapagtapos ng pag-aaral ang ating mga anak upang magkaroon ng mas maginhawang kinabukasan,” Go said in an earlier co-sponsorship speech on expanding the TES program.
He stressed that free tuition alone does not eliminate all barriers faced by poor students, particularly those struggling with transportation, training requirements, learning materials, food, and other daily expenses associated with staying in school.
Go has also encountered beneficiaries whose experiences, he said, illustrate what sustained educational assistance can accomplish. Among them were CHED scholarship beneficiaries Maria Geraldine Gimao and Luisa Intia, who both completed Bachelor of Science in Psychology degrees. Gimao, a mother of three, graduated cum laude, while Intia received an Academic Achiever award.
For Go, stories such as theirs demonstrate why educational assistance should help students go beyond entering college and give disadvantaged learners a better chance of staying in school until graduation.
“Maraming estudyante ang gustong makatapos at maraming magulang ang nagsasakripisyo para mapag-aral ang kanilang mga anak. Kaya kung may paraan para mabawasan natin ang kanilang pasanin at matulungan silang maabot ang pagtatapos, dapat nating gawin,” Go said.
He said the strengthened law complements his continuing education agenda, which includes measures aimed at widening access to tertiary education and preventing financial hardship from forcing students to abandon their studies.
Go also supported the enactment of RA 11984, or the No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act, and RA 12006, or the Free College Entrance Examinations Act, as part of efforts to remove financial barriers confronting students.
Go urged the Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, UniFAST, and other implementing agencies to ensure that the expanded benefits under RA 12325 reach qualif
Senator Bong Go
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