Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Tuesday, March 21, said that the Department of Education (DepEd) will cooperate with Congress on the proposed measure to prohibit a “no permit, no exam” policy in private schools. “Let us wait for the discussions doon sa Congress with regard dun sa mga batas (Let us wait for the discussions in Congress with regard to the laws),” she said during an ambush interview after she attended the Women’s Month celebration at the Quezon City Police District (QCPD). Duterte added the DepEd “fully commits to participate in all of the summons or hearings being done in Congress.” Her comment came after the Senate passed on third and final reading Senate Bill (SB) 1359, otherwise known as the “No Permit, No Exam” Prohibition Act. If passed into law, no student will be prohibited from taking an examination despite failure to pay tuition and other school fees. A similar measure was also passed by a House panel after lawmakers modified House Bill (HB) No. 1160, or “An Act Penalizing the Imposition of a “No Permit, No Exam” Policy, which aimed to penalize school officials and employees, including deans, coordinators, advisers, professors, instructors, and other concerned individuals for imposing the “no permit, no exam” policy. Lawmakers said that instead of penalizing schools, students should just be allowed to take the exams despite failure to pay tuition and other school fees. Meanwhile, Duterte also spoke about how the Education department plans to help teachers raise their income. “Sa ngayon, palagi namin pino-promote at ino-offer ang programa ng Office of the Vice President (OVP) with regard to entrepreneurship, ‘yung Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day (For now, we always promote and offer the OVP’s program with regard to entrepreneurship, the Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day),” she said. The MTD was spearheaded by Duterte when she was still mayor of Davao City. The program aims to assist women and members of the LGBTQI+ beneficiaries by augmenting their daily income and thereby making them economically empowered and independent. Duterte shared that the entrepreneurship program, which she recently launched in San Pedro, Laguna, is open to all “partners.” She also offered the MTD program to the Quezon City police office for the victims of various crimes that they are able to help.