Senators on Friday, June 28 were elated as more students will gain access to free college education as the Free College Entrance Examinations Act has lapsed into law and took effect immediately.
Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero hailed its passage, saying the legislation, which aims to alleviate financial burdens for deserving students, was a significant milestone in the pursuit of accessible higher education.
Escudero emphasized the importance of equal opportunities for all aspiring college students in his statement: "Our proposed legislation, which compels private higher education institutions (HEIs) to waive college entrance examination fees and charges for eligible students seeking college admission, has now been fully enacted."
The Senate President received confirmation from Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin that Senate Bill 2441, the bill he championed during his tenure as chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, lapsed into law last June 14.
SBN 2441 consolidated the bills filed by Senators Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Mark Villar, Manuel "Lito" Lapid, Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, and Raffy Tulfo.
“This is another milestone in our quest to make education accessible for everyone. Now, we can look forward to a more equitable and inclusive educational landscape. RA 12006 stands as a testament to the power of Executive-Legislative collaboration and the unwavering dedication to providing quality education for all,” Escudero stressed.
Under the “Free College Entrance Examinations Act,” students are exempt from paying examination fees and charges if they are a natural-born Filipino student; belong to the top 10 percent of their graduating class; and, if they belong to a family whose combined household income falls below the poverty threshold as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) or cannot afford to provide for their minimum basic needs duly certified as such by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The Act stated that students may avail of the waived entrance exam fees once they satisfy all other requirements specified by the private HEI.
Escudero said the waiver would apply to any private HEIs within the country. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is given the authority to determine and impose sanctions against private HEI officials and employees who fail or refuse to comply with the provisions of the law.
"Certain entrance exam fees are equivalent to a day's minimum wage, which means that taking the exam could result in foregoing meals for an entire family. Hopefully, the new law will address this issue. No family should go hungry for a day because they've traded food money for an examination fee," the senator stated. #
Revilla also hailed the law's passage as it seeks to democratize access to quality tertiary education by exempting disadvantaged but academically excellent students from the payment of entrance examination fees and charges for college admission.
“Malugod ko pong ibinabalita na isa na naman sa ating mga panukala para sa kapakanan ng mga mag-aaral at para sa sektor ng edukasyon ay ganap nang naging batas! Ang ‘Free College Entrance Examination Act’ na tayo ang pangunahing may-akda ay mapapakinabangan na ng ating mga estudyante! (I would like to share to everyone that the bill for the benefit of students and the education sector is now a law! The 'Free College Entrance Examination Act' of which I am the principal author can now be used by students!” Revilla said.
According to Revilla, be eligible, the student must: be a natural-born Filipino citizen; belong to the top 10 percent of the graduating class; belong to a family whose combined household income falls below the poverty threshold or cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide for their minimum basic needs; apply for the college entrance examination of the private HEI in the country; and satisfy all other requirements of the private HEI concerned.
“Nais ko rin pasalamatan ang ating mahusay na Senate President Sen. Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero na naging kasangga natin sa pagsulong nitong batas na ito! Siya po, bilang chairperson noon ng Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education ang kakampi natin sa laban para maipasa ang makabuluhang batas gaya nito (I would like to thank the excellent Senate President Sen. Francis "Chiz" G. Escudero who became our ally in pushing for this law! Him being chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education was our ally in our fight to push for comprehensive laws such as this),” Revilla said.
In March 2024, Revilla’s ‘Anti ‘No Permit, No Exam Policy’ Act’ (RA 11984) was also enacted into law. This measure also aimed to promote student welfare by prohibiting the practice of ‘no permit, no exam’ in public and private educational institutions.