Senatorial candidate Bam Aquino expressed his support for a proposal to put extension campuses of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in every municipality, saying that it would make education more accessible to Filipino students.

Independent senatorial candidate Bam Aquino speaks to the crowd during a campaign sortie in Pagadian City. (Bam Aquino Media Bureau)

Running under the platform of free education and guaranteed jobs, the former senator is giving his all out support to the proposal as it could help in fulfilling his advocacies.

“Iyan ang isang hangarin ng napakaraming probinsiya, local government leaders at mga kabataan na mapalapit ang mga eskuwelahan doon sa iba’t ibang lugar sa ating probinsiya (Making schools more accessible in different provinces is a dream for may provinces, local government leaders, and the youth),” he told the media while visiting Pagadian City on Saturday, April 26.

“Suportado natin iyan (We support that). We want to see na talagang maaabot ng edukasyon ang bawat kabataang Pilipino (every Filipino youth to access education),” Aquino, the principal author of the Free College Law, added.

During his visit to Pagadian City, its local officials, headed by Mayor Sammy Co, endorsed his senatorial bid during a caucus at the Pagadian Convention Center.

The former senator vowed to strengthen and expand the Free College Law if given the chance to win in the senatorial race next month.

"Pag binalik niyo ako sa Senado, papangalagaan natin ang batas na ito. Pagtutulungan po natin upang tumaas iyong pondo, mas maraming kabataan ang makikinabang, mas maraming pangarap ang maaabot (If you bring me back to the Senate, we will protect this law. We will work to increase the budget so more youth can benefit and more dreams can be fulfilled),” he said.

"Sisiguraduhin po natin, may suporta ang Pagadian mula sa batas ng libreng kolehiyo (We will also make sure that Pagadian will benefit from the Free College Law),” the former senator added.

Meanwhile, he also thanked supporters and volunteers for their hard work and dedication that brought him within the winning circle of the Senate race.

“Tuwang-tuwa kami sa balitang iyan. Nagsimula kami last year, ang baba namin. Pero sa sipag, tiyaga at sa pagkayod, pag-ikot sa buong Pilipinas, pakikipag-usap sa mga kababayan natin, pumapasok na sa Top 12 (We are very happy with that news. We started last year, we were ranked low. But because of perseverance, patience, and hard work in going around the Philippines, talking with our fellow Filipinos, we were able to enter the Top 12),” he said.

But despite entering the Magic 12 in recent pre-election surveys, Aquino underscored the need to intensify his campaign in the last two weeks of the campaign period.

“Itong huling dalawang linggo, tuluy-tuloy lang kami sa pagsisipag pa, pagpapakilala pa at pagkuwento ng mga nais naming gawin para sa bayan (In these last two weeks, let’s continue being more diligent in introducing ourselves and talking about what we can do for the country),” he added.