MANILA — Senator Loren Legarda has sponsored Senate Bill No. 1894, a measure seeking to amend Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act to ensure that the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) prioritizes the country’s most vulnerable learners, particularly graduates from Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households.

Filed under Committee Report No. 31, the proposal consolidates several earlier bills and introduces reforms aimed at correcting gaps identified in the recently released EDCOM 2 Final Report, “Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reform (2026-2035).”

Decline in targeting poorest students

Based on EDCOM 2 findings, while RA 10931 helped raise college participation among the poorest households from 4.6% in 2014 to 19.7% in 2022, the actual targeting of TES beneficiaries weakened over time.

The Commission reported that the proportion of TES recipients from Listahanan and 4Ps households dropped from 70.73% in 2018 to 22.89% in 2022. Data from 2024 also showed that only 1.23% of 4Ps Senior High School completers accessed TES as first-year beneficiaries.

“The Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) was meant to be our instrument of that promise. It was designed to prioritize the academically capable children of the poorest of the poor,” Legarda said. “Children for whom a college degree is not a matter of preference, but a doorway out of poverty and into dignity, for their families and for the generations that follow. We meant it then. We must mean it now. Yet meaning something is not the same as delivering it”

Priority for 4Ps graduates, income-based ranking

The bill mandates that TES allocation explicitly prioritize students from households listed in Listahanan, ranked according to estimated per capita household income.

It guarantees TES support for Senior High School graduates from 4Ps households and establishes a ranking system to ensure subsidies reach those with the greatest financial need.

“When a child from a 4Ps family knows that the government has already secured a place in college for them, that knowledge alone changes everything,” Legarda said. “They know they have a future. They stay in school. They show up with a purpose so profound that it changes the trajectory of their entire life”.

Mandatory equity plans in SUCs and LUCs

The measure also requires all State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs), and state-run technical-vocational institutions to craft and publicly disclose Equity and Inclusion Plans (EIPs).

Under the bill, institutions must adopt contextual admissions criteria and set annual equity targets to ensure that at least 20% of admitted students come from disadvantaged sectors, including first-generation college students, persons with disabilities, and learners from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).

“This bill is about the kind of nation we are building. The Philippines cannot compete in the global economy if we leave the talent of our most vulnerable families untapped,” Legarda added. “Every capable young Filipino turned away from tertiary education by a broken system is a loss—not just to that student or family, but to our economy, our communities, and our future”.

Joel Villanueva, EDCOM 2 Commissioner, said in his co-sponsorship speech: “This particular measure strengthens the UAQTEA by ensuring that free education is not merely nominal, but truly accessible to those who need it most”.

Senator Pia Cayetano also expressed support for the proposal. “We want to provide a system where those who want to get a college education can get a college education. We want to be able to provide them with the supports they need”, she said.

Streamlined disbursement, learner tracking

To address administrative bottlenecks, the bill requires the establishment of a streamlined disbursement system to ensure TES grants are released on time. It also mandates the adoption of a single learner reference code system from secondary through tertiary education to facilitate early identification and tracking of beneficiaries from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Legarda underscored the need for adequate funding to ensure the measure’s success.

“But I will be equally plain about this: passing this bill is not enough. A law without a budget is a promise without meaning. We have seen what happens when we legislate generosity and appropriate scarcity. Our students pay the price”, she said.

The proposed amendment is part of EDCOM 2’s National Education Plan and is included in the priority measures under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).