MANILA — Financially disadvantaged students who have completed all academic requirements may soon be protected from being excluded from graduation ceremonies over unpaid school fees and other obligations under a measure approved by the House of Representatives on second reading.

House Bill No. 11579, or the proposed Kapakanan ng Magsisipagtapos Act, seeks to guarantee eligible graduating students the opportunity to participate in commencement ceremonies while allowing educational institutions to pursue the collection of outstanding payments.

House Committee on Higher and Technical Education Chairperson and TINGOG Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, who sponsored the measure, said graduation should recognize students’ academic achievements and the sacrifices their families made to support their education.

He noted that financial difficulties arising from job losses, medical emergencies, calamities, and other unforeseen circumstances could prevent families from settling school obligations even after their children have completed all academic requirements.

“Because a graduation should recognize how far a student has come, not how much that student still owes,” Acidre said.

The proposed legislation covers public and private higher education institutions, including state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs). It also applies to public and private technical-vocational institutions offering long-term courses exceeding one year.

To qualify for protection, students must have completed all academic requirements and secured certification of their disadvantaged status from the appropriate municipal, city, or provincial social welfare and development officer or a regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The certification must be based on calamities, emergencies, force majeure, or other justifiable circumstances.

However, the measure does not absolve students of their financial liabilities or prevent schools from collecting unpaid fees and other lawful obligations.

Educational institutions may still require promissory notes, withhold academic records and credentials, including actual diplomas, until full payment, and pursue available legal remedies to recover outstanding amounts.

Schools may also, at their discretion, allow disadvantaged graduates to participate in ceremonies and release their academic records and credentials without requiring certification or promissory notes, subject to their respective policies.

Acidre said the proposed legislation seeks to balance the welfare of students with the rights of educational institutions.

“It affirms that compassion and accountability can coexist, and that fairness to our educational institutions need not come at the expense of fairness to our learners,” he said.

The measure also provides for administrative sanctions against schools found violating its provisions, which may be imposed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) or the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), depending on the institution concerned.

Urging support for the proposal, Acidre said students who have fulfilled their academic requirements should be given the chance to mark their achievements with the families and loved ones who supported them throughout their education.

“Let us give every deserving graduating student, regardless of financial circumstance, the opportunity to stand with their classmates, share that moment with their families, and celebrate an achievement they have worked so hard to earn,” he said.