Aquino vows full funding for 3.5M Libreng Kolehiyo beneficiaries

Senator Bam Aquino has pledged to secure full funding in the 2026 national budget for the 3.5 million students benefiting from the Libreng Kolehiyo Law, formally known as Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.

Aquino, the principal sponsor of the landmark law during his first term as Senate Committee on Education chair, has committed the budget deliberations for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

He said ensuring adequate support for students in state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges (LUCs), and private institutions remains a top priority.

“We will push for more scholarships, and for these 3.5 million students who are already receiving government support, we will do our best to increase that number,” Aquino said during the Senate budget deliberation on Friday.

Currently, around 2.2 million students in SUCs and LUCs benefit from free tuition and other education-related fees under the law. An additional 1.3 million students in private higher education institutions receive assistance through the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) and the Tulong Dunong Program (TDP).

Aquino emphasized the need for CHED to release a clear timeline and target numbers for scholarship programs to help the Senate properly assess future funding needs.

“In the case of TES, it’s important to determine how many students we want to reach. That way, we’re not only guided in allocating the budget but also in tracking the actual number of beneficiaries,” he explained.

He also raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of the law, noting that more and more students are expected to avail themselves of the program.

“We want to see the projected amounts for the succeeding years because this will only continue to grow. We need to ensure it’s sustainable moving forward,” he said.

Aquino also called on CHED to streamline the application and disbursement processes for TES and TDP, aiming to reach more underprivileged students, both in public and private institutions, who may be just above the poverty line but still face financial hardships.

“Iyong mga nasa poverty or slightly above the poverty line, kailangan pa rin ng tulong. I’ve said this from the first time na binuo iyong RA 10931, iyon pa rin po ang posisyon ko. Marami pong nangangailangan (Those living in poverty, or even slightly above it, still need help. That has always been my stand since we passed RA 10931),” he said.

“Hindi masama na mabigyan ng tulong iyong mga kabataan sa SUC at LUC, at iyong kabataang nangangailangan sa private universities na alam nating napakarami rin naman (There is nothing wrong with helping students in SUCs and LUCs, as well as those in private universities who are just as in need),” he added.

RA 10931, signed into law in 2017, covers free tuition and miscellaneous fees for students in public higher education institutions and provides subsidies to poor and disadvantaged students in private schools.