No more free tuition in state schools

in 2018
By: Vince F. Nonato - Reporter / @VinceNonatoINQ

It turns out that free tuition in state universities and colleges (SUCs) is just a one-off
educational assistance from the administration of self-proclaimed socialist President
Rodrigo Duterte.
A left-leaning party-list group denounced on Thursday the Duterte administrations
discontinuation of funds intended for free higher education in its budget proposal for
2018.
In a statement, ACT Teachers Reps. Antonio Tinio and France Castro also revealed
the overall budget of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) would shrink by
P6.29 billion next year.
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The proposed budget for CHEd in 2018 is only P12.42 billion, 33.6 percent lower
than the current years P18.7-billion allocation.
This is a huge step backward for the administrationits dismissal of the peoples
demand for higher budgets for education, Castro said.
Tinio, for his part, said tuition in SUCs should be kept free because the state can
afford to allocate funds for education in the tertiary level.
In the 2017 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the Senate realigned P8.3 billion
for student financial assistance.

But instead of continuing with the program, the proposed 2018 NEP submitted by
Malacaang on Monday omitted the higher education support fund, currently covered
in the 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA) under special provision 2 of the CHEd
budget.
Also missing from the 2018 NEP is the GAAs special provision 6 under the budget
for SUCs, which provides for P3 million in cash grants to medical students for the
current year.
DBM on free tuition in state colleges: 'Di
kaya ng gobyerno 'yan'
MANILA, Philippines The bill granting free tuition in state colleges is "too costly for the
government," according to Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary
Benjamin Diokno.

During the hearing on the proposed 2018 national budget on Tuesday, August 1,
Diokno admitted that the government cannot shoulder the estimated budget
requirements of the bill. (READ: Education, infra to get bulk of proposed 2018 nat'l
budget)

"We estimate that the cost of this bill, it will cost us something around P100 billion. Hindi
po kaya ng gobyerno 'yan (The government cannot shoulder that)," Diokno said, in
response to Kabataan Party-list Representative Sarah Elago's concern over the bill's
absence of budget for 2018.

Elago questioned why the Duterte administration proposes to spend over P1 trillion in
infrastructure development but would not allot budget for free college education.

The Duterte administration has previously allocated P8 billion under the 2017 budget for
the implementation of the tuition-free policy. House Appropriations Committee Chairman
Karlo Nograles said he supports the restoration of the budget.

"It was not in the 2018 budget of the President... In the absence of any law, we cannot
appropriate money for free tuition," the budget chief told Elago. (READ: What to expect
if Duterte signs law on free college tuition by June)

The House of Representatives and the Senate ratified the final version of the Universal
Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act in May, which will provide full tuition subsidy
for students in 112 state universities and colleges(SUCs), local universities and
colleges, and government-run technical-vocational schools.

Under the National Expenditure Program, SUCs will receive an allocation of P64.6
billion while the Commission on Higher Education will receive P13.5 billion next year.

In February, the country's economic managers expressed opposition to the bill because
it will benefit largely "non-poor students."

The bill was submitted for President Rodrigo Duterte's signature last July 5. It will lapse
into law on August 5 if the President will take no action on the measure.
Rappler.com
Provisions for free tuition in SUCs removed
from 2018 budget, ACT lawmakers say
Published July 27, 2017 9:01pm
By ERWIN COLCOL, GMA News

The Duterte administration has stricken off provisions for free tuition in state universities
and colleges, lawmakers from ACT Teachers Party-list said on Thursday.

This, even though there was a P8.3 billion allocation for the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED) in the 2017 for free tuition and other school fees.

"The 2018 budget omitted provisions that will provide free tuition for all undergraduate
and medical students from SUCs," Representative Antonio Tinio said in a statement.

"In fact, there is a P6.29 Billion budget cut for the CHED," he added.

In the 2017 General Appropriations Act, the P8 billion was included in the CHED budget
as the Higher Education Support Program (HESP), which was under Special Provision
2. Another P3 million, under Special Provision 6, was allocated for CHED as cash
grants to medical students.

Special Provision 1 provides that "SUCs (state colleges and universities) are authorized
to collect tuition fees and other necessary school charges in accordance with R.A. No.
8292."

This provided that "starting the first semester of SY 2017-2018, no tuition fee shall be
collected from undergraduate students. In lieu of the income from tuition fees, the SUCs
shall be provided financial assistance from the Higher Education Support Program of
the CHED."

In the 2018 National Expenditure Program, neither Special Provisions 2 nor 6 were
reiterated, while the provision on free tuition and the HESP in Special Provision 1 was
removed.
"President Dutertes economic managers consistently opposed the bill, then he himself
subjected the P8.3 Billion allocation in the 2017 budget to conditional
implementation. And now, funds that are supposed to continue the free college
program in 2018 are missing from his proposed budget," Tinio said.

Rep. France Castro, for her part, said the government should increase budget allocation
for free tuition.

"Instead of removing funds for free tuition and other school fees, the administration
should even increase the allocation to ensure that tertiary education remains free in
2018 and that more youth can avail of it," she said.

"It should even substantially increase SUCs' budgets to ensure that what they offer is
indeed quality education. But now we see that the President's promise to make higher
education free is just a bigay-bawi," she added.

Castro urged his fellow lawmakers at the Congress to bring back the provision for free
tuition for undergraduate and medical students in 2018 budget.

"It supposedly has the power of the purse, so it should even take a step forward and
significantly increase funds for free higher education," she said.

Tinio, meanwhile, urged President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the Universal Access to
Quality Tertiary Education Bill, which was already approved by both houses of the
Congress.

He said Duterte had not yet signed the bill.

The websites of the Senate and the House of Representative show that it has already
been submitted to the President on July 5.

The law will lapse into law 30 days after its transmittal to Malacaang if left unsigned.

Duterte may also veto the bill, meaning it will not become a law unless Congress
overrides the negative presidential action. NB, GMA News
Should College Be Free? Pros, Cons, and Alternatives
It's a question that might be more relevant today than ever before: Should college be free in America? Many people
have very passionate opinions on the matter. Maybe you're one of them. But this question deserves a lot more than a
simple yes or no answer. It deserves an open mind and a balanced exploration of the potential benefits, drawbacks,
and alternatives.

After all, America's future is at stake. And nearly everyone agrees that education is one of the biggest factors that will
determine the nation's fate going forward. So we have to get it right. Although some people might feel that the current
system of higher education and vocational training is working well, many other people believe that it needs at least a
little bit of improvement in one way or another.

College affordability is often among the top concerns. When the cost of attending college, university, or trade school
is too high, a lot of students simply choose not to pursue a higher education. And that leaves many of them ill-
equipped to find good employment, let alone attain the American dream. But high costs also leave some college
graduates with levels of debt that hamper their abilities to attain at least a middle-class lifestyle.

So, should college be free? Is that even possible? Keep reading, and decide for yourself.

First, a Few Basic Facts

The concept of publicly funded education goes all the way back to America's Founding Fathers. In 1785, John Adams
wrote: "The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and must be willing to bear
the expense of it."

And, believe it or not, there actually was a time in the nation's history when people could attend public colleges for
free. The Morrill Act of 1862 enabled land-grant colleges to be created by states on federal lands so that higher
education could become available to Americans in every social class. The aim was "to promote the liberal and
practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life."

In the early days, students could often attend public land-grant colleges without paying any tuition. That was possible
because only a relatively small percentage of Americans actually attended college. But as enrollment grew over the
years, so did the funding requirements in each state. And that led to public colleges eventually charging tuition and
raising their fees as enrollment grew and state funding slowed.

Today, the cost of attending many public colleges is so high that a lot of students simply can't afford to. As a result,
far fewer students from lower-income families attend college than those from upper-income families. That is in spite
of the fact that the federal government continues to supply financial aid to eligible students, including Pell Grants
(which don't have to be repaid).

Here are some other important facts to keep in mind as you explore the question of whether or not college should be
free:

In 2015, the total amount of student loan debt in America was estimated to be about $1.3 trillion (over 39
percent higher than it was just four years earlier).1 And student loans are, by far, the most dominant type of
financial aid. During the 2012-2013 school year alone, about 10 million college students took out student
loans (a 66-percent increase from a decade earlier).2

More than $80 billion is spent each year by the federal government on post-secondary financial aid. In the
2012-2013 school year, that represented over 70 percent of all student financial assistance in the higher
education sector.2

In 2013, a federal Pell Grant covered only about 30 percent of the average cost of going to a public four-year
college or university. Compare that to 1973 when a Pell Grant covered over 75 percent of the cost. So, what
about two-year colleges? Is community college free if you get a Pell Grant? Well, it used to be. But a Pell
Grant only covered about 60 percent of the cost of attending community college in 2013. 2

Over 20 million students were enrolled in American post-secondary schools in the fall of 2015, which was
almost five million more than in 2000. Roughly seven million of those students attended two-year colleges.3
 According to estimates from 2013, young adults in America earn over 60 percent more if they have a
bachelor's degree than if they only complete high school. 3

Since the mid-1900s, America's top one percent of income earners have increased their portion of the
country's income by more than double.4

Why Should College Be Free for Everyone?

Proponents of free college believe that it would benefit the entire nation, not just the individual students who take
advantage of it. They see it as both a private and public benefit. After all, more and more of today's jobs are
knowledge-based or require advanced technical skills. So a better-educated workforce would help fill many of the
skills gaps that prevent America's economy from growing faster.

Plus, since more people would be able to attain employer-desired credentials, more people would be able to take the
good-paying jobs that often go unfilled. And that could result in billions of additional dollars circulating throughout the
economy since people tend to spend more money when they have higher incomes and little or no debt. It could also
mean that the government would take in a lot of extra tax revenues, which could go a long way toward paying for free
public colleges.

But the issue of why college should be free isn't just an economic one. It's also a moral and philosophical one. Do we
want every American, regardless of social standing, to have an equal opportunity to reach his or her potential? That's
what this country is supposed to be about, yet social mobility has been eroding for the poor and middle class. And
without easy and affordable access to quality higher education for everyone, the collective intelligence and goodwill of
the nation could also erode. America might become even more socially divided.

Ultimately, many people believe that a college-level education should be an absolute right, so long as you have the
ability to benefit from it. Here are some of the other commonly cited reasons why college should be free:

There might be a lot fewer Americans who need to seek other forms of public assistance.

People would have more freedom to contribute their talents, try new ideas, and pursue the lives they
want if they didn't have to start off in debt or stay stuck in a low-wage job. That could lead to happier
people. And happier people could lead to a happier, more prosperous nation as a whole.

A better-educated population could result in smarter decision-making at every level of society, which
could lead to faster progress in solving our most difficult, collective challenges.

Students would be able to focus more on their studies rather than worrying about how to scrape
together enough funds for each upcoming school term. As a result, more of them might graduate on
time, ready to take on important jobs in their communities.

Many of America's top-performing high school students never apply to the most challenging colleges
and universities even though they have the ability to succeed at them. They often come from minority
and low-income households and end up pursuing more affordable, less-selective schools instead.
And that helps create a widening gap between wealthier families and those that are less affluent.

Although it benefits many students, the nation's existing financial aid system currently fails to provide
an equal opportunity to every qualified American.

Graduating with high amounts of student loan debt has been shown to reduce a person's chances of
owning a home, getting married, having children, and accumulating wealth.

How Might the Government Pay for Free Public College?

Technically, free college isn't really free. Someone does have to pay for it. In the case of public college, that means
taxpayers. But some economists believe that every American who wants to could go to college for free if the federal
and state governments made a few reasonable changes. They don't see the concept as a fantasy. They see it as a
very realistic option. Some of the ideas that they've put forward include:
 Closing corporate tax loopholes that allow companies to legally avoid paying their full share of taxes

Increasing the tax rates for America's wealthiest millionaires and billionaires

Implementing new taxes on speculative Wall Street transactions

Diverting most of the public money currently spent on student financial aid toward making all public colleges
and universities tuition-free instead

Decreasing the military budget

Cracking down on wasteful government spending

Does Free College Work Well in Other Countries?

The answer appears to be yes. But that might depend on whom you ask. So where is college free in other parts of the
world?

As of the 2013-2014 school year, the countries with tuition-free public higher education (at the bachelor's and
master's degree levels) included Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden,
Turkey, and Germany.5 Free college, in Europe especially, has proven to be a popular idea.

One reason why is that countries with free college education tend to have lower levels of student debt among their
graduates. For example, in Finland, the average college student loan amounts to $1,200, which is used mostly for
living expenses while in school. In Norway, the average student loan is worth $9,381. But that is still less than the
U.S. average, which is $15,510.6

Plus, another compelling fact about free colleges in Europe is that those nations don't generally spend that much
more on higher education than the U.S. does. For instance, as a share of national GDP, the U.S. spends about 1.36
percent on post-secondary education. But Finland, Norway, and Germany only spend 2.08 percent, 1.96 percent, and
1.35 percent of their nations' GDP, respectively.6

Closer to home, some people have asked, "Is college free in Canada?" The answer is no. However, college and
university students in Canada do tend to pay less for their education than students in the U.S. since public post-
secondary schools are heavily subsidized by the provincial, territorial, and federal governments. So the tuition is often
lower. But many Canadian students still take out loans. In fact, the average student loan in Canada is worth $4,421,
which is still far below the American average.6

Why College Should Not Be Free for Everybody

Opponents of free college tend to believe that such an idea would simply be too expensive for the federal and state
governments to maintain long-term. As a result, Americans may have to start paying much higher taxes. And that,
they say, could hurt the economy since people might have less to spend or invest.

In addition, countries like the U.S., Canada, South Korea, and Japan have already proven that free higher education
isn't necessary for building some of the world's most educated workforces. And free public college, by itself, would
likely not be enough to promote the big improvements in social mobility that are needed throughout America. That's
especially true when you consider the responsibilities of adult and non-traditional learners who often have challenges
that aren't just strictly financial in nature.

Many opponents of free college are especially against the idea of making community colleges tuition-free. They point
to national statistics indicating that public community colleges are often dead ends for students. For example, only
about 20 percent of first-time, full-time students at public two-year colleges earn associate's degrees, diplomas, or
certificates within three years of starting. And only 15 percent of them go on to earn bachelor's degrees within six
years. (In contrast, 54 percent of students at private, non-profit two-year schoolsand 63 percent of students at
private, for-profit two-years schoolsGraduate within three years.)3

So making community colleges free could have some negative consequences for non-traditional students who often
benefit from attending private colleges or vocational schools. If the U.S. government diverts more funding toward
making community colleges tuition-free, then students attending private schools could potentially lose access to
federal financial aid since that might be one of the tradeoffs. They would then need to decide whether to attend free
public schools that may be a lot more crowded or provide less effective (and less convenient) training.

Here are a few other reasons why some people oppose free college for everyone:

With more people choosing to attend public colleges because of their tuition-free status, many schools might
have to create wait lists or expand the ones they already have. State budgets could become strained, which
might lead to cuts and decreased access to the programs that students want to take.

Public colleges and universities might become less worried about wasteful spending since they won't have
to compete with other schools on cost. And that could strain public budgets even further.

Many students would still have to borrow money for their living expenses as well as for books and supplies.
So they wouldn't get to leave school completely debt-free.

Students might take their college education less seriously if they don't have to pay for it. So graduation
numbers might drop, or the people who do graduate might not be as well prepared for the workforce.

Students may not learn to become as financially literate or independent as they should be, choosing instead
to stay dependent on government programs whenever possible.

If a lot more people are able to earn college degrees, then the value of those degrees could decrease. And
that could lead to a rising number of workers who are underemployed based on their qualifications.

Are There Better Alternatives?

Maybe some kind of middle ground exists. Maybe making public colleges free for everyone isn't the best way to solve
the affordability problem. At least, that's what some people believe. They point out that other options have been
shown to work well and that those options might be a lot less expensive for American taxpayers.

For example, consider the possibility of an income-based repayment system. For some former college students in the
U.S., that is already a reality. They are able to have the repayment of their student loans tied to a small percentage of
their incomes. And if they earn below a certain threshold, then they don't have to make any payments. After 20 to 25
years, whatever is left on their loans is written off, as long as they have consistently kept up with all of the payments
that were due. The problem, currently, is that this option is only available to low-income people who can prove that
they are experiencing financial hardship.

But what if loans with income-based repayment were available to every student? You would be able to attend college,
university, or trade school without having to pay for tuition while enrolled. Then, after you left school, you would only
have to pay an affordable percentage of what you earned (or, if you didn't earn much, pay nothing at all until your
income rose). The more money you earned, the quicker you would pay off the loan. And if your income stayed low,
you would have the peace of mind of knowing that your loan obligations would eventually expire.

That's exactly the type of system that Australia uses through its Higher Education Loan Program (HELP). Plus, no
interest is applied to the program's student loans. And for those earning incomes above a reasonable threshold, the
repayment percentage ranges from only four to eight percent, which is very affordable. On average, it takes just over
eight years for an Australian graduate to repay a HELP loan. Of course, many loans will never be fully repaid (roughly
17 percent of them). But the system has been designed to allow for that. 6

With a system like HELP, college graduates have the freedom to take on lower-paying jobs while they get
established. And it provides an incentive for aspiring artists, writers, musicians, philosophers, and other visionaries to
pursue an education and develop their talents without worrying about the costs. After all, the world needs such
people. Our future would be bleak without them.

So an income-based repayment system represents a compromise. Certainly, taxpayers would still have to help fund it
since not all loans would be repaid. But the tax requirements would likely be much lower compared to what a tuition-
free system would require. And such a system would also put some of the onus back on students. It would remove
important obstacles to higher education without removing accountability or a sense of ownership.
Other ideas and alternatives to free public college that have been put forward by various people include:
 Greatly expanding the existing Pell Grant program while cutting back on student loans

Investing in a better system of youth-development and community-development programs

Discouraging the distribution of merit-based financial aid to wealthy students and using that money to
provide more opportunities for poor and middle-class students instead

Developing a larger and more robust apprenticeship system for the skilled trades and many other vocational
areas

Establishing better incentives for employers to provide more extensive on-the-job training rather than
depending on the higher education system to supply fully qualified workers

Providing more incentives to colleges, universities, and trade schools to lower their costs and keep them low

Establishing a more extensive system of national service that enables young adults or career-changing
adults to learn new skills, become part of something bigger than themselves, and network with other people
while helping to solve some of the biggest challenges in the nation's communitiesall in exchange for
discounted or tuition-free college

Investing in better pre-college education that teaches students, in greater detail, about all of the realistic
options that are available to them

Investing in better financial education for everyone so that all students become financially literate and know
how to make money work for them before attending college or getting their first jobs

Providing more public support, including research and development funding, to innovators who are creating
online, low-cost, and customized alternatives to traditional institutions of higher education

What's the Best Way Forward for Students Right Now?

Like other students, you might have a lot of options available to you. But the longer you wait to begin your post-
secondary education, the more opportunities you may be missing out on. So even though "Should college be free?" is
a question worth debating, the best action to take right now is probably to investigate the many helpful possibilities
that already exist.

Why not check out some of the career-driven programs in your area just to see how you might benefit from them?
Generate a list of nearby schools right now by putting your zip code into the following search tool!
"Free" is a relative term since tax payers absorb that cost..

Even Japan, UK, Germany with 5 Trillion US Dollar economy cannot offer FREE TUITION
for colleges and state universities.

What happened in Japan, EU countries, etc is that Electricity/Utilities charges, Aircon

Charges, Teaching materials fees, Field Trip fees and the likes were charged to students (at
even HIGHER COSTS) to offset the lost budget vacuum made when no more tuition fee
had been collected.

To maintain the total-free tuition fee, some of these countries RAISED ALL INCOME
TAXES and add about 5 pesos per liter of gasoline so that the revenue will go to the FREE-
COLLEGE TUITION FEES program nationwide.

The University of Tokyo was allowed by the government to raise the tuition fee *including all
Fees 60% of the cost of private schools. Before it was 40% of Private U and colleges fees.
They have to get funds for their semiconductor and space science labs and equipment.
Candace Smith
Baltimore, Maryland December 7, 2016

Free college tuition sounds like a great idea, but in reality it isn't. People would not value
college as much if it was free, more dropouts are prone to occur because there is no
repercussions. Also, if college was free the government would have so many financial
problems and the tax payers would be very unhappy because they would get the bill to
pay for "free college". In the article "Tackling Tuition" Roger Fillion discusses how the
government will help pay for education if people are in need. Students can receive
financial aid, which are funds given to the student to help pay for their college
education. There are different scholarships you can apply for as well. In my opinion I
don't think college needs to be free because the amount of money that the government
will have to pay could be used for something more important
Candace Smith
Baltimore, Maryland December 7, 2016

Free college tuition sounds like a great idea, but in reality it isn't. People would not value
college as much if it was free, more dropouts are prone to occur because there is no
repercussions. Also, if college was free the government would have so many financial
problems and the tax payers would be very unhappy because they would get the bill to
pay for "free college". In the article "Tackling Tuition" Roger Fillion discusses how the
government will help pay for education if people are in need. Students can receive
financial aid, which are funds given to the student to help pay for their college
education. There are different scholarships you can apply for as well. In my opinion I
don't think college needs to be free because the amount of money that the government
will have to pay could be used for something more important
The Problem Is That Free College
Isnt Free
Andrew P. Kelly is a resident scholar and the director of the Center on Higher Education Reform at
the American Enterprise Institute.
UPDATED JANUARY 20, 2016, 3:21 AM
Free public college is a great political talking point, but it is flawed policy.

First, free college isnt free, it simply shifts costs from students to taxpayers and caps tuition at zero.
That tuition cap limits college spending to whatever the public is willing to invest. But it does not
change the cost of college, or what institutions actually spend per student. If the past is any guide,
that cost will continue to grow, and an influx of federal money may lead profligate administrators to
spend even more. Enrollments will also increase, further multiplying the cost of free college.
A national push for tuition-free college would strain public budgets
even further, leading to shortages rather than increased access.
The key question, then, is what happens if public generosity does not keep pace with rising college
costs, increases in demand, or both? Barring a drastic improvement in efficiency, tuition-free
colleges wont have the resources to serve additional students without compromising the quality of
their offerings.

As progressive advocates of free college are so eager to point out, public funding hasnt kept up with
such changes in the past. For instance, California has the cheapest community college fees in the
nation. During the recession, enrollments boomed and the state budget for higher education took a
hit. Unable to raise additional revenue through a tuition increase, Californias community
colleges turned away 600,000 students.
A national push for tuition-free college would strain public budgets even further, leading to shortages
rather than increased access. And because middle and upper-income students will gobble up many of
the free public slots, rationing will hurt those who need access the most.

Advocates will likely argue that federal policy can simply force policymakers to increase funding in
response to changes. But todays political coalition will be hardpressed to tie the hands of
tomorrows, especially when times are tough.

Second, free college plans assume that tuition prices are the main obstacle to student success,
looking past problems of educational quality and college readiness. Take community colleges, where
federal grants cover the price of tuition for the average low-income student. Despite free tuition,
just one-third of students from the bottom income quartile who started at a community college in 2003
finished a degree or certificate by 2009. Two-year students from the top income quartile didnt do
much better (42 percent).
These numbers suggest that lackluster outcomes are not entirely, or even mostly, a function of
tuition prices, but reflect deeper problems. Like the fact that 60 to 70 percent of community college
students have to take at least one remedial course, as do 40 percent of those at public four-year
institutions. Or the fact that students who attend public four-year colleges with lower graduation
rates are less likely to finish than similar peers who attend better schools.
Rather than spread scarce federal money across all students, policymakers should instead target
those resources toward those who need it most and empower them to choose the option public or
private that fits their needs. A valuable degree is worth the investment even if you have to pay
something for it.
How can Congress fund free tuition law?
Budget allocations from 'underperforming and underspending' agencies in the proposed
2018 budget may be tapped

MANILA, Philippines Lawmakers expressed confidence on Friday, August 4, that

there was enough wiggle room and funds in the proposed 2018 national budget to fund
a newly-signed law that would provide free tuition for students in 112 state universities
and colleges (SUCs).
We have already reviewed the possible financial implications and complications of this
proposal and I can safely say that there is enough money to jumpstart this and sustain it
in the long term, said Davao City Representatives Karlo Nograles, chairman of the
House appropriations committee, the same day the Palace announced President
Rodrigo Dutertes decision to sign the measure into law. (READ: LIST: State colleges
and universities covered by free tuition law)

Duterte signed the law Thursday evening, August 3, after a meeting with legislators and
his economic team. It was a surprise move considering Dutertes economic managers
had openly opposed the measure.

The 2018 proposed national budget has enough budget space to accommodate the
more important mandates of the new law... Well have to liposuction the fat, and
transform it into funds for state colleges, said Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph
Recto, who had pushed for free tuition measures in the previous Congress.

In a statement, Budget Secretary Benjamin Dioko said that in the immediate term the
law will be implemented beginning academic year 2018-2019.

Diokno, who had opposed the bill, is set to lead the committee that will craft its
implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

Re-allocating the budget

Diokno had earlier said the measure, which was then a bill awaiting Dutertes signature,
would cost the government around P100 billion. Hindi po kaya ng gobyerno 'yan (The
government cannot shoulder that), he told lawmakers.

But now that its been signed into law, legislators will have to find a way to fund it. The
House of Representatives is currently deliberating on the proposed national budget for
2018.
Nograles pointed to the P8 billion fund allocated Higher Education Support Fund
(HSEF), that financed free college education for HUCs in the 2017 budget. If we were
able to do it this semester, I don't see any reason why we can't institutionalize it as part
of government's social reform program, said Nograles.

Congress also has the option of checking the budget proposals of underperforming
agencies, underspending offices, unspent funds and unutilized funds in the 2017 budget
and unobligated projects as possible sources of fund amounting to at least Php 8 to Php
16 billion for 2018.

1-Ang Edukasyon Representative Salvador Belaro has a similar proposal. First, we

would have to realign some budget items. Specifically, I am looking at the Gender and
Development funds which is one of the most under-tapped items. We support access to
education for all genders. There can be other items Congress can realign, he said.

Belaro also proposed the issuance of education bonds to augment the tuition fee
budget.

If government is unable to find the budget needed to fund Universal Access to Quality
Tertiary Education because cutting the budgets of other departments would just be too
painful, then let us ask the entire country, the whole world even to invest in the
education of our youth through the education bonds, he said.

As it stands, the proposed combined budgets for SUCs is around P61.4 billion, noted
Recto, who is proposing a phased implementation of the measure. The law covers not
just tuition fees for all fees. Recto likewise noted that the law also covers local
government-run colleges and tech-voc public schools.

Kabataan Representative Sarah Elago, meanwhile, noted that in the 2018 budget, over
P9.1 billion is expected to be collected from all state schools.

Aangat Tayo Representative Neil Abayon called on the budget department to give
Congress estimates of how much free college education would cost from 2018 to 2022,
or the end of the Duterte administration.

Abayon also wants the department to give a detailed report on the absorptive capacity
of each government agency from 2015 to 2017. Rappler.com