Rody hit over conditional implementation of free tuition policy

MANILA, Philippines – Student groups have criticized the decision of President Duterte to place the free tuition policy for all students of state universities and colleges (SUCs) under conditional implementation.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Sarah Elago said yesterday she would seek an audience with the President to clarify his position on the P8-billion free tuition program in SUCs.

“If we read the President’s message carefully, he did not explicitly state that not all students in SUCs would be able to avail of free tuition. He only stressed that financially disadvantaged students should be prioritized,” Elago said.

“Yet the intention of his message might indeed be to limit who will be covered by free tuition,” she added.

In a message sent to Congress last week, Duterte vetoed certain provisions of the P3.35-trillion 2017 national budget and subjected several others to conditional implementation.

Duterte lauded the intention of the P8-billion fund to remove tuition in 114 state schools, including the University of the Philippines.

“Yet as with all new programs, there is a need to safeguard the proper implementation of the provision of free tuition. It is important to underscore that we must still give priority to financially disadvantaged but academically able students,” the President said.

Duterte ordered the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to issue the necessary guidelines, which include among others the standards and procedure for entitlement and availment of free tuition.

The CHED and DBM may misinterpret the President’s message and issue guidelines that will exclude most SUC students from the free tuition policy, Elago said.

“In the coming weeks, youth and student groups will mount nationwide protests to assert the swift and blanket implementation of the free tuition program. We cannot allow this initial victory to be snatched from us,” she said.

Elago said guidelines that would limit the coverage of the free tuition policy would contradict the law, which specifically stated the removal of tuition in all SUCs.

“Implementing guidelines can only be crafted within the bounds of the law. The provision for free tuition in the 2017 General Appropriations Act is clear – every SUC student should be covered by the free tuition policy,” said Elago.

Elago said they are ready to elevate the matter to the Supreme Court should the guidelines set limits on who can be given free tuition.