SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano is pushing a landmark bill to tear down all financial barriers that keep millions of Filipinos from exercising a constitutional right: the opportunity to finish their education.
Filed on July 3, 2025, the “Makakapagtapos Ako Act of 2025” is among Cayetano’s top priority measures for the 20th Congress.
The bill is designed to “complement and supplement” the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act by covering not just tuition but also other education-related expenses.
The support begins in public kindergarten and extends all the way to graduate school. It also includes learners in technical-vocational programs and the Alternative Learning System (ALS).
“Our growth through education and lifelong learning is a fundamental right, not a mere privilege,” Cayetano said in his explanatory note.
“Yet for many Filipinos, access to quality education remains elusive, often determined more by socio-economic status than by ability and determination,” he continued.
While enrollment has improved with the institutionalization of free tuition in public elementary, secondary, and tertiary schools, Cayetano said the “hidden costs” of studying continue to drive students out of school, especially those from low-income families.
According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which he co-chairs, the national dropout rate in tertiary education stands at 39 percent as of 2025. Meanwhile, education subsidies for the poorest students have dropped from 74.24 percent in 2018 to just 30.74 percent in 2022.
From school supplies to board exam fees
Under the proposed measure, all students in public basic education will receive free school supplies, uniforms, and learning materials at the start of each school year.
For college students, the bill mandates every city and municipality to set up a Local Government Educational Assistance Program that will provide financial aid to residents enrolled in public or private colleges and universities.
Priority shall be given to college students who belong to marginalized and disadvantaged sectors, are enrolled in priority courses, and excel academically.
The bill also proposes financial support for students taking licensure exams, those pursuing master’s or doctorate degrees, and enrollees in technical-vocational programs.
Targeted support will also be extended to learners with disabilities, members of indigenous communities, solo-parent households, and other disadvantaged sectors.
“This bill is anchored on the Christian principle that every single life is valuable. An inclusive society leaves no one behind,” he said.
Funding for better school facilities
But Cayetano said financial aid alone is insufficient if the learning environment is not conducive to learning.
He proposes to allocate P25 billion yearly for infrastructure development, facilities upgrading, and construction of student dormitories in all state universities and colleges (SUCs) over the course of ten years.
“By investing in the physical capacity of our public institutions, we complete the support system,” he said.
Modeled after Taguig
Cayetano said the bill draws inspiration from the student support system already in place in the City of Taguig under Mayor Lani Cayetano.
In Taguig, all college students receive annual grants ranging from P15,000 to P50,000. Public school students enjoy free uniforms, school supplies, and zero miscellaneous fees. Public elementary graduates who enroll in private high schools also receive tuition subsidies and allowances.
“We recognize that education is a vital key to social progress and human development, and we are committed to sharing and realizing this vision for the rest of the country,” the senator said.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, Cayetano has long pushed for education policies that focus not just on access but on quality and on completion.
“We need to come up with a good law na hindi lang scholarship kundi from birth pa lang, how to get to college, at paano makapagtapos,” he said during a committee hearing on June 9, 2025.
