President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administers the oath to 21 newly promoted Philippine Coast Guard flag officers, including one vice admiral, two rear admirals and 18 commodores, as he calls on them to lead with integrity and uphold their responsibility to the Filipino people.
More low-income students could qualify for government help with college and technical-vocational expenses after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed a law expanding the country’s tertiary education assistance program on Friday.
Republic Act No. 12325 amended RA 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, by widening the support available under the Tertiary Education Subsidy and extending assistance to additional education-related costs.
The changes placed greater emphasis on disadvantaged and underserved students, including qualified members of households enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
Students from poor families taking government-identified priority programs may also qualify for assistance at eligible private colleges and technical-vocational institutions if existing grants do not cover them.
The measure builds on the existing free tuition system for state universities and colleges, qualified local universities and colleges, and state-run technical-vocational institutions.
Marcos said the expanded program was aimed at reducing financial barriers that prevent students from completing higher education or skills training, with the longer-term goal of having at least one college or technical-vocational graduate in every Filipino family.
The President also cited gains in international education rankings, saying 140 Philippine colleges were included in the World University Rankings for Innovation, compared with 12 institutions in 2022.
The law was signed as the administration proposed between Php 1.314 trillion and Php 1.326 trillion for education under the Php 7.2-trillion 2027 National Expenditure Program. Education receives the highest budgetary priority under the Constitution.