Senate President Koko Pimentel III hailed President Rodrigo Duterte’s signing of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act which provides free tuition and other school fees for students of state universities and colleges (SUCs).
Pimentel, a former bar topnotcher and a former law professor, considers the passage of the law as a pivotal moment in the war against poverty.
“I have always believed that education is the great equalizer. I am where I am today because of my education”, said Pimentel.
According to the senate chief, the measure gives more Filipino families better pathways out of poverty saying, “A college diploma is the most decisive tool a Filipino can carry in the struggle to give his or her family a better life, and President Duterte has just given every Filipino the means to have it.”
The Senate head says that the law is a boost for the country and not just for individuals.
Pimentel said, “With this law, our country will have a bigger pool of skilled professionals who are necessary for the development of a modern economy.”
The law is one of the key planks of the 11-point legislative agenda that the Senate majority agreed upon at the beginning of the 17th Congress.