Senator Alan Peter Cayetano recommended the conversion of Sulu State College in Jolo, Sulu into a state university — a significant initiative to strengthen the education sector and promote equitable development in the province.
Cayetano submitted Senate Committee Report No. 467 on January 22, 2025.
The proposed Sulu State University, outlined in House Bill No. 9334, aims to elevate higher education in the region by offering advanced instruction and research in fields such as agriculture, engineering, and education.
As chair of the Senate Committees on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, the veteran legislator emphasized the importance of education as a driver of progress.
“If you look at Vietnam, na grabe ang hinabol talaga sa Southeast Asia, now their economy has one of the best education systems in the whole world,” the seasoned lawmaker said.
“In the last 20 years hinabol na tayo ng Vietnam, the next 20 years baka iwanan na tayo kung hindi tayo magbabago ng attitude.”
“Kung nagugulat na tayo na in the last 20 years hinabol na tayo ng Vietnam, the next 20 years baka iwanan na tayo kung hindi tayo magbabago ng attitude pagdating sa investing sa education,” the senator added.
The measure seeks to further enhance Sulu State College, the only state university and college (SUC) in the province, to ensure that underprivileged but deserving students in the area can access quality tertiary education.
Last year, he committed to advocating for more bills that would create new state colleges, upgrade existing ones into state universities, and convert satellite campuses into regular campuses.
“This would help provide accessible quality education to Filipinos, especially those in the provinces.”
This, Cayetano said, would help provide accessible quality education to Filipinos, especially those in the provinces.
“Kung hindi ka pinanganak sa mayamang pamilya or if you’re not born at the right place at the right time, in the richest cities, will you have the same opportunity of finishing college?” he said.
Cayetano also spearheaded the charter amendment of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), granting it institutional autonomy.
While Committee Report No. 467 awaits deliberation in the Senate plenary, more bills related to higher education are expected to be filed by Cayetano as the Senate session resumes before its adjournment next month.
Cayetano reiterated his call for greater investments in education, emphasizing its critical role in shaping the nation’s future.
“It’s a change in culture and thinking, but it’s also a demand. Kung [ang] young people, they start demanding talaga — ‘You give us less talk and put more money in education’ — it will happen,” he said.
