Solon: Congress will make sure free college education won’t go to ‘bulakbol’ students

Congress will exercise its powers to ensure that free college education will not be wasted on malingerers or "bulakbol" students, House Appropriations Committee chair Karlo Nograles said on Tuesday.

In a news release, Nograles said the state universities and colleges in the country should not become "Iskul Bukol" due to the free tuition for students.

"Through our oversight function, Congress would assist the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the participating educational institutions in making sure that deserving students or those who truly want to study will benefit from the free college tuition program. The funds we have set aside are simply too precious," he said.

A total of P40 billion has been allocated from the P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018 to fund free tuition for public tertiary education students, provided under RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.

"The House may hold hearings after every semester to check on the implementation of RA 10931, particularly on how it is helping less fortunate families in getting their children to college. After all, this is the spirit of the law," Nograles said.

These policies, he said, will discourage students from recidivism, such as constant absences, tardiness and cutting of classes.

"It will be another victory for the law if it eventually helps get rid of these bad habits from young Filipinos in the name of free college education," he added.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) reported last month that it has already completed its implementing rules and regulations for the free college education program, Nograles said.

The agency and other stakeholders may use the House hearings to address the issues of the program before it can be implemented, he said.

"We can't expect this to be free of hitches especially during its first year of implementation, so close coordination between lawmakers, CHED and other stakeholders is vital. We can learn the problems and solve them as we go along," he said. — BM, GMA News