Bill seeks 5% discount for students on tuition, supplies

A bill seeking to grant a mandatory 5% discount for underprivileged students on tuition, food, medicine, school supplies, and gadgets has been filed in the Senate.

Senate Bill No.1063, or the “Underprivileged Students’ Discount Act,” aims to ease the financial burden on low-income families by providing discounts on essential education-related and basic expenses.

“Sa panahon ngayon, hindi na luho ang laptop, tablet, o cellphone — kailangan na ang mga ito para makasabay sa pag-aaral,” Senator Jinggoy Estrada, author of the bill, said in a news release.

(Gadgets such as laptops, tablets, and cellphones are no longer considered luxuries but necessities for education.)

“At lalong hindi luho ang pagkain, tuition, at school supplies. Kaya bawat diskwento ay malaking ginhawa para sa mga estudyante at kanilang pamilya,” he added.

(Food, tuition, and school supplies are essential needs, and every discount provides significant relief for students and their families.)

Underprivileged students refer to those enrolled in primary, secondary, and tertiary education, as well technical-vocational institutions, whose parents have a gross annual income of not more than P250,000.

Once enacted, the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority will be tasked to determine eligible students.

Estrada said working students may also qualify, provided that their combined household income falls within the prescribed threshold.

He also said the proposed discount shall not affect the students’ eligibility for other forms of educational assistance from the government or schools, such as scholarships, vouchers, and other student aid programs.

Under the proposed law, first-time violators may face penalties including suspension of license to operate or business permit for not less than one week to not more than four weeks and fines ranging from P20,000 to P50,000.

Second-time offenders, meanwhile, may face suspension of the license to operate or the business permit of the establishment for not less than four weeks and fines ranging from P50,000 to P250,000. —LDF, GMA News