Senate bill pushes 20% student load, internet discount for online classes

A Senate bill granting a 20 percent load and internet discount for students is being pushed in the upper chamber amid schools’ repeated shifts to online classes due to inclement weather conditions.

Senator Erwin Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, proposed this measure under Senate Bill No. 2275, or the "Student Load Discount Act".

The bill seeks to ease the financial burden on students to allow them to keep up with alternative modes of learning.

“We have to slash this added expense from students, which too often prevents our students from keeping up with their online classes. This is our way to somehow level the playing field,” Tulfo said in a press release issued Sunday.

“We cannot expect students, especially those who come from indigent families, to seamlessly transition into digital learning without the government lending them a helping hand,” he added.

The proposed bill provides the discount to all Filipino citizens enrolled in authorized elementary, secondary, technical-vocational, or higher education institutions, excluding post-graduate studies.

The 20-percent discount is expected to be available year-round, including weekends and holidays.

To avail of the discount, the bill only requires learners to present a valid school ID or proof of enrollment, along with a birth certificate to verify their citizenship.

Tulfo said that upon the implementation of the bill, telecommunication companies will be legally required to grant the discount across all eligible services, adding that non-compliant companies will face strict penalties. —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/RF, GMA News