FIVE THINGS TO KNOW…

Short explainers published throughout the day.

1:18 PM7-minute read

ABOUT THE NEW SWS POVERTY NUMBERS

Self-rated poverty and food poverty declined in June, but the figures also show how many Filipino families remain under pressure and why lower household budgets do not necessarily mean life became cheaper.

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2:02 PM11-minute read

ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY ACT

House Bill No. 9965 would bar children below 13 from having social media accounts, require parental consent for users aged 13 to 17, regulate platform algorithms, and impose fines reaching P50 million. It is still being deliberated in the House.

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12:02 PM7-minute read

ABOUT THE SEALED BIR BOX

Marcos authorized the BIR to comply with the Senate subpoena. That did not open the records to the public or prove the unexplained-wealth allegation.

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MCT READER PULSE · MCT-PULSE-2026-007

MCT READER SURVEY

House prosecutors are considering whether to stop presenting evidence on the bribery article against Vice President Sara Duterte and move directly to the unexplained-wealth charge. Do you agree with that strategy?Pinag-iisipan ng mga prosekutor ng Kamara kung ititigil ang paghaharap ng ebidensiya sa artikulo tungkol sa panunuhol at tututok sa kasong hindi maipaliwanag na yaman laban kay Bise Presidente Sara Duterte. Sang-ayon ka ba sa estratehiyang ito?

Some prosecutors want to move directly to the unexplained-wealth charge; others want to proceed with all four articles. No final decision had been announced when this survey opened. The question is about prosecution strategy, not guilt.

Background: The Philippine Star and Daily Tribune.

This is an informal survey of verified MCT readers who choose to participate. It is not nationally representative.

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September 4, 2026 · 8:30 PM8-minute read

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE EXPANDED FREE TERTIARY EDUCATION LAW

What Republic Act No. 12325 changes for subsidies, costly training, and qualified disadvantaged students.

A conceptual editorial image of a student desk with books, a meal, laboratory goggles, and a stethoscope beside a Philippine campus, representing the costs beyond tuition. Not a documentary image.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12325 on September 4, amending the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. The original law made tuition and other covered school fees free in qualified public colleges, universities, and technical-vocational institutions. The amendment does not erase that guarantee. It changes how additional financial assistance is prioritized, what costs may receive support, and which disadvantaged students in private institutions may qualify.

That distinction matters because free tuition does not remove every barrier to finishing a course. Transport, food, lodging, equipment, internships, and clinical training can still force a student to stop. The law sets a stronger direction, but families cannot yet assume that every new benefit is immediately claimable. Implementing rules, appropriations, eligibility checks, and payment systems will determine who receives help and when.

1

FREE PUBLIC TUITION STAYS, BUT IT IS NOT THE WHOLE BENEFIT

Republic Act No. 12325 preserves free tuition and other covered school fees in state universities and colleges, qualified local universities and colleges, and state-run technical-vocational institutions. The new law focuses largely on the additional assistance surrounding that guarantee. This includes the Tertiary Education Subsidy, which can address costs that remain even when a school does not charge tuition.

Students and parents should keep the two benefits separate. Free tuition generally removes specified charges imposed by a covered public institution. A subsidy may help with living, learning, or training expenses, but it can require a separate application and remain subject to eligibility rules and available funds. A student can therefore qualify for free tuition without automatically receiving enough money for transportation, meals, internet, books, a laptop, lodging, or other daily needs.

The amendment recognizes the real problem: admission is not the same as completion. A place in college has limited value if a student cannot afford to travel to class or finish required training. The practical result depends on whether the implementing agencies build one understandable process instead of making families navigate several disconnected programs.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch the implementing rules from CHED, TESDA, UniFAST, and partner agencies. They should list every automatically covered fee, every separately applied-for benefit, documentary requirements, application dates, payment timing, and a clear route for correcting an erroneous denial.

2

QUALIFIED 4PS STUDENTS MOVE TO THE FRONT OF THE TES LINE

Official legislative summaries say qualified students from Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program households will receive first priority for the Tertiary Education Subsidy. If funds and places remain, other applicants are to be ranked using household per-capita income. The change is meant to direct limited assistance toward students with the least ability to absorb the costs of college or technical training.

The priority rule responds to a documented decline in targeting. EDCOM 2 reported that the share of TES grants going to the poorest households fell from 74.24 percent in 2018 to 30.74 percent in 2022. A universal tuition benefit can expand access broadly, but an additional cash subsidy loses much of its purpose when better-off applicants crowd out students who may otherwise leave school.

Priority is not the same as an unconditional guarantee. The number of awards may still depend on the annual budget, available slots, enrollment in a recognized institution, academic or residency rules, and correct government records. A household wrongly excluded from the 4Ps list or assigned inaccurate income data must have a practical way to challenge the result before a school deadline passes.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch the published ranking formula, the treatment of newly enrolled 4Ps households, the number and value of funded slots, and the appeal process. The first beneficiary report should show income groups, regions, institution types, and payment dates, not merely a national total.

3

GRANT AMOUNTS MAY CHANGE ACCORDING TO THE COURSE

The amended law allows assistance to vary by undergraduate program and permits added support for fields the government identifies as priorities. That approach recognizes that courses do not cost the same. Laboratory supplies, specialist equipment, software, fieldwork, uniforms, certification, and practical training can make science, engineering, health, agriculture, and technical programs much more expensive than a standard classroom course.

A better-matched grant could let a student choose a program based on ability and career plans instead of selecting the cheapest available degree. It could also help the country train workers in fields facing genuine shortages. The risk is that a priority list becomes outdated, politically influenced, or too narrowly tied to short-term labor forecasts. Students spend years earning a qualification, so government must explain the evidence behind each priority and update it without disrupting people already enrolled.

Variable amounts also require transparency. Families should be able to see the maximum grant for a course before accepting admission, know whether support continues through the normal length of the program, and understand what happens after a transfer or curriculum change. Schools should not be allowed to raise charges simply because a larger subsidy exists.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch for the official priority-program list, the amount assigned to each field, the labor-market evidence supporting it, and protection for continuing students. Audit reports should compare grants with actual school and training costs and flag unexplained fee increases.

4

REQUIRED INTERNSHIPS AND CLINICAL TRAINING CAN RECEIVE SUPPORT

Official summaries say the revised subsidy may cover internships and Related Learning Experience fees for nursing and other allied-health programs. These activities are required for graduation and professional preparation, but they can add transport, lodging, uniforms, medical tests, equipment, insurance, and placement charges after a student has already spent years in school.

This is a consequential change because the final years of a course can be the most expensive. A student who completes classroom requirements but cannot afford hospital duty or an internship may be forced to delay graduation, take on debt, or leave without the credential needed for work. Targeted support can protect both the student's investment and the public money already spent on earlier years of education.

The words “may cover” still leave important questions. The rules must identify eligible expenses, qualified training sites, grant ceilings, and the payment route. A reimbursement system that requires a poor student to pay thousands of pesos first would exclude many of the people the law is meant to help. Direct payment can be more accessible, but it needs safeguards against inflated or invented charges.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch whether funds are paid before the expense, directly to the training provider, or only after reimbursement. Students also need a written list of covered costs, deadlines tied to placement schedules, and a complaint channel when a school or hospital charges more than the approved amount.

5

SOME DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS GET A NEW ROUTE

Republic Act No. 12325 creates a Private Education Assistance program for qualified disadvantaged students taking priority programs in CHED-recognized private higher-education institutions and TESDA-registered private technical-vocational institutions. This can matter when the needed course is not offered by a nearby public school, when public places are full, or when distance makes a nominally free option more expensive than a local private one.

The program is assistance, not a promise that government will pay every private-school bill. The implementing rules must define which students, schools, and programs qualify; how much government will pay; and whether a student must cover a remaining balance. Recognition by CHED or registration with TESDA is a starting condition, not proof that every program delivers good outcomes.

Public money also creates public obligations. Participating institutions should disclose tuition and other charges, graduation and licensure results where relevant, complaints, and how subsidy funds were used. The government should prevent schools from increasing prices to capture the assistance or enrolling students into low-quality programs with weak employment prospects. Families need comparable information before choosing a school.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch the school and program eligibility lists, grant ceilings, student co-payments, quality measures, and rules against tuition inflation. The first audit should identify who received aid, what remained unpaid, and whether beneficiaries stayed enrolled and completed their programs.

BOTTOM LINE

The amended law tries to make tertiary education support follow need more closely. It protects free tuition in qualified public institutions, gives poor households clearer priority for additional subsidies, recognizes costly training requirements, and creates a limited route into private programs. None of those promises can be judged from the signing ceremony alone. The real test is whether the implementing rules are understandable, funds arrive before students are forced to stop, appeals correct bad records quickly, and public reports show that disadvantaged learners are entering, remaining in, and completing useful programs.

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