As the 19th Congress nears its close, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano made time for one last committee hearing to jumpstart the technical groundwork for 25 bills aimed at strengthening tertiary education and technical-vocational training across the country.
Presiding over the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education on June 9, Cayetano, who chairs the committee, tackled 14 bills involving state universities and colleges (SUCs), including:
* Updates to the over 60-year-old charter of Mindanao State University,
* The establishment of new Colleges of Medicine, and
* The conversion of SUC extension campuses into regular campuses.
The committee also discussed eight bills proposing the creation of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) training and assessment centers nationwide, and one that aims to build a skills training center for indigenous peoples in Nueva Vizcaya.
But Cayetano, aware that the bills won’t make it to the Senate floor before adjournment on June 14, said the hearing was meant to lay the groundwork for the 20th Congress.
“Iiwanan natin [ang bills] sa isang technical working group (TWG) at pag-aaralan na in the next six weeks bago mag-SONA. Para kung sino man mag-Chair sa susunod, hindi start from zero na naman,” he said.
“I commit to you that the TWG will continue working during the break… Sa 20th Congress we’ll have a headstart,” he added.
The TWG will include representatives from the Committee, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), TESDA, and the schools whose bills are being tackled.
During the hearing, the CHED expressed support for 12 of the 14 SUC-related bills, citing pending requirements in the remaining two, as Cayetano appealed to the schools involved to address the gaps swiftly.
“Ang pakiusap ko lang ay mag-comply with CHED requirement. If there are legal issues, we can talk about it. Pero kung wala at compliance lang, mag-comply na tayo para wala tayong problema,” he said.
Beyond tuition
While the hearing focused on structural expansions, Cayetano used the platform to raise deeper concerns about equity in education. He floated the idea of a “Makatapos Ako” law that goes beyond scholarships and tackles the full cost of completing a degree.
“Not only scholarship… kailangan din dito may student loans dahil hindi naman lahat [ng expenses] tuition eh. Pamasahe, lunch, the other expenses [din],” Cayetano said, urging CHED to conduct a quick cost study comparing urban and rural areas.
He also called on education stakeholders to use the upcoming legislative break to form a coalition focused on long-term reforms.
“I think we are in the position – the Committee, CHED, TESDA, SUCs – to come together and come up with a good law, y’ung tunay na batas na hindi lang scholarship kundi from birth pa lang, how to get to college, at paano makatapos,” he said.
Reimagining TESDA’s role
Cayetano also posed a challenge to TESDA to redefine its role, arguing that the K-12 reform should have naturally reduced its size and refocused its mandate on industry-aligned skills.
“Ang understanding sa K-12, pag-graduate mo, hanggang NC II tapos mo na. So dapat lumiit ang TESDA, hindi lumaki,” he said.
He urged a 25-year roadmap for TESDA, especially in light of industry shifts and the rise of artificial intelligence.
“Ang trend ngayon, every five years nag-iiba ang industriya eh. So may retraining, relearning. And TESDA can really play that role… If both SUCs and TESDA go into AI much faster than other Southeast Asian neighbors, we’ll be in good shape,” he explained.
Cayetano ended the hearing by thanking the education stakeholders who worked with the committee throughout the 19th Congress.
“On behalf of the committee members, sa CHED, TESDA, sa SUCs, at sa local universities din – thank you for making the 19th Congress productive. May God continue to guide and bless us,” he said.
