The Senate approved on Second Reading seven more bills led by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, all aimed at expanding and improving higher education institutions particularly in Visayas and Mindanao.
Passed during Senate sessions on February 3 and 4, 2025, these measures seek to enhance accessibility and elevate the quality of education for Filipino students.
A significant milestone among the approved bills is House Bill No. 10181 under Committee Report No. 510, which will establish a College of Medicine at the Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU).
This initiative is aimed at addressing the critical shortage of medical professionals in Central Mindanao by offering a Doctor of Medicine Program and an Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine Program.
“The primary goal of the College shall be to develop a corps of professional physicians to help strengthen the healthcare system of the country, as well as to respond to the human resource development needs of the Province of Sultan Kudarat and the Central Mindanao Region,” Cayetano stated in the committee report.
Another key measure, House Bill No. 9334 under Committee Report No. 467, will transform Sulu State College into Sulu State University, marking a major leap in educational opportunities for students in the region.
The upgraded university will become the first state university in Sulu and its neighboring provinces, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi. It will offer a broader array of degree programs and research opportunities while adhering to Commission on Higher Education (CHED) standards.
In Western Mindanao, House Bill No. 9315 under Committee Report No. 491 paves the way for JH Cerilles State College to become Zamboanga del Sur State University, ensuring enhanced academic offerings like technical-vocational, undergraduate, and graduate programs in engineering, medical sciences, and business.
A similar upgrade awaits Zamboanga del Sur School of Arts and Trades, as House Bill No. 9332 under Committee Report No. 492 seeks to convert it to Zamboanga del Sur Polytechnic State College.
The move will expand its technical and vocational courses in engineering, agriculture, and trade, reinforcing the region’s workforce development.
Higher education institutions in the Visayas also received a boost with the passage of House Bills No. 10408 and 10619 under Committee Reports No. 509 and 511, officially converting Cebu Normal University’s Medellin and Balamban extension campuses into regular campuses.
This change will allow both campuses to offer expanded programs in education, science and technology, tourism, and agriculture.
Likewise, House Bill No. 10822 under Committee Report No. 512 grants Guimaras State University’s Mosqueda and Baterna extension campuses full-fledged regular campus status.
With this development, students in Guimaras and nearby provinces will gain better access to higher education and skill development programs tailored to the region’s economic needs.
Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, consistently advocated for legislation that promotes equitable access to quality education.
“This is one issue we could all agree on, no matter what political color you carry: that access to quality education is a right, not a privilege. Let us provide Filipino families, especially the poor, the kind of education that would make their lives better,” he said.
The aforementioned bills are now poised for Third and Final Reading as the Senate concludes its session this week.
