PASAY CITY—Philippine lawmakers from both chambers officially signed the reconciled version of Senate Bill No. 1894 and House Bill No. 8476 on Monday, June 1, launching a major upgrade to the country’s free college education system. 

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda led the upper house contingent alongside Senators Bam Aquino and Mark Villar during the bicameral conference committee meeting at the Senate. 

This critical signing successfully merges the legislative efforts to overhaul and strengthen Republic Act No. 10931, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.

The newly amended measure directly tackles student equity by prioritizing the country’s most financially vulnerable youth for the government's Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES). 

To ensure these critical funds actually reach the poorest learners, the law introduces aggressive tracking and accountability safeguards within the TES framework. 

By closing implementation loopholes and focusing resources on those who need them most, the legislation aims to make quality higher education a reliable reality for marginalized Filipino students.