Senator pushes 6 bills to overhaul PH higher education

Senator Loren Legarda has presided over a Senate hearing on six priority measures seeking to modernize the country’s higher and technical education sector, expand scholarships, and tighten quality assurance for Filipino learners.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education and co-chairs the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), led the public hearing on April 23, 2026.

The bills aim to modernize governance in higher and technical education, strengthen professional standards and quality assurance, and expand scholarship opportunities for Filipino students.

The committee tackled the Strengthening of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Charter under Senate Bill Nos. 1036 and 1427.

Also on the agenda were the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Modernization Act under SB Nos. 1413 and 1449, and the Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) Governance Act under SB Nos. 504, 623, 1402, and 1415.

The committee likewise deliberated on the Presidential Merit Scholarship Program Act under SB Nos. 1913 and 1954 and House Bill No. 8477, the Strengthening State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) Governance Act under SB Nos. 706 and 1414, and the Philippine Professional Standards and Quality Assurance System Act under SB No. 1426.

Legarda underscored that the reforms are long overdue, noting that the charters of CHED and TESDA were enacted more than three decades ago.

“The fundamental problem is institutional. CHED’s legal mandate has not kept pace with the sector’s growth, diversification, or the policy commitments the Philippine government has made in subsequent decades,” Legarda said.

CHED was created under Republic Act No. 7722 in 1994, while TESDA was established under Republic Act No. 7796 also in 1994, making both agencies more than 30 years old.

EDCOM II presented findings that highlighted structural challenges in LUCs, including disparities in faculty pay and a lack of compliance with CHED recognition.

The Commission noted that poorer local government units struggle to recruit qualified faculty due to lower salary grades, perpetuating a cycle of poor-quality education.

The proposed reforms include differentiated autonomy for SUCs based on performance, mandatory certification for governing board members, and the establishment of a Philippine Higher Education Leadership Academy to strengthen succession planning.

For TESDA, the modernization act seeks to replace its board with a board of advisers, expand its Secretariat to cover enterprise-based and community skills development, and mandate impact evaluation for scholarship programs.

The Professional Standards and Quality Assurance System Act, meanwhile, aims to harmonize overlapping mandates among CHED, TESDA, and the Professional Regulation Commission, addressing outdated professional laws that restrict curriculum updates.

Legarda closed the hearing by affirming the committee’s commitment to refine the proposed reforms through technical working groups.

By anchoring the reforms on governance, accountability, and access, Legarda highlighted that education remains central to national development, ensuring that Filipino learners, especially those from poor families, can pursue quality education and secure better opportunities for the future.