Philippine Senate Advances Voucher Bill to Give Poor Families Access to Private Schools

MANILA — A bill that would give government-funded vouchers to disadvantaged Filipino students to attend private K-12 schools of their choice advanced to the Senate plenary floor Monday, with its authors framing it as a constitutional remedy to chronic overcrowding in public schools.

Senate Bill No. 1981, a consolidation of eight separate measures, would make learners from congested public schools eligible for portable, learner-held vouchers redeemable at any government-recognized private institution, with priority given to those from low-income households.

The voucher amount would be set by the Department of Education at a level “sufficient to ensure reasonable access to private education,” according to the bill’s text.

Senate Basic Education Committee Chairman Bam Aquino, who sponsored the committee report, credited Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and other co-authors for the measure. Cayetano’s Senate Bill No. 422, filed in July 2025 and patterned after Taguig City’s existing voucher program, was among the bills consolidated into the legislation.

Key features drawn from Cayetano’s proposal include the prioritization of learners from officially designated overcrowded schools and anti-fraud provisions targeting ghost learners and delayed disbursements.

The bill also automatically grants vouchers to “disadvantaged learners” — defined to include persons with disabilities, orphans, and students in geographically isolated areas.

Unlike the existing Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act, or E-GASTPE, which ties subsidies to participating schools and pre-allocated slots, the proposed vouchers would be held by students and portable across qualifying institutions.

To aid families in choosing schools, the bill mandates the DepEd to maintain a public database of participating private schools, listing tuition fees, program tracks, and key performance indicators.

Cayetano, a former co-chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, said the bill moves the country closer to fulfilling every Filipino child’s constitutional right to quality basic education regardless of economic status.

“I’d like to see the day that when you are born in the Philippines, regardless of your last name, if you want to go to the best private school in your province or city, you’ll have the opportunity to do that,” he said.

The bill now heads to plenary debates, where Cayetano has said he intends to interpellate and propose amendments.