Sen. Bam Bewails Free College Education as "Black Mail" by the Gov't

By Hannah Torregoza

Senator Paolo “Bam” Aquino IV on Tuesday said the Duterte government should not use free education as a means to gain political loyalty or to stifle students’ right to free expression and dissent.

Senator Bam Aquino feeling the pulses of students of a State College in the country.

“Walang kapalit ang libreng kolehiyo. Hindi dapat nilalagyan ng pamahalaan ng limitasyon ang karapatan ng mga estudyante kapalit ng libreng edukasyon sa pampublikong unibersidad at kolehiyo, (free college education is free. And it should not be used by the government to limit the rights of students in exchange for free education in state colleges and universities),” Aquino said in a statement.

Aquino is referring to President Duterte’s earlier threat he would give to bright “Lumad” youths the slots of University of the Philippine (UP) students who will choose to “walk out” of their classes and join street protests as they would be wasting taxpayers’ money.

The senator, who is a principal sponsor and co-author of RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, stressed the free college law is a form of benefit to the Filipino people, and therefore should not be used for blackmail or as hush money.

He said students in SUCs must not surrender their right to speak and dissent just to enjoy free education.

“We commend the Filipino youth who continue working for a cause, speaking up and speaking out against policies that are counter to their values and beliefs,” he said.

He said he is confident that Filipino students are responsible enough to know their limitations or if their actions are affecting their studies or not.

The free college education act covers students in state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges (LUCs) and TESDA-run vocational schools.