WHEREAS, in today ™s global economy, knowledge is the greatest creator of wealth;

WHEREAS, the government must pour all savings and revenue into programs that help the poor and the middle class. This includes more and more investments in education;

WHEREAS, the social safety net programs of the Arroyo Administration have a laser-like focus on expanding educational opportunities to enable the upward mobility of young men and women from poor families;

WHEREAS, the Administration readily addresses educational concerns;

WHEREAS, two concerns have been brought to the attention of the Administration: the rigid tuition fee payment rules of state universities and colleges (SUCs) and the clamor to expand the coverage of the Student ™s Assistance Fund for Education;

WHEREAS, the no-payment, no periodic examination policy is one of the main reasons young students from poor families drop out from their SUCs. This has to change to ensure a decent graduation rate form SUC enrollees;

WHEREAS, rigid tuition fee payment rules cannot be allowed to sabotage the great educational agenda of the Administration;

WHEREAS, the benefits of the Administration ™s Student Assistance Fund for Education should receive the fullest of endowments;

WHEREAS, the most inspiring stories of the Filipinos as a people are the great stories of meritocracy; and driving, fueling and enabling those great success stories is one constant - education;

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the State to protect, foster and promote the right of all citizens to affordable quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to ensure that education shall be accessible to all;

WHEREAS, the Commission on Higher Education is empowered to promulgate such rules and regulations and exercise such other powers and functions as may be necessary to effectively implement the aforementioned State policy;

WHEREAS, the Constitution provides that the President shall have control of all the Executive Departments, Bureaus, and Offices, and shall ensure that the laws be faithfully executed;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. The Commission on Higher Education shall instruct all state universities and colleges (SUCs) to devise a flexible, socially-sensitive tuition fee payment plan and reform the no-payment, no periodic examination policy that is currently being applied;

SECTION 2. The administrators of the Students ™ Assistance Fund for Education shall expand the coverage of the program. On top of tuition, beneficiaries of the program should receive the following additional benefits:

1. Monthly stipend to subsidize the students ™ transport fares, and
2. Laboratory, research and book allowance.

SECTION 3. This Order shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 21 Apr. 2009

(SGD.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
President of the Philippines       

BY THE PRESIDENT:

(SGD.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary