DEC.

7, 2013

NR # 3310

Poor students to get discounts on fees, food and medicines

Poor students will soon get discounts on tuition fees, food, medicines, textbooks and school supplies. House Bill 3093, authored by ep. !"arina #mali $3 rd %istrict, &ue'a (ci)a*, entitles underpri'ileged students fi'e percent discount on food establishments, medicines, textbooks and school supplies, tuition fees, miscellaneous and other school fees. +,ust like the -enior !iti"en.s /ct that gi'es discounts to our elderly, a similar law should also be enacted to benefit these underpri'ileged students whose future is a responsibility of the state,0 #mali said. +/lthough mechanisms are in place for scholarships, loans, grants and other support systems, these pro'e to be inade1uate as most underpri'ileged students still struggle with other financial woes like food, transportation, school supplies, and others, which sometimes force them to drop out of school,0 #mali added. 2he proposed #nderpri'ileged Post3-econdary and 2ertiary -tudents. %iscount /ct of 4053 shall not grant discounts to students who fail to enroll for one semester in the ma)ority of the academic sub)ects, unless a 'alid cause is presented. %iscounts shall also not be gi'en if the student fails to finish the course within two years from the time he or she should ha'e graduated, if he or she stops schooling for one semester, or is con'icted of any crime. #mali said the discounts granted by establishments to underpri'ileged students should be treated as allowable deductions from the gross income in the computation of the income tax, in accordance with the pro'isions of the &ational 6nternal e'enue !ode of 5997. 2he !ommission on Higher (ducation $!H(%* shall determine the 1ualified tertiary or college beneficiaries under the measure through its 8ffice of -tudent -er'ices $8--*. 9iolators shall be penali"ed with suspension of business permits for not more than four weeks and a fine of not more than P400,000. 6f the offender is a corporation, organi"ation or any similar entity, the officers shall suffer the same penalty imposed on any person found in 'iolation of the measure. :ilipino students who opt to take part3time )obs to subsidi"e their education and whose income combined with the annual gross income of their parents do not exceed

P500,000 shall also be considered underpri'ileged students and 1ualified to a'ail discounts. !H(% and 2(-%/ shall issue identification cards, which shall be 'alid anywhere in the country as proof of the eligibility of the underpri'ileged college students to a'ail themsel'es of the discounts. 2he !H(% and 2(-%/, in coordination with the &(%/, the %epartment of -ocial ;elfare and %e'elopment, the %epartment of Health $%8H*, the %epartment of 2rade and 6ndustry $%26*, %epartment of :inance $%8:* shall issue the implementing rules and regulations to carry out the ob)ecti'es of this measure. $30* jc