The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has agreed to remove the "return service" provision in the implementing rules and regulation (IRR) of the free college tuition law.
Isabela Representative Ma. Lourdes Aggabao made the pronouncement during the plenary deliberations of the CHED's budget for 2019 early Thursday morning.
During his interpellation, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio pointed out that the Return Service Agreement (RSA) System, which was stated in the IRR of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Law, had no legal basis.
"Nire-rehistro ko on the record na walang legal na batayan ang pagpasok ng CHED sa IRR ng free tertiary education ng return service requirement," he said.
In response, Aggabao told Tinio that the CHED "has decided to delete it (RSA) from the IRR."
Section 4, Paragraph 3 of the said IRR states that SUCs and local university and colleges are mandated to formulate and implement a Return Service Agreement (RSA) System for students benefitting from the free higher education provision of the law as part of their admission and retention policies.
In a news report in March, CHED officer-in-charge Prospero De Vera III was quoted as saying that the return service would be implemented while the student is still studying and involve only simple tasks.
"Ayaw mo mag-return of service, e di magbayad ka ng tuition, that is the provision of the law," he said.
"The return service will happen while they are students. Hindi yung after grumaduate ka pagtatrabahuhin ka, no, it is a return service system while they are students," he added.
But Tinio argued that there was no mention in the free college tuition law that authorizes the RSA.
"Winawasak nito ang pinaka-esensya ng batas dahil kung may kapalit na serbisyo, hindi na tunay na libre ang edukasyon sa kolehiyo," Tinio said in a separate message to reporters.
"Natutuwa kami na sa pamamagitan ng sponsor ng kanilang budget na si Cong. Aggabao, nag-commit ang CHED sa deletion ng return service provision sa IRR," he added.
In a Facebook post, Kabataan party-list Rep. Sarah Elago said the deletion of the RSA provision in the IRR is "one victory after another."
"A win for the youth and student movement, indeed!" she added.
The House of Representatives will resume its plenary deliberations on the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 on Thursday. — MDM, GMA News