SENATE Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the enactment of six education laws he supported, which aim to establish new state colleges and strengthen existing higher education institutions nationwide.

Cayetano said the measures, which lapsed into law on September 15, 2025, would expand opportunities for provincial students, help decongest overcrowded state universities, and give young people more options suited to their skills and interests.

“Most of our state universities are overcrowded. The net effect of having more local state universities is decongestion, and students no longer having to leave their province,” he explained.

The six new laws are:

Republic Act No. 12294 – Converts Baao Community College in Camarines Sur into Rinconada State College.

RA No. 12295 – Integrates campuses in Dumingag, Lakewood, and Pagadian City into Zamboanga del Sur State University.

RA No. 12296 – Converts Sulu State College in Jolo, Sulu, into a state university.

RA No. 12298 – Converts Aurora State College of Technology into Aurora State University of Science and Technology.

RA No. 12299 – Establishes Dinagat Islands State College, the province’s first.

RA No. 12300 – Establishes Sarangani State College, also the first in the province.

Cayetano also renewed his call for higher SUC funding, warning that budget cuts — particularly in some Cordillera schools — could hinder their ability to deliver quality education.

“It’s a demand. If young people start demanding, ‘Give us less talk and put more money in education,’ it will happen,” he said.

Stressing that education is key to unlocking Filipinos’ potential, Cayetano urged lawmakers to unite beyond politics.

“Let’s provide good soil so the seed can prosper. This is one issue we can all agree on: access to quality education is a right, not a privilege,” he said.

“Let us give Filipino families, especially the poor, the kind of education that will truly improve their lives,” he added.