SENATOR  Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has filed a measure to extend financial assistance to private school learners from low- and middle-income households.

Pangilinan’s Senate Bill No. 1841, or the proposed Private Education Voucher Expansion (PEVE) Act, aims to cover underprivileged kindergarten to senior high school learners who attend private institutions due to overcrowded public schools in their areas.

“The voucher assistance shall be provided to students from middle-income families, as determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority, who attended public schools identified by the Department of Education as congested, or those living in areas with congested public schools or without a nearby public school, and who wish to enroll in private basic education schools,” the bill reads.

“Students who are most vulnerable and underprivileged shall receive a higher voucher amount, as determined by the Basic Education Assistance Council,” it adds.

The proposed measure institutionalizes a Private Basic Education Voucher Program and consolidates existing assistance mechanisms into a unified voucher-based framework. It will also provide institutional support—including teacher development and targeted assistance—to participating private schools.

The bill seeks to establish a Bureau of Private Education under the DepEd to oversee program implementation and ensure regulatory compliance. It also proposes repealing certain sections of Republic Act No. 8545, which amended RA No. 6728, to streamline the assistance framework.

To ensure eligibility, criteria will be set to select the most underprivileged learners, while participating schools will be assessed by the BEAC.

“By strengthening public-private partnerships in basic education, this bill promotes equitable access, more efficient use of public resources, and improved education outcomes,” the bill’s explanatory note adds.