THE HOUSE Committee on Higher and Technical Education has approved two priority measures seeking to establish new full-fledged campuses of the Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) in the municipalities of Balangiga and Arteche.

House Bill No. 3135, authored by House Assistant Minority Leader and Eastern Samar Lone District Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales, proposes the creation of the ESSU–Balangiga Campus, while House Bill No. 3136 seeks the conversion of the current ESSU–Arteche extension unit into a regular campus.

Both measures are co-authored by House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan.

Gonzales said the approval marks a crucial step toward expanding access to higher education across Eastern Samar.

“These campuses will bring quality tertiary education within reach for thousands of families. No student should be forced to leave home just to obtain a college degree,” he said.

He emphasized that education remains the most enduring driver of development.

“By bringing ESSU closer to communities in Balangiga and Arteche, we are strengthening the province’s human capital and preparing our youth to lead Eastern Samar’s long-term progress,” Gonzales added.

Under the approved proposals, the new campuses will be authorized to offer technical-vocational, undergraduate, and graduate programs aligned with ESSU’s mandate.

They will also conduct research, extension activities, and community development initiatives to help spur growth in Eastern Samar and the rest of Region VIII.

Gonzales noted that the new campuses will ease financial pressures on families who cannot afford to send their children to schools outside the province, while also developing a local pool of skilled professionals to meet regional development needs.

ESSU—the lone state university in Eastern Samar—currently serves nearly 25,000 students supported by 721 faculty members.

Aside from its main campus in Borongan City, ESSU operates campuses in Can-avid, Guiuan, Maydolong, and Salcedo, along with extension units in Balangiga and Arteche.