SENATOR Francis Escudero on Sunday lauded the decision of the Commission on Higher Education to lift its 11-year-old moratorium on the opening of undergraduate nursing programs.

Escudero said the lifting of the ban will ensure that the country has sufficient medical frontliners should there be another global health crisis.

“Malaking hamon noong kasagsagan ng pandemya ang kakulangan natin sa mga health workers, kabilang na ang ating mga nurses. We are still in a pandemic and we will be needing more medical workers,” he said.

“That is why we have to start rebuilding our workforce now so we don’t have to go through the same harrowing experience should another health crisis comes,” Escudero said.

CHEd Chairman Prospero de Vera III earlier announced the lifting of the ban after a thorough review.

The commission imposed the moratorium in 2011 during the administration of President Benigno Aquino III due to the oversupply of nursing graduates.

Escudero said he intends to look at the state of the country’s higher education when he assumes the chairmanship of the Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education when the 19th Congress formally opens on July 25.

“Ating pagtutuunan ng pansin ang mga panukalang batas na naglalayong mapatatag pa nang husto ang edukasyon sa bansa. But we have to ensure that any reform we will have to initiate will be doable and sustainable in the long run,” he said.