HOUSE Assistant Minority Leader and Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales has filed two priority bills seeking to establish full-fledged campuses of Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) in Balangiga and Arteche to expand access to higher education in the province.

House Bill 3135 proposes the creation of the ESSU–Balangiga Campus, while House Bill 3136 seeks to convert the 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.

“These measures are anchored on our constitutional duty to make quality education accessible to every Filipino. By upgrading the ESSU units in Balangiga and Arteche, we open more doors for our youth to pursue higher learning without leaving their hometowns,” Gonzales said.

He stressed that investing in education is the “most sustainable form of development,” adding: “By bringing ESSU closer to our people, we are investing in human capital that will drive Eastern Samar’s progress for generations.”

Under the proposed bills, the new campuses will be authorized to offer technical-vocational, undergraduate, and graduate programs in line with ESSU’s mandate. They will also provide research, extension services, and community development initiatives to spur local growth.

Gonzales said the plan will ease the financial burden on families unable to send their children outside the province while building a pool of skilled professionals to meet local development needs.

ESSU, the lone state university in Eastern Samar, currently serves nearly 25,000 students with 721 faculty members. Aside from its main campus in Borongan City, it operates campuses in Can-avid, Guiuan, Maydolong, and Salcedo, as well as extension units in Balangiga and Arteche.