THE SENATE has approved on final reading four bills that establish new state colleges and upgrade existing ones in several provinces.

Senators unanimously passed the measures, all introduced by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. These include:

Senate Bill No. 916 – Establishing the first state college in the province of Sarangani, to be known as the Sarangani State College;

House Bill No. 10405 – Establishing the first state college in the province of Dinagat Islands, to be known as the Dinagat Islands State College;

House Bill No. 9314 – Converting the Baao Community College in Camarines Sur into a state-run institution to be known as the Rinconada State College;

House Bill No. 9642 – Converting the Aurora State College of Technology into a state university, to be known as the Aurora State University of Science and Technology.

During the omnibus interpellation, Cayetano—chair of the Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education—stressed that expanding the number of state colleges and universities in the provinces will help reduce overcrowding and give students better educational options suited to their talents.

“Most of our state universities are overcrowded. The net effect of having more local state universities is decongestion, allowing students to stay in their provinces,” he said.

“If you have more state universities offering different courses, students can find better matches for their interests and skills,” he added.

Cayetano also assured fellow senators that these institutions meet the requirements set by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

He urged the future administrators of the Sarangani and Dinagat Islands state colleges to appoint their school presidents early to help with planning and implementation.

Cayetano reiterated his call for increased funding for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to equip them with the resources needed to fulfill their mandates effectively.

Under the 2025 national budget, SUCs faced a budget cut of over P5 billion.

According to the bills, the new and upgraded schools will receive funding from the annual national budget, which is determined by Congress each year.

Despite concerns over the budget, senators previously expressed full support for the measures.