SENATOR Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan on Friday lauded private educational institutions for helping deliver quality education to Filipino students amid the Covid19 pandemic.

“Kayo ang dapat naming pasalamatan dahil ginawa ninyo ang lahat ng inyong makakaya upang mapanatili at makapagpatuloy ng edukasyon ang milyon-milyon nating mga kabataan sa gitna ng napakalaki at napakatagal na hamon ng Covid 19,” Pangilinan said.

“Naging kasangga kayo ng pamahalaan upang magampanan natin ang tungkulin natin sa ating mga anak,” he added.

By virtue of Republic Act 11635, private schools are qualified to apply for a concessionary tax rate of one percent through the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE Act.

This rectifies the previous regulation by the Bureau of Internal Revenue imposing a 150 percent tax on private educational institutions.

Pangilinan said the CREATE law was passed to aid private institutions greatly affected by the pandemic.

The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines through its chairman Dr. Anthony Tamayo earlier lauded the lawmakers who pushed for the passage of the law, saying private schools needed the support more than ever.

“Education, as a public good, certainly deserves such significance and priority being given by our honorable senators,” Tamayo said.