SENATOR PUSHES FOR NATIONAL LAW PROTECTING STUDENTS’ RIGHTS AND WELFARE
/ 12 October 2025
SENATOR Risa Hontiveros is pushing for a measure that seeks to establish a comprehensive national framework to safeguard the rights and welfare of students across the country.
Hontiveros’ Senate Bill No. 1403, or the proposed Students’ Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Act of 2025, aims to address long-standing issues of student disenfranchisement, arbitrary disciplinary actions, and the suppression of campus freedoms.
“The 1987 Constitution guarantees quality and accessible education for all. But many of our students continue to experience violations of their basic rights—from restrictions on free expression to lack of participation in policymaking,” Hontiveros said in her explanatory note.
The proposed law seeks to codify a wide range of protections for students in senior high schools, higher education institutions, and technical-vocational education and training centers, both public and private.
