SENATOR Raffy Tulfo is pushing for a measure establishing a comprehensive tertiary student welfare and development program.

Tulfo’s Senate Bill 1536, or the proposed Tertiary Student Welfare and Development Act of 2025, seeks to ensure access to mental health services as well as expanded career and employment opportunities for students.

The senator noted that nearly a decade after the implementation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, persistent gaps continue to threaten the gains of the law.

Thus, Tulfo said there is a need for a measure establishing a Comprehensive Tertiary Student Welfare and Development Program that builds on—but stands independent of—the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.

The program rests on three key pillars: expanded and equitable financial support through an enhanced TES; institutionalized mental health and wellness services in all higher education institutions; and structured education-to-employment pathways, including government-supported internships, licensure exam assistance, and career placement services.

Tulfo emphasized that by aligning financial assistance with mental health care and concrete career opportunities, the measure ensures that free education becomes not merely an end but a pathway to dignity, well-being, and productive national service.