SENATOR Raffy Tulfo lashed out at the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Monday (09 June 2025) for maintaining what he called a non-functional Public Assistance and Complaints Desk, citing poor service and inaccessibility when his office sought assistance.

During a public hearing, Tulfo revealed that his team had attempted to reach CHED but was given the runaround by the personnel on duty.

“They even told us to just ‘Google’ the email address we needed,” he said.

He also pointed out that CHED’s listed telephone numbers were not working, raising concerns about the agency’s responsiveness to public inquiries and complaints.

“This is basic government service,” Tulfo said.

“How can people trust CHED to uphold standards in higher education if they can’t even maintain a working complaints desk?” he added.

The senator also questioned CHED’s decision to lift a moratorium on off-campus field trips just months after a deadly accident in February 2017.

That tragedy involved a bus carrying students from Bestlink College of the Philippines, which crashed into an electrical post in Tanay, Rizal, resulting in 15 student deaths and over 40 injuries.

“Why was the moratorium lifted just a few months later in December? What sanctions did you impose?” Tulfo asked CHED officials during the hearing.

In response, CHED representatives said a suspension was imposed on the school in accordance with legal guidelines set by the Commission en banc.

However, Tulfo questioned the adequacy of the sanctions, implying the punishment lacked the severity warranted by the scale of the tragedy.

The senator urged government officials to take their responsibilities seriously and work toward reforms that would leave a meaningful legacy.

“You are in government to serve. Be diligent in your duties,” he said.