Senate panel to adopt House ‘no permit no exam’ bill

The Senate committee on education, arts, and culture is likely to adopt the bill from the House of Representatives prohibiting colleges and universities from disallowing students with unpaid school fees from taking examinations, its chairman Sen. Edgardo Angara said Thursday. "We'll wait for (the House proposal), expedite it to the committee (level), plenary and we'll pass it. Immediately meron na tayong law (we'll have a law)," Angara told reporters during a weekly forum at the Senate. He was referring to the consolidated measure approved by the House committee on higher and technical education last Tuesday. The House bill is a consolidated version of six bills filed by Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino, Las Pinas Rep. Mark Villar, Marikina Rep. Marcelino Teodoro and KALINGA party-list Rep. Abigail Ferriol. Sen. Angara, for his part, said that he is personally in favor of all students being allowed to take examinations despite not being able to pay for their tuition during that time. "Why not just let them sign a promisory note? That's good enough. Why require them to pay in cash, especially (during) this time when cash is scarce and people would rather put cash to food?" he said. Legislative process The House committee on higher and technical education is now preparing a report on its approval of the measure that will be submitted to the House committees on rules and appropriations for comment. The measure will then be presented in the plenary, where lawmakers will discuss and vote on the measure on the floor. After the chamber approves the measure, it will submit the bill to the Senate for consideration. The Senate can either pass its own version of the bill or adopt the bill passed by the House. After this, the bicameral conference committee will be convened to reconcile the respective versions of the House and Senate. Once the bicameral committee approves the bill, it will be returned to the House and Senate for ratification. It will then be submitted to Malacañang for the signature of the President. — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ GMA News