A PROPOSED measure seeking the provision of a P1,000 monthly allowance for all students has been filed before the House of Representatives.
House Bill (HB) No. 27, authored by Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste, seeks to grant a P1,000 monthly allowance to each student from elementary to senior high school to cover expenses for food, transportation, and school supplies, provided they attend at least 80 percent of total school days.
In a radio interview, Leviste said the proposed measure will require the national government to allocate over P300 billion each year for its implementation.
“What we are saying here is that education should get the lion’s share of the national budget, and if we are able to do this, then we can really say we finally made education a priority,” Leviste said.
“This is not about cost, but investment. In the long run, our tax revenues will increase because these students will later become productive,” he added.
HB 27 was among the 683 bills filed on the first day of the 20th Congress at the House of Representatives Monday, June 30, 2025.
The first 20 HBs are as follows:
HB No. 1 – Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act
HB No. 2 – Strengthening the Philippine Health Care System
HB No. 3 – Philippine Centers for Disease Prevention and Control Act
HB No. 4 – Amending the scope of the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) Act
HB No. 5 – Eastern Visayas Development Authority Act
HB No. 6 – Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone Act
HB No. 7 – Amending RA 1405 or the Law on Secrecy of Bank Deposits
HB No. 8 – Immigration Modernization Act
HB No. 9 – Cybersecurity Act
HB No. 10 – Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team (Heart) Act
HB No. 11 – Budget Modernization Act
HB No. 12 – National Land Use Act
HB No. 13 – Artificial Intelligence Development and Regulation Act
HB No. 14 – Expanded Agricultural Insurance Act
HB No. 15 – Green Lanes for Strategic Investments Act
HB No. 16 – Enhancing the Discount on Purchases of Goods and Services for Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities
HB No. 17 – Freelance Workers' Protection Act
HB No. 18 – Last Mile Schools Act
HB No. 19 – National Quality Infrastructure Development Act
HB No. 20 – Enhanced National Shelter Program Act
HB No. 1 or the “Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act,” which seeks to amend the Rice Tariffication Law and restore key regulatory powers to the National Food Authority (NFA); HB No. 2, which proposes to exempt overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from PhilHealth premium contributions; and HB No. 3, which seeks to establish the Philippine Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), were filed by reelected Leyte 1st District Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
These three proposed measures are aligned with the priorities of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.'s administration.
Also among the bills filed is HB No. 210, which seeks to legalize absolute divorce.
It was filed by ACT Teachers Partylist Representative Antonio Tinio and Kabataan Partylist Representative Renee Louise Co.
Tinio and Co also filed HB No. 209, which seeks to define and prohibit political dynasties in the country. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)