Senator Bam Aquino, the principal author of the landmark Free College Education Law, was conferred the Doctor of Education, Honoris Causa by the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) on Wednesday.
The prestigious recognition honors Aquino’s unwavering dedication to making higher education accessible to millions of Filipino youth — a vision the university described as “pundasyon ng pag-unlad ng bansa.”
Aquino served as both guest of honor and commencement speaker at PLM’s graduation ceremonies, where he was commended for his transformative contributions to Philippine education policy.
“Today we confer on him our highest honor, Doctor of Education, Honoris Causa. We award this in recognition of Sen. Bam’s meritorious contribution to the advancement of education in our country — as a student, as a youth leader, as a legislator, as a senator,” Atty. Edward Serapio, Chairman, PLM Board of Regents, said.
As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education in 2017, Aquino authored Republic Act No. 10931, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. Today, the law benefits an estimated 3.5 million students nationwide — with 2.2 million enjoying tuition-free education in state and local universities and colleges (SUCs/LUCs), and 1.3 million more receiving financial aid through the Tertiary Education Subsidy and Tulong Dunong programs.
During his commencement address, Aquino reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring full funding for the Free College Program in the 2026 national budget — while issuing a bold challenge to government leaders to redirect public funds toward essential services.
“Tutukan niyo rin po ang nangyayari sa Senado at sa Kongreso. Para ito pong 2026 budget, masigurado natin na ang pera ng bayan, napupunta po sa taumbayan.
Ang pera ng bayan, napupunta sa edukasyon, sa kalusugan, sa serbisyo, sa taumbayan, sa tama, at hindi po nabubulsa ng iilan,” Aquino urged.
He renewed his call for the reallocation of P260 billion currently earmarked for flood control projects toward education, health, and other critical social needs.
“Edukasyon, hindi korapsyon. Tanggalin yung pondo sa flood control, ilagay sa classroom.
Tanggalin yung pondo sa flood control, ilagay sa tulong sa mga estudyante.
Tanggalin yung pondo sa flood control, ilagay sa mas maraming scholarships, subsidiya para sa mga kabataan natin. Yan po yung panawagan namin,” Aquino emphasized.
This marks the second honorary doctorate for Senator Aquino, following a similar distinction from Tarlac State University in 2017 — cementing his place as one of the nation’s foremost champions of education reform and youth empowerment.
