Cayetano Keeps Senate Higher Education Panel, Vows Reforms on Access, Incentives
AdministrationSenator Alan Peter Cayetano will continue to steer the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, as the upper chamber confirmed its new lineup of committee chairmanships on July 29, 2025, for the 20th Congress. Under his watch, the panel is set to tackle the sector’s most pressing concerns including teacher welfare and student support programs, and streamlining of scholarships, grants, and other incentives to expand educational access. A consistent advocate of quality and inclusive learning, Cayetano held the same post in 2024. He has since filed several measures, which include the proposed “Makakapagtapos Ako Act of 2025.” The Act aims to eliminate financial hurdles that prevent students from completing their education. He also proposes key structural shifts by granting voting powers to DepEd, CHED, and TESDA chiefs, to upgrade their roles from mere advisers to full-fledged commissioners in his filed Senate Bill No. 3006, which seeks to establish the Third Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 3). In addition to the higher education panel, Cayetano was also appointed to head three other Senate standing committees: Accounts, Justice and Human Rights, and Science and Technology.
