The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a bill that would require public and private colleges and universities in the Philippines to provide students and faculty with free campus Wi-Fi and free access to digital textbooks and other academic materials.
House Bill No. 9532, the “Universal Access to Digital Academic Learning Resources Act,” passed on Wednesday, August 12, with 202 affirmative votes and no objections or abstentions.
Internet data plans and printed or licensed digital textbooks remain significant recurring expenses for many families, particularly outside Metro Manila. The measure prioritizes rural and under-resourced campuses in its initial rollout, which would extend the benefit first to areas where connectivity and materials access tend to lag behind major urban universities.
The bill directs the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), working with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), to build a National Academic Content Repository containing digital textbooks, lecture videos, syllabi, research papers, and open educational resources across disciplines, free to students and faculty nationwide.
CHED would also negotiate licensing terms with local and international publishers and set up review panels to check the accuracy of materials added to the repository. Separately, the DICT and individual institutions would be required to install and maintain secure, campus-wide high-speed Wi-Fi at no cost to enrolled students and faculty.
House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, who represents Isabela’s 1st district, framed the measure as addressing a choice students should not have to make.
“Today, a student who cannot afford textbooks or reliable Internet access is already starting at a disadvantage. *Isipin natin ang isang estudyante na kailangang mamili kung bibili ng libro at magpapaload para makapag-*research, o gagamitin ang pera para sa pamasahe at pagkain. Through this bill, our youth do not need to make this painful choice,” Dy said.
The bill also provides grants for developing localized and open educational resources, with recognition and incentives for faculty whose materials are adopted nationally. Colleges and universities would be required to designate an open learning resources unit or officer, integrate repository content into library services and coursework, and support students in developing digital literacy skills.
Dy said the goal is to narrow the gap between well-resourced and rural campuses. “When a student in a rural campus can access the same quality academic materials available to a student in a major university, we begin to close the gap. When our teachers can create and share Filipino learning materials nationwide, we strengthen the entire higher education system,” he said.
If enacted, CHED and the DICT would have 90 days to issue implementing rules and regulations in coordination with higher education institutions and other stakeholders. The bill now goes to the Senate, where a counterpart measure would need to pass before the proposal can be sent to the President for signature.
