MANILA, Philippines- Aprubado sa Senado at ikatlo at huling pagbasa ang isang panukalang batas na magtatayo ng Philippine Science High School (PSHS) campus sa bawat rehiyon maliban sa Metro Manila, ayon kay Senador Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri.
Sinabi ni Zubiri na inaprubahan ng Senado ang Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2974, o mas kikilalanin bilang Expanded Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System Act, sa plenary session nitong Lunes, June 2, 2025.
Ayon kay Zubiri, sponsor ng panukala, magkakaroon ng pagkakataon ang mas maraming estudyante na may kakaibang karunungan sa siyensya at matematika na makapag-aral sa PSHS campuses sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa.
Sa kasalukuyan, sinabi ni Zubiri na pinapayagan ng Philippine Science High School Act na makapagtayo ng isang PSHS campus kada administrative region na may kabuuang 16 PSHS campuses na nakapagsisilbi lamang sa 10,600 estudyante.
“The Second Congressional Commission on Education report disclosed a very disappointing statistic: since 2022, the Philippine Science High School system has turned away a total of 5,807 qualified students from enrolling in the school. These kids did not fail. They met all the qualifications and they passed the notoriously difficult Pisay (PSHS) admission tests but were turned away because they have no room left,” ayon kay Zubiri.
Aniya, kapag pinalawak ang PSHS System Act, papayagan nang makapag-aral ang libo-libong karapat-dapat na high school students sa PSHS campuses sa buong bansa.
“Under our proposed measure, we are allowing for the establishment of up to two Philippine Science High School campuses for every region—excluding the National Capital Region, which already has a bigger campus compared to others, but including the Negros Island Region, which does not yet have its own campus,” ayon kay Zubiri.
Sinabi pa ni Zubiri na hindi itatayo ang regional campuses sa iisang lalawigan upang maging demokratiko ang PSHS at mabigyan ng mas malawak na tiyansa ang estudyante na makapag-apply at makapasok sa paaralan.
“After 15 years, we will again allow for the establishment of additional campuses, upon a comprehensive review of the educational demands in a particular region,” wika niya.
Sinabi pa ni Zubiri na layunin ng panukala na itaas ang bilang ng high school graduates na magkakaroon sa undergraduate courses sa Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), magsagawa ng research and development o isulong ang karera sa Science and Technology (S&T).
“Furthermore, the bill also aims to consolidate existing and future campuses under a unified system of governance and management to ensure a consistent quality standard and efficient operation as well as support the holistic development of scholars, faculty and staff,” ayon kay Zubiri. Ernie Reyes
