Tulfo pushes for 20% student discount on mobile data

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Erwin Tulfo is pushing for a 20 percent discount on mobile prepaid load, mobile postpaid plans, and mobile internet packages for all enrolled Filipino students amid repeated shifts to online classes due to severe weather conditions.

Senate Bill No. 2275, known as the “Student Load Discount Act,” aims to alleviate the financial burden on families struggling to keep up with the data demands of modern education.

Under the proposed legislation, the discount covers all Filipino citizens currently enrolled in authorized elementary, secondary, technical-vocational or higher education institutions, excluding post-graduate studies.

The mandatory 20 percent price cut will remain available year-round, including weekends and holidays, ensuring continuous academic access.

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Tulfo noted that while the government has consistently recognized education as a fundamental right and a priority investment, there remains a pressing need to institutionalize mechanisms that will ease the financial burden borne by Filipino students in securing access to digital educational resources.

“By providing students reliable and affordable connectivity, they can learn more effectively, access a wider range of educational materials, and develop the digital skills necessary for success in the modern economy,” he wrote in the explanatory note of his proposed measure.

“We have to slash this added expense from students, which too often prevents [them] from keeping up with their online classes. This is our way to somehow level the playing field,” he added.

Tulfo stressed that students, especially those from indigent families, cannot be expected to seamlessly transition to digital learning without the government lending them a helping hand.

Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, highlighted that the traditional concept of class suspensions has fundamentally changed.

“Before, when classes are suspended, there were simply no classes. But this time around, most schools immediately shift to online modality to avoid academic backlogs,” he said.

“It is our duty in the government to guarantee access. A student’s potential to learn should never be halted simply because they cannot afford mobile data or an internet connection. No student must be left offline when everyone else should be online,” he added.

Once the bill is enacted, students need only present a valid school identification card or proof of enrollment alongside a birth certificate to verify citizenship and claim the discount.

Under the proposal, telecommunications companies will be legally required to grant the discount across all eligible services, with noncompliant providers facing strict penalties. /mcm