SEN. Bong Go urged the government to come up with clear guidelines on the suspension of student loan payments during disasters and emergencies.
“Students should not have to navigate complicated requirements at a time when their families are already struggling to recover,” Go said.
This comes as several areas experienced flooding resulting from the enhanced southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones. Those placed under states of calamity were Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, and Cavite, along with affected localities in Pangasinan, Rizal, Zambales, and Batangas.
Go is one of the authors and co-sponsors of Republic Act (RA) 12077, which was signed into law on Dec. 6, 2024. The law mandates the temporary suspension of student loan payments during a declared state of calamity or state of emergency, including for 30 days after the declaration is lifted.
The law covers qualified students enrolled in state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges, private higher education institutions, and public and private technical-vocational institutions whose residences are located in areas covered by a duly declared state of calamity or emergency.
Under RA 12077, the moratorium applies to fees, charges, and other costs related to student loans for higher education and technical-vocational education and training programs.
These include loans administered by schools, the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education Board, the Commission on Higher Education, and other government agencies or instrumentalities.
Go said that the law's benefits should be communicated in plain and accessible language so that eligible students understand who qualifies, which loans are covered, how long the payment suspension lasts, and where to seek assistance.
RA 12077 also protects students from possible academic consequences arising from their availment of the moratorium. The law provides that availing of the payment suspension must not adversely affect a student's eligibility for re-enrollment in succeeding semesters or terms or for graduation.
