Citing the "moral weight" of stealing from students, Senator Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino IV is pushing for stricter, specialized penalties against schools and individuals found defrauding the government’s Senior High School (SHS) voucher program. Aquino, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, emphasized that existing laws are insufficient to deter the exploitation of state education funds.

The call follows recent revelations from the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) regarding "ghost students" and other fraudulent schemes employed by certain private schools operating under provisional permits.

Higher bar for penalties

During a committee hearing on modernizing support for private basic education, Aquino argued that the current practice of filing cases under syndicated estafa or falsification of documents does not adequately reflect the gravity of the offense. 

“One thing we can probably add to the committee report is a separate penalty for schools or individuals who are defrauding our students,” Aquino said.

He contends that by embedding specific, harsher penalties in the pending modernization bill, the government can force potential offenders to rethink attempts to bypass the system.

HIGHER PENALTIES. Senator Bam Aquino IV (center) gestures while presiding over the Senate Committee on Basic Education hearing, where he pushed for "specialized penalties" against schools and individuals involved in the "ghost student" scheme. Aquino argues that current laws are insufficient to punish those stealing from the Senior High School voucher program. Also in the photo are Senators Sherwin Gatchalian (left) and Raffy Tulfo (right). Photo courtesy of Philippine Senate

Protecting the voucher system

The SHS voucher program is a critical subsidy mechanism that allows students to enroll in private institutions. However, the inclusion of "ghost students" — names listed for payment who are not actually attending classes — siphons resources away from legitimate beneficiaries. Aquino stressed that the goal is to guarantee that vouchers go directly to students who need them most, holding private institutions to a higher standard of transparency.

“Because when we steal money meant for the youth, that's a different level of wrongdoing,” Aquino stated.

Next steps

The senator expressed optimism that his colleagues in the Senate will support the inclusion of these specialized penalties in the final version of the committee report. 

“We will recommend that for the committee, and I hope I can get the support of our colleagues,” Aquino said. He aims to send a clear message that public funds for education are untouchable and that those exploiting the Department of Education’s financial resources will face severe consequences