The Far Eastern University Public Policy Center (FEU PPC), in partnership with the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) and the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC), successfully held the first of a six-part seminar series on July 30, 2025, at the FEU Makati Mini Theater. The series examines the regulatory landscape of Philippine higher education through an evidence-based policy lens.
The opening seminar, titled “The Economic Bases of Regulating Higher Education,” featured a presentation by Dr. Michael M. Alba, President of FEU PPC and lead researcher of the initiative supported by the UP President Edgardo J. Angara (UPPEJA) Fellowship. The discussion explored why and how the state regulates higher education, what economic rationale underpins such regulation, and how this shapes institutional behavior and policy outcomes.
Joining Dr. Alba were leading economists and education policy experts who provided panel responses and engaged in dialogue with participants. These included Dr. Philip Arnold P. Tuaño (President, Philippine Institute for Development Studies), Dr. Emmanuel S. de Dios (Professor Emeritus, UP School of Economics), Dr. Vicente K. Fabella (President, Jose Rizal University), and Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista (Advisory Council Member, EDCOM II).
The seminar brought together stakeholders from the public and private education sectors to reflect on how regulatory approaches can support or hinder educational access, quality, and innovation. The series aims to inform the policy agenda of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) and will continue to tackle key issues in the regulation of Philippine higher education over the coming months.
