Three out of four Filipinos aspire to send their children to college. However, enrollment in tertiary education remains a barrier for many aspirants. In the 2013 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey, the high cost of education was cited as one of the reasons for not attending school among the population aged 16 to 24 years. Congress and the Senate have submitted the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act to the President for approval. The bill provides for the government to cover the cost of tuition and miscellaneous fees for students pursuing their first undergraduate degree at a public higher education institution (HEI). Questions on the government’s capacity to provide quality education have surfaced and, besides, it would be expensive to improve the quality of public HEIs. The full and proper promotion of free higher education could play a crucial role in the country’s development.