Senator Raffy Tulfo criticized the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for its ineffective complaints hotline, meant to be the first line of help for students with school-related issues.
During a Senate subcommittee hearing on Resolution No. 1302, Tulfo discussed complaints involving Bestlink College of the Philippines. Students claimed they were forced to join an off-campus event that ended in tragedy. He said a working CHED hotline could have helped students report the incident earlier.
Ahead of the hearing, a staff member from Tulfo’s office posed as a student and called CHED’s official hotline. When the caller named the school, the CHED employee referred them to the NCR Regional Office. However, the number given didn’t work.
Worse, when the staff member called back, they were told to dial the government’s 8888 hotline and “just Google” the regional office’s email address.
At the hearing, Tulfo grilled CHED NCR Regional Director Dr. Jimmy Catanes, who admitted knowing about the issue since taking office in January 2025. Catanes said he had requested a new hotline number: 8403-2247.
To test it, Tulfo called the new number during the hearing. Frustratingly, the CHED employee still redirected him to the old, inactive line.
The senator urged CHED to overhaul its grievance system, remove outdated hotline numbers from its website, and ensure working contact lines are in place. Dr. Catanes agreed.
