De Vera stressed that free access to education is not enough and must be matched with interventions to achieve quality education, hence, CHED gives support programs to state universities and colleges (SUC) on its facility, curriculum, and workforce development.

In UA, one of the latest CHED projects is the construction of a state-of-the-art hot and cold kitchen for its culinary arts and food technology program.

With these facilities, students become equipped with the necessary competencies and actual skills needed to secure employment right after graduation, he said.

Having been granted authorization by CHED to maximize its use, the UA's hot and cold kitchen does not only function as an academic facility but a catering 

With these programs and projects in UA alone, de Vera expressed the Commission’s commitment to assisting all Higher Education Institutions (HEI) across the country to improve the quality of education so Filipino students become industry-ready and globally competitive.

“The government has decided that higher education should be [thought of] as an investment. It is not an expense. Every peso you give to higher education is an investment in the country's future,” he noted.

The official added that following the implementation of the free higher education policy, college enrollment has increased tremendously, especially in public universities – an indication that more and more Filipinos take an interest in earning academic degrees.