Manila, Sept. 8 -- Free tuition to take up a master's degree for more than 2.25 million government workers will strengthen the performance of the country's civil service.

Senator Loren Legarda, who is on medical leave reportedly due to a serious ailment, has filed Senate Bill No. 2099 or the Government Employees Free Master's Degree Tuition Act to give state workers greater opportunities to improve their skills, alongside reforms that promote merit-based performance, transparency and accountability.

"Kapag maayos ang trabaho ng isang kawani, ramdam iyan ng tao. Mas mabilis ang transaksyon, mas maayos ang serbisyo, mas malinaw ang sagot ng ahensya, at mas napapakinabangan ang pondo ng bayan (When a government employee does the job well, ...