Manila, Aug. 13 -- The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on third and final reading a measure that would give students in public and private higher education institutions free access to digital textbooks and other academic resources, as well as free high-speed Wi-Fi on their campuses.

House Bill 9532, or the proposed "Universal Access to Digital Academic Learning Resources Act," as passed with 202 affirmative votes, zero negative votes and zero abstentions. It seeks to address inequalities in access to learning materials and reliable internet connectivity that continue to put many Filipino students at a disadvantage.

Under the measure, a National Academic Content Repository (NACR) would be established under the Commission ...