After filing a measure that will require the Philippines Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) to admit one cadet from each congressional district in the country, it has already obtained a nod on the second reading in the House of Representatives.

The chamber passed the proposed bill during the plenary session on Wednesday through voice voting.

Moreover, House Bill 6994 seeks to require the PMMA to admit one cadet from each congressional district every school year to comprise its freshman class.

Also, it aims to improve access to quality education and provide deserving students from rural and far-flung areas with equal opportunities to enroll at the PMMA.

One of the authors of the measure is Cagayan de Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez, who said that most of the cadets who enter the PMMA come from bigger cities and provinces.

He stressed that it is "high time" for a more balanced composition in each class that graduates from the PMMA.

Meanwhile, the bill mandates that applicants from each congressional district pass the entrance examination and submit all the admission requirements before being admitted.