MANILA — More Filipino students received scholarships and educational subsidies under the government of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. than in the previous administrations, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Secretary Prospero De Vera said Tuesday.

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De Vera  said around 700,000 students have benefitted from various scholarships offered by the commission.

These include the Merit Scholarship Program, a grade-based scholarship that provides financial assistance that can cover for the tuition and other school fees, stipend, and book allowance among others.

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The "Tulong Dunong" Scholarship program of CHED also helps children from families who are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps).

De Vera said Congress recently added P2 billion to the program to expand its coverage.

"Sa [academic year] 2024 to 2025, hindi tayo magkakaroon ng problema in our desire to help students. i hope in the 2025 GAA [General Appropriations Act], the same level or hopefully even higher amount can be given for us to process," De Vera said.  

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Aside from free tuition in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) as mandated by law, CHED is also granting scholarships for children of coconut farmers, as well as those who are interested to take courses related to agriculture. 

"So overall, the number of Filipino students who are now assisted by government through subsidies, aside from free higher [education], is close to 700,000 students. They are now enjoying some form of subsidy from government,"  De Vera told reporters.

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"So that is tremendous increase from the previous years, and I am hoping that the president will include this in the State of the Nation Address because it is under this administration where there is a dramatic increase in the number of scholarships and stipends the students get," he added. 

De Vera said these scholarships were mostly offered during the Marcos administration's "Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair" and the "Lab for All Program" that were held in different parts of the country. 

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