MANILA – More college students from low-income families are set to benefit from the expanded budget for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) this year, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said Monday.
The 2026 national budget allocates PHP30.8 billion for TES to support underprivileged but qualified students, including those from areas without state or local universities and colleges.
This is a significant increase from the PHP21.7 billion allocated for TES in 2025.
Gatchalian said the expanded budget is expected to benefit around 1.3 million students, with 200,000 slots reserved for incoming college students from families covered by the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
A special provision in the 2026 national budget provides that in the selection of TES beneficiaries, the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UNIFAST) should prioritize students under “Listahanan 3.0” and others from low-income households who are not part of Listahanan.
Listahanan 3.0, or the third National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), is the updated database of poor households in the Philippines of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“Tiniyak natin na ang tulong pinansyal sa kolehiyo ay mapupunta sa mga estudyanteng higit na nangangailangan. Sa ganitong paraan, mas marami ang makakapagpatuloy at makakapagtapos ng kanilang pag-aaral (We ensured that the financial assistance for college will go to students most in need. Through this, more beneficiaries will continue their studies and graduate),” Gatchalian said in a statement. (PNA)