THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has authorized the release of P3.744 billion through a Special Allotment Release Order (Saro) to the Commission on Higher Education (Ched), to support Filipino students in completing their college education.
The DBM said this funding is expected to benefit 247,135 student-grantees enrolled in Ched-recognized higher education institutions.
DBM Secretary Mina F. Pangandaman signed the Saro for Ched's Tulong Dunong Program, which offers financial aid to qualified students pursuing a college degree.
The DBM chief approved the Saro on April 15, 2024.
Pangandaman, in a statement on Thursday, May 2, said Ched's scholarship program can support students facing financial challenges or unable to afford college tuition.
"This scholarship program is a huge help for our dear students, especially those who are having financial difficulty or simply cannot afford to go to college," she said.
"Providing necessary funds for programs like this gives them a fighting chance to complete their degrees and ultimately give them a better future. As what President [Ferdinand] Bongbong Marcos said, 'sa Bagong Pilipinas, dapat ay walang Pilipinong maiiwan (in the New Philippines, no Filipino should be left behind),'" she added.
Ched's Tulong Dunong Program is part of its Student Financial Assistance Programs. It operates under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education - Tertiary Education Subsidy (UAQTE-TES), a program mandated by Republic Act 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. (KAL)