Executive Secretary Ralph Recto assured students that the Marcos administration will continue to expand scholarships and educational assistance nationwide to help more Filipinos finish college and secure better opportunities.

Speaking to presidential scholars during his visit to Cebu on Thursday, Recto said financial hardship should not force students to abandon their education.

“Malaki ang tiwala ng Pangulo sa inyo kaya kayo ang napiling maging (The President has great confidence in you, which is why you were chosen to be) presidential scholars,” Recto told the students.

“Simple lang ang hinihingi niya sa inyo: Mag-aral nang mabuti. Tapusin ang kurso. At pagdating ng araw, gamitin ninyo ang natutunan ninyo para makatulong din sa iba (He asks only one simple thing of you: Study hard. Finish the course. And when the time comes, use what you have learned to help others as well),” he added.

Under the Bagong Pilipinas Barangay Presidential Scholars Program, five fourth-year college students in every village will receive PHP20,000 each in financial assistance.

This year, 210,000 students in more than 42,000 villages nationwide are expected to benefit from the program.

Each village has a PHP200,000 allocation from the Presidential Socio-Civic Projects Fund, with PHP100,000 earmarked for assistance to the five presidential scholars.

Recto said the program forms part of the government’s broader effort to expand access to education, from free basic education and tuition in state universities and colleges to scholarships for medicine, science, graduate studies, specialized courses and other fields.

He said every scholar who graduates from college represents an investment not only in their individual future, but also in their families and communities. (PNA)