A total of PHP3.744 billion has been released to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to fund its “Tulong Dunong” scholarship program which provides financial assistance to qualified and deserving tertiary students, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Thursday.
In a news release, the DBM said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman approved the issuance of the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for the program on April 15, 2024.
“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,” Pangandaman said as quoted by the DBM news release.
“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 Bongbong Marcos said, sa Bagong Pilipinas, dapat ay walang Pilipinong maiiwan (Under a New Philippines, no Filipino should be left behind),” she added.
The released amount is set to benefit 247,135 student-grantees enrolled in CHEd-recognized public and private higher education institutions for the second semester of the Academic Year (AY) 2023-2024 and the first semester of AY 2024-2025.
The “Tulong Dunong” program is one of the components of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education – Tertiary Education Subsidy. (PNA)
