PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday fulfilled a promise to establish a college scholarship program for top senior high school graduates who will specialize in high-priority but talent-shortage sectors.
In his message delivered by House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, President Marcos emphasized that education must be inclusive as he launched the Bagong Pilipinas Merit-Based Scholarship Program (BPMSP).
“Last year, during the State of the Nation Address, I committed to establishing a scholarship program for our top-performing graduates from both public and private senior high schools and from technical vocational institutions,” the President said during the launching held at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena in Laoag City.
“This way, they may pursue degree and technical vocational education and training. Diploma programs aligned with our country’s hard-to-fill and high-priority sectors. Today, we are fulfilling that promise,” the President added.
The new scholarship program is among the major education initiatives rolled out by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Education (DepEd), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) under the Programa para sa Buti ng Bayan at Mamamayan: Galing, Akses, Batid at Angat Tungo sa Yaman ng Bayan or the PBBM-GABAY ng Bayan Programs.
Through the BPMSP, the top five graduates of each senior high school nationwide, as well as qualified holders of TESDA National Certificates, will have the opportunity to pursue undergraduate degrees or technical or vocational education training (TVET) diploma programs in any high-performing higher education or technical-vocational institution.
President Marcos said the scholars shall enter programs that are aligned with identified priority sectors based on the country’s real and urgent needs to address gaps in the country’s development.
President Marcos urged students to make the most of the scholarship opportunities, as the BPMSP targets 20,000 scholars nationwide for School Year 2026 to 2027.
“But scholarships alone will not solve every barrier. We know that for many Filipino families, the first obstacle is access. And often, access begins with something basic – information,” the President pointed out.
President Marcos said the newly launched Project Patuloy na Edukasyon, Patuloy na Pag-Ahon (Project PEPA) serves as a nationwide caravan to bring clear and timely information to senior high school graduates from Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households on government-funded education opportunities.
Project PEPA targets around 490,000 senior high school graduates from 4Ps households who are eligible for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) Program.
The President also lauded CHED-TANAW, the Commission’s new National Higher Education Data Visualization Platform that provides institutional, enrollment, scholarships, and graduate outcomes data to support transparency, informed student choice, and evidence-based policy and planning.
The Chief Executive also congratulated the more than 700 public school teachers who were newly promoted under DepEd’s Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System and sworn in during the event by Representative Marcos.
“Even as we build programs and platforms, we must recognize that none of this is possible without our teachers,” the President emphasized.
These government initiatives demonstrate a coordinated and integrated approach to the Marcos administration’s education reform across all levels.
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