Senator Joel Villanueva is pushing to institutionalize the government’s merit scholarship program to give academically gifted but financially constrained Filipino students a permanent pathway to quality education and better employment opportunities.
Villanueva, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education and principal sponsor of Senate Bill No. 2410 or the proposed Presidential Merit Scholarship Program (PMSP) Act, said the measure seeks to build on the existing Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program (BPMSP) and transform it into a permanent national scholarship framework.
At present, the program has 20,000 scholars nationwide.
“Kung may talino, may sipag, at may pangarap ang isang batang Pilipino, hindi dapat salapi at kahirapan ang dahilan para hindi po siya makatapos ng pag-aaral,” Villanueva, co-chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), said.
Under the bill, the scholarship will be open to qualified Senior High School graduates from both public and private schools.
For the higher education track, applicants must either belong to the top one percent of their graduating cohort or have a General Weighted Average (GWA) of at least 95 percent. For the Technical and Vocational Education and Training
(TVET) Diploma track, applicants must have a GWA of at least 85 percent. Applicants must also not be concurrently receiving equivalent scholarship benefits from another national government scholarship program.
“Walang lamang kung galing sa public o private school. Kung may galing, sipag, at pangarap, dapat may patas na pagkakataon,” Villanueva said.
The measure also recognizes that the financial burden of education goes beyond tuition. Qualified scholars may receive living and transportation stipends, book and connectivity allowances, educational assistance, and support for internships, thesis and research requirements, and board examinations.
“A scholarship should not simply open the school gate. It should help the student cross the graduation stage,” Villanueva said.
Villanueva stressed that the program is designed not only to help students earn a diploma, but also to prepare them for meaningful and dignified employment.
The measure supports programs in fields considered vital to national development, including healthcare, agriculture, science and engineering, education and research, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, and other emerging industries.
Scholars may pursue either priority undergraduate programs in colleges and universities or priority diploma programs under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
For Villanueva, a long-time advocate of higher education and technical-vocational education, the goal is to create a clear pathway from education to employment.
“Hindi sapat na matulungan lamang silang makapasok sa paaralan. Dapat tiyakin din nating may pagkakataon silang makatapos, makahanap ng trabaho, at magtagumpay sa buhay,” he said.
“Hindi lang po ito scholarship para makapagtapos. Scholarship ito para may mapuntahan ang galing ng Pilipino,” Villanueva added.
The bill also requires scholars to render return service in the Philippines through employment, professional practice, research, teaching, community engagement, public service, or work in industries that contribute to national development.
Existing scholars under BPMSP will continue to receive their benefits and will not be displaced or disadvantaged by the transition to the institutionalized program.
Villanueva said putting the scholarship program into law would protect it from changes in administrations and annual policy priorities, turning it into a continuing commitment to deserving Filipino students.
The measure is also among the education reforms identified for legislative action, which Villanueva said merits congressional support because of its long-term impact on Filipino students, families, and the country’s workforce.
“Ang scholarship ay hindi lamang po ayuda sa estudyante. Puhunan po ito sa kinabukasan ng bayan,” Villanueva said.
“Merit should recognize excellence but poverty should never disqualify excellence,” Villanueva concluded.
