By: Delaila Irma T. Calindas, Project Technical Staff II

The Commission on Higher Education – Cordillera Administrative Region, through its UniFAST Unit, led the coordination meetings with the Provincial Government of Benguet (Benguet PLGU) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples – Cordillera Administrative Region (NCIP-CAR) on May 2 and May 13, 2024, respectively, for the student financial assistance program mapping. Discussions include matters related to providing financial assistance programs under their respective offices.

Ms. Menzie O. Kuengan, Supervising Education Program Specialist, and Dr. Bernadette C. Pal-ec, Education Supervisor II and the UniFAST Focal Person, led the CHED-CAR team along with UniFAST Regional Coordinators Ms. Jezeny O. Laoyan and Ms. Ana Grace P. Salibad. Benguet PLGU was represented by Ms. Rhea A. Khefa, Administrative Officer III, and Ms. Jocelyn M. Francisco, Administrative Officer II. Ms. Sheryl Marie Awichen-Belagan, CAO I / IPEAS Regional Focal person, and Dr. Gae Loure A. Sabelo, Dentist, represented NCIP-CAR.

Benguet PLGU offers the Benguet Provincial Scholarship Program to those indigent individuals who desire higher education. Qualified applicants will receive P10,000.00 per semester until they complete their college degrees.

The Benguet Provincial Scholarship Program is offered annually, benefiting one from each of the 140 barangays in the province. One grantee is chosen from three student applicants determined and endorsed by their Barangay Development Council. In addition, one grantee from each of the 14 Dep-Ed Benguet Districts will be given financial assistance for the Alternative Learning System (ALS) program, and four grantees will be for the sports or technical skills program. Tech-Voc scholars under this program are given P7,000.00 per semester.

Meanwhile, NCIP offers the Education Assistance Program (EAP) and the Sustainable Education Assistance Program (SEAP) under the PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) Program, a priority program of the Government that supports the Peace Negotiation Track and contributes to the goal of attaining Just and Lasting Peace.

NCIP-EAP aims to provide meaningful, accessible educational assistance from primary to secondary education to poor but deserving ICCs/IPs. Grantees enrolled in their undergraduate degree or technical/vocational course will receive Php 10,000.00 per semester.

The guidelines for the implementation of Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs), including those offered by the Benguet PLGU, the NCIP, and the grants-in-aid programs administered by the Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST)—specifically the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) and the Tulong Dunong Program (TDP)—contain a provision that prohibits students from availing themselves of more than one financial assistance program funded by the national government. This is to ensure a fair distribution of resources, allowing a greater number of students to benefit from these programs.

As stated in the Republic Act No. 10687 entitled “An Act Providing for a Comprehensive and Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST),” UniFAST is mandated to unify, harmonize, and improve the existing publicly-funded national government programs for Scholarships, Grants-in-Aid, and Student Loans for Tertiary Education to improve their efficiency and to ensure that deserving Filipinos are given equitable access to educational opportunities.

The coordination meetings are part of the Regional Office’s StuFAPs Mapping target. Through its UniFAST Unit, the Regional Office aims to harmonize, reform, strengthen, expand, rationalize, and re-focus all legislated or ongoing government StuFAPs within the region to enhance efficiency, coherence, synchronization, effective funding, and improved coordination among the implementing entities within their specific jurisdictions. This initiative seeks to eliminate the duplication of grants and ensure a more streamlined distribution of financial assistance.

CHED-CAR UniFAST Unit is set to meet with the Local Government Unit of Baguio and the Department of Science and Technology – CAR in the succeeding days.