The Senate approved on September 7 the bill seeking to institutionalize the Presidential Merit Scholarship Program (PMSP), ensuring the long-term continuity of a scholarship initiative championed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for academically outstanding Filipino students.
The measure seeks to establish the government’s premier national merit-based scholarship, opening higher education and technical-vocational diploma pathways to outstanding senior high school graduates pursuing priority programs aligned with national development and workforce needs.
“As principal author and sponsor of the measure, I cast my affirmative vote for Senate Bill No. 2410 so that the future of excellent young Filipinos may be determined by merit, hard work, and potential—not by the financial circumstances of their families,” Senator Joel Villanueva stated during the session.
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Shirley Agrupis attended the Senate plenary session to support the measure, which would provide a permanent legal framework for the scholarship and sustain support for high-performing Filipino learners.
The proposed PMSP seeks to institutionalize the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program (BPMSP), a priority initiative of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. launched in January 2026. CHED leads the implementation of the program, in partnership with DepEd and TESDA, with funding provided under the FY 2026 General Appropriations Act.
More than 30,000 applications have been received, with evaluation and validation now underway. The initial rollout has also put in place the mechanisms for identifying and supporting qualified scholars in priority fields. Institutionalizing the program through legislation will help ensure its continuity and sustain its objectives beyond the current funding cycle.
The House of Representatives has also approved its counterpart measure. The House and Senate versions will next be reconciled before the final measure is ratified by both chambers and transmitted to the President for action.
CHED welcomed the Senate’s approval as a step toward securing the long-term continuity of the scholarship and expanding opportunities for outstanding Filipino learners to develop their talents in fields vital to national development and workforce needs. (PR)
