The new House leadership under Speaker Lord Allan Velasco is looking to address the funding problem besetting the implementation of the Commission on Higher Education's (CHEd) "Tulong Dunong" scholarship program.
Thus, bared Appropriations Committee vice-chairman, Northern Samar 1st district Rep. Paul Daza Wednesday after a colleague asked him on the status of the program during the plenary consideration of CHEd's proposed 2021 budget.
"Last year, the approved budget of CHEd included the Tulong Dunong program. But unfortunately until now, 10 months na po, wala pa pong nai-release (It's been 10 months, and yet no funds have been released)," Misamis Occidental 1st district Rep. Diego Ty said via Zoom in his interpellation of Daza, the budget sponsor.
"Will you please enlighten the students who are now listening? Ano na po ba ang status nito? (What is its current status?)" asked Ty.
"The funding for the Tulong Dunong program from 2020 was realigned because of the COVID-19 pandemic response," Daza said. In fact CHEd has written three times to DBM (Department of Budget and Management) for the release of the fund for this very good program. And unfortunately (it) hasn't been released."
"But the new House leadership is working with CHEd Chairman Popoy de Vera to look for ways to solve this issue and even this representation has been making (efforts) also with CHEd and the Committee on Appropriations on how to resolve the funding issue for the Tulong Dulong program," the budget sponsor said.
Through Tulong Dunong, students chosen by local officials including congressmen are granted a P12,000 annual financial assistance. This covers students from both public and private colleges or universities.
For what it's worth, the newly installed Speaker Velasco belongs to ruling party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and is a close friend of presidential daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
Daza's response appeared to give the Mindanao solon some ray of hope. "Hihintayin po ng mga estudyante yan, we'll be expecting po na ma-release yan (The students will be waiting for that, we'll be expecting the funds' release)," Ty said.
De Vera told House members during September's panel-level budget briefings that the total discontinuance for Tulong Dunong this year was P3.6 billion.
He said he wrote the DBM regarding the program's funding three times: first in January, then April, and finally in August.