Here's how Arroyo helped find funds for 10K new scholars next year
There were will be 10,000 to 12,000 new scholars in higher education institutions (HEIs) next year thanks to the intervention of Senior Deputy Speaker and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the ongoing budget process in the House of Representatives.

According to Senior Deputy Minority Leader Northern Samar 1st district Rep. Paul Daza, it was Arroyo, Pampanga's 2nd district representative, who identified a source of funds for the new scholars.
"Many of the interpellators' frustration is we don't have enough budget to give scholarship to poor and needy students...I think that's something we should address," Daza said during the House plenary debate on Wednesday night, Sept. 21.
At that time, the proposed P30.7-billion budget of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for 2023 was being tackled on the floor, with Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin sponsoring the agency's spending plan.
Daza then shared to the plenary a bit of good news that he learned on the sidelines of the plenary debates on the budget.
"Earlier I'm happy to share to my coleagues--in fact I hope she doesn't mind I mention it. No less than the senior deputy speaker--Madame Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the former president--mediated, assisted in some discussion with the chairman of the committee regarding 2021 continuing appropriations," he said.
"There's roughly P1.8 billion remaining for this years and through the efforts of our senior deputy speaker, assurances were made that some of these funds would be utilized this year and allocated for poor and deserving students specifically for Listahanan," noted Daza.
The continuing appropriations will come from the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or approved national budget last year.
In response, Garin told Daza, "The commission assures us that there is an available P400 million to free up from 2021...after due approval from the DBM (Department of Budget and Management)."
Daza estimated that the amount would be able to help "10,000 to 12,000" students get new scholarships.
He later thanked the budget sponsor for the commitment to funnel the funds to the scholarship of poor and serving students.