House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Northern Samar 1st district Rep. Paul Daza
Tapping the P10-billion Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF) for the purpose of supporting poor students isn't a new thing. Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Northern Samar 1st district Rep. Paul Daza stressed this point, even as he urged the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to source more funds for student scholarships. “There’s already precedent for HEDF to be utilized by CHED for poor students, needy students," Daza said during a House Committee on Higher and Technical Education Monday, May 15. According to the veteran solon, some P2 billion from the HEDF were used in 2016 "for student-related support” or “the provision of assistance, incentives, scholarships, and grants through Student Financial Assistance Programs". The House panel tackled on Monday House Resolution (HR) No. 767, which seeks to improve access to tertiary education while reducing dropout rates among poor Filipino students. Daza authored the measure. During the hearing, Daza made the suggestion to tap more fund sources for scholarships following reports that enrollment in private and public schools took had a taken a significant dip and that "millions" of students were unable to continue their studies. “Pag ang puso po natin andyan, talagang gusto po natin tulungan yung mga mahihirap, pwedeng gamitin ng CHEd yung P10 billion today without having to wait for the next GAA (General Appropriations Act) budget deliberation (If our hearts are in it, if we really wanted to help the poor, CHEd can use the P10 billion today without having to wait for the next GAA budget deliberations),” said the solon.