Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Robert Nazal has confronted the Commission on Education (CHEd) about a list of 400 recommended tertiary education beneficiaries that it allegedly did not act on.

Nazal, an assistant minority leader, called out CHEd for this omission during its recent budget hearing before the House Committee on Appropriations.

During the deliberations, Nazal took note of the various complaints received by his office of solo parents being rejected by the commission when they apply for scholarships for their children as provided for under Republic Act (RA) No. 11861 or the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act.

Looking at the budget utilization of CHEd for 2025, the party-list solon expressed alarm that the agency tasked to make tertiary education accessible to Filipino children appears to be neglecting its mandate.

For the Tulong Dunong Program (TDP) specifically, he noted that a budget of P2.057 was provided for 2025 and yet CHEd recorded zero obligation and zero disbursement.

“Bakit nakaka reject tayo ng estudyante na humihingi ng benefit while billions for educational assistance remain unused and are allowed to lapse?" Nazal asked.

(Why are we rejecting students who are asking for benefits when billions in educational assistance remain unused and are allowed to lapse?)

What was even more disturbing to Nazal was how the implementation of the TDP is apparently based on political considerations contrary to what the law provides.

CHEd Chairperson Shirley Agrupis said that the commission “operates on the basis of listings submitted by Congress” so “kung walang allocation sa isang lawmaker, hindi namin mabibigyan (if a lawmaker doesn't have any allocation, he or she won't get any assistance).”

Nazal then pointed to a list of 400 beneficiaries submitted by his party-list for the TDP, but was not given any response by CHEd.

“Dahil ba nasa minority ako e minority na din ang mga Pilipino na nirerefer ko sa inyo?” the visibly irate solon said.

(Just because I am in the minority, does that mean the Filipinos I refer to you are also considered the minority?)

“CHEd itself becomes the reason why some students cannot go to college. CHEd must shape up pero dapat tulungan din sila ng national government. Hindi ito pera ng CHEd o pera namin, pera ito ng estudyanteng nangangailangan. Gamitin natin ito para sa kanila,” he added.

(This is not CHEd’s money or our money; this is money for students who need it. Let us use it for them.)

Nazal pointed out that Republic Act (RA) No. 10687 or the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) Act and its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) say the law is intended to make student financial assistance “politically-neutral or free of political labeling".

CHEd also previously described UniFAST as a system meant to insulate student financial assistance programs (StuFAPs) from political labeling or partisan affiliation.

Nazal said CHEd's position was a direct contradiction with the current chairperson’s response that TDP was dependent on congressional recommendations and that agency “cannot do anything about it".

“I don’t understand bakit ang ating gobyerno (why our government) loves to violate our own laws. CHEd should produce hope for young Filipinos but then billions remain unused, scholarship money lapses and then solo parents and their children are rejected despite an express law,” he said.