VALENZUELA Mayor Weslie Gatchalian on Wednesday called on students in the city to take advantage of the free tertiary education under the Dr. Pio Valenzuela Scholarship Program, which he opened for the School Year 2026–2027.
He clarified that qualified students, who must be bona fide Valenzuela residents, can choose any city schools — public or private — they want to enroll in as long as these educational institutions are duly accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
“True to the program’s namesake — the revolutionary ‘Valenzuelano’ hero, Dr. Pio Valenzuela — this significant scholarship program aims to make quality education accessible to all Valenzuelano scholars who are determined to work hard and pursue their dreams,” Gatchalian said.
The application period for incoming first-year college students is ongoing until March 20, 2026, and the examination is set on April 12, 2026, according to the city’s Public Information Office (PIO).
The scholarship program grants assistance to underprivileged Grade 12 students seeking enrollment support.
Applicants whose parents are employed and have an annual gross income of no more than P120,000, as attested by the 2024 Income Tax Return (ITR), are eligible to receive assistance.
If the parents of an applicant are currently unemployed, they must submit an affidavit and certificate of ITR non-filing, it said.
Should the applicant’s parents be working abroad, they must present an employment contract and their latest two months’ worth of remittance, the PIO explained.
They must also secure a certificate of residency and indigency of both parents from their respective villages.
Applicants must submit a certified true copy (CTR) of the Grade 11 first and second semester report card, in addition to their CTR of the Grade 12 first semester report card, both with no subject grades lower than 85 and a gross weighted average (GWA) not lower than 85 percent.
To be eligible for the scholarship program, a student must be a long-term Valenzuela resident, a natural-born Filipino citizen, and a graduate of any public or private senior high school in the city.
Students who have lived in the city for at least four years may also be eligible, subject to verification by the barangay and academic records.
Gatchalian took pride in the scholarship program, which has been almost 31 years since its inception and continues to provide free tertiary education to poor but deserving students over the years.
