MANILA, Philippines—The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on second reading House Bill 8477 which aimed to establish the Presidential Merit Scholarship Program.
The bill, which institutionalizes the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program, is for "academically gifted senior high school graduates pursuing priority degree programs aligned with national development needs," according to a statement from the office of Tingog Rep. Jude Acidre, the chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.
Under the bill, those eligible for the program are Filipino citizens who are in the top 1 percent of their graduating class or who achieve a weighted average that is at least 95 percent. Also, they should be from households with a yearly income not over P2 million.
The Commission on Higher Education would administer the program.
"This program ensures that a student's brilliance is not dimmed by financial constraint, but supported and nurtured so it may serve the nation," Acidre said.