A neophyte lawmaker on Monday expressed hope that Congress will consider his proposal to realign part of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) budget to fund scholarships and educational assistance to college students.
Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste stressed the need for the government to strengthen and support education initiatives.
Leviste cited the Commission on Higher Education’s Tulong Dunong program, a subsidy program for education-related expenses of students enrolled in private colleges and universities, as a beneficiary of repurposed funds.
“More students would benefit [the program] if all qualified students were automatically given Tulong Dunong, budget permitting,” Leviste said, stressing that at present, “we are selecting only certain beneficiaries for this program” due to budget constraints.
Leviste told the House appropriations committee the public would be better served if part of the DPWH’s proposed P880 billion 2026 budget were realigned to fund programs of CHEd, whose funding next year only amounts to P33 billion.
“Perhaps we can fund the extension of the Tulong Dunong Program to every qualified student by reducing the DPWH budget by around five percent, and I would be constrained in saying what Congress can do for the whole country,” Leviste noted.
CHEd Chairperson Shirley Agrupis supported Leviste’s proposal.
The DPWH is currently embroiled in a corruption scandal, which has caused huge sums of public funds to be wasted.
