The Commission on Higher Education-Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (CHED-UniFAST), in partnership with the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur through its Provincial Colleges, distributed ₱50.7 million worth of Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) to over 2,500 grantees from various provincially-managed colleges on December 5, 2025 at the Fuerte Sports Complex.
TES is a grant-in-aid program aimed at helping the underprivileged yet deserving students cover their educational expenses, such as tuition and miscellaneous fees, and school allowances. The program prioritizes students who are existing beneficiaries of the CHED Expanded Student Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) and students considered as poor based on the National Household Targeting System or Listahanan 2.0.
Governor Lray Villafuerte personally distributed the assistance and conveyed his message of support to the student-beneficiaries. “Bilang Gobernador ninyo, I will continue to support your journey. Hindi ko po kayo papabayaan, kaya ‘wag kayong mawalan ng pagasa kahit anong pagsubok ang inyong hinaharap para magkaroon kayo ng magandang kinabukasan. I will continue to strengthen our financial assistance— dadagdagan, papatuloy para mas matulungan po kayo na maipagpatuloy ang inyong mga pangarap. Education is not an expense— it is an investment and you are the future of CamSur!”
Twenty-two-year-old Roxan Mae Balindan, a student from Baao Community College, was among the grateful TES student-grantees who received ₱30,000. For her, “Sobrang importante po na nakatanggap kami ng TES kasi po 4th year student na po ako and magi-internship na po. So, malaking halaga po yun para sa amin. Unang-una, ipa-priority ko po yung pagbili ng laptop or kaya printer kasi po Education student po ako and kailangan po yun para sa internship ko.”
“Marami pong salamat dahil binigyan niyo po kami ng opportunity na makatanggap ng halaga na ganito kalaki, and sana po ipagpatuloy niyo po ito kasi marami pa po kayong estudyanteng matutulungan kagaya ko,” thanked Balindan.
Another beneficiary was Mirasol Veras, a 21-year-old student-grantee also from Baao Community College, who received ₱80,000 in educational assistance for being a full scholar under the CHED Merit Scholarship Program (CMSP). Unlike TES, this program offers financial assistance to qualified and deserving students based on merit and academic performance.
“Ito pong natanggap ko ngayon ay isang napakahalagang blessing para sa akin lalo na po sa pamilya ko. Matutulungan ko na rin po sila lalo na po at may isa rin po akong kapatid na graduating po ngayong taon. Matutulungan ko po siya sa kanyang bayarin at mabibili ko na din po yung hinahangad kong sariling laptop at printer. Nanghihiram lang po kasi ako,” shared Veras.
She added, “Marami pong salamat sa CHED kasi po isa po ako sa nabigyan ng ganitong pagkakataon. And kay Governor Lray, Congressman Migz, at Congressman Luigi, maraming salamat rin po lalo na po sa inyong pampublikong paaralan, marami po kayong natutulungang mga estudyante and sa ganito pong paraan, marami po ang makakapagtapos dahil po sa tulong ninyo.”
Recognizing the youth as the primary catalyst for progress, the Provincial Government focuses on reinforcing the education sector at the forefront through comprehensive and sustained programs, along with dynamic partnerships with key institutions such as CHED, thereby elevating the educational standards in the province.
