SENATOR Jinggoy Estrada is advocating for a bill that mandates Local Government Units to establish, maintain, and operate Handog na Oportunidad Para sa Edukasyon (HOPE) Centers.

In Senate Bill No. 2858, also known as the Handog na Oportunidad Para sa Edukasyon Center Act, Estrada emphasized that completing a degree remains a significant challenge for Filipino youth, largely due to the financial burden of not only tuition fees but also daily living expenses such as food, accommodation, and transportation.

“At present, various government agencies, organizations, and individuals are offering scholarships, educational assistance, student loan programs, subsidies, incentives, and other forms of financial support,” Estrada stated in his explanatory note.

However, he noted that information on these opportunities is often not widely disseminated to students.

For example, while national government agencies offer scholarships, Estrada explained that their local offices typically reach only regional levels, limiting access to information in certain cities, municipalities, and barangays.

He cited the Commission on Higher Education’s Tulong Dunong Program, which is coordinated by the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFast). UniFast provides overall management for the program and coordinates with CHED regional offices to reach state universities, colleges, and students.

The HOPE Center Act aims to establish HOPE Centers in all cities and municipalities nationwide. These centers will serve as venues for information dissemination, student assistance, facilitation of documentary submissions, and other support services to make scholarships, student loans, subsidies, and other incentives more accessible, particularly to students in need. These opportunities are available from various national and local government agencies, state universities, colleges, private higher education institutions, and non-government organizations.