FORMER Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Thursday lauded the city government of Dagupan, Pangasinan, under Mayor Belen Fernandez, for its inclusive and practical approach to education—particularly its scholarship program—which he said could serve as a model for national policy.

Lacson, who recently met with Mayor Fernandez, expressed admiration for Dagupan’s system, which allows underprivileged but deserving students to benefit from scholarships without the rigid qualifications found in the national government’s free tertiary education program.

“Mayor Belen’s scholarship program is commendable,” Lacson said. “Unlike the Free Tertiary Education Act, which requires strict entrance exams, Dagupan’s program includes students as long as they pass and come from poor families. That kind of inclusivity should be replicated nationwide.”

He pointed out that standardized exams often disadvantage undernourished or underprivileged students.

“If a child is poor and undernourished, their mental development may suffer—making it harder to pass strict qualifying exams. That’s discriminatory,” the former senator said.

Lacson also criticized the way the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) implements its subsidies.

“CHED requires students to pay tuition upfront and only offers rebates later—sometimes, not at all,” he noted, citing this as a major oversight issue that the Senate and Congress need to investigate.

He also suggested that Dagupan’s program could be improved by giving second chances to students who temporarily fail.

“If a student fails due to personal issues—like missing a semester due to an emergency—they should be allowed to requalify. Mayor Belen said she’ll propose an amendment to their ordinance to allow this,” Lacson shared.

The former senator emphasized that meaningful dialogue with local government leaders creates opportunities to learn and adopt successful grassroots models at the national level.

“We’re learning from them—education is a form of social service. That’s what we aim to improve for the people of Pangasinan and beyond,” he stressed.