MANILA — Around 20,000 nursing and allied health sciences students are expected to benefit from P500 million in financial assistance for Related Learning Experience (RLE) under the proposed 2026 national budget, Senator Bam Aquino said.

Aquino made the announcement during a reunion with nursing students he met while campaigning for the 2025 senatorial elections in Cebu City, where the students earlier raised concerns about the high cost of RLE, a requirement for graduating nursing students equivalent to on-the-job training.

The senator said he was able to secure P500 million under the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses of the Higher Education Development Program, which will be specifically allocated to support RLE requirements of allied health sciences students.

“We were able to include in the budget a P500-million scholarship specifically for RLE, providing up to P20,000 per semester,” Aquino said.

“That’s good for about 20,000 students. I think there are around 100,000 nursing students in the Philippines, so one-fifth can receive assistance,” he added.

Aquino said underprivileged students will be prioritized, with guidelines to be issued by the Commission on Higher Education to ensure equitable and efficient implementation of the program.

He also thanked the students for raising the issue, noting that their concerns helped shape the proposal.

“You can be proud and you can say, dahil nag-session tayo sa IT Park ay may nabuong pondong iyan. A lot of our laws kasi, when we consult, when we talk to people that we want to help, or iyong mga ibang leaders, mga mayors, nakukuha namin iyong insight,” Aquino said.

In addition to the budgetary support, Aquino said he has filed Senate Bill No. 123, which seeks to make RLE free in State Universities and Colleges and Local Universities and Colleges.

Under the proposed measure, nursing students enrolled in private universities may apply for Tertiary Education Subsidy assistance to cover RLE-related expenses.