LAOAG CITY — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday launched a new college scholarship program for top senior high school graduates who will specialize in high-priority but talent-shortage sectors, fulfilling a commitment he made during his State of the Nation Address last year.

In a message delivered by House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena, the President underscored the importance of inclusive education as he introduced the Bagong Pilipinas Merit-Based Scholarship Program (BPMSP).

“Last year, during the State of the Nation Address, I committed to establishing a scholarship program for our top-performing graduates from both public and private senior high schools and from technical vocational institutions,” the President said.

“This way, they may pursue degree and technical vocational education and training. Diploma programs aligned with our country’s hard-to-fill and high-priority sectors. Today, we are fulfilling that promise,” he added.

The BPMSP is among the major education initiatives being rolled out by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) under the PBBM-GABAY ng Bayan Programs.

Under the scholarship program, the top five graduates of every senior high school nationwide, as well as qualified holders of TESDA National Certificates, may pursue undergraduate degrees or technical and vocational education and training diploma programs in high-performing higher education or technical-vocational institutions.

Marcos said scholars will be enrolled in programs aligned with identified priority sectors based on the country’s development needs. He added that the BPMSP aims to support 20,000 scholars nationwide for School Year 2026 to 2027.

“But scholarships alone will not solve every barrier. We know that for many Filipino families, the first obstacle is access. And often, access begins with something basic – information,” the President said.

He also highlighted the launch of Project Patuloy na Edukasyon, Patuloy na Pag-Ahon (Project PEPA), a nationwide caravan designed to provide information on government-funded education opportunities to senior high school graduates from Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households. The project targets around 490,000 eligible graduates who may avail themselves of the Tertiary Education Subsidy Program.

Marcos further cited CHED-TANAW, a new national higher education data visualization platform that provides information on institutions, enrollment, scholarships, and graduate outcomes to support transparency and evidence-based planning.

During the event, the President also congratulated more than 700 public school teachers who were promoted under DepEd’s Expanded Career Progression System and sworn in by Representative Marcos.

“Even as we build programs and platforms, we must recognize that none of this is possible without our teachers,” the President said.

The initiatives form part of what the administration described as a coordinated approach to education reform across all levels.