300 Cebu Normal University students to receive ₱7,500 financial aid

As many as 300 students at Cebu Normal University (CNU) in the Philippines will receive a one-time financial assistance of ₱7,500 each under the government's Tulong Dunong Program (TDP) for Academic Year 2026–2027, offering some relief to students struggling with the cost of pursuing higher education.

A further 200 slots are also being considered for the next academic year, potentially extending support to more students facing financial constraints. The assistance was announced by Mark Lapid, representative of Lingkod Lapid, during a visit to the university. The programme is implemented through the office of Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid. While students enrolled in state universities and colleges (SUCs), including CNU, benefit from free tuition under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, Lapid said the financial burden of higher education extends well beyond tuition fees.

Students continue to shoulder expenses such as accommodation, food, transportation, mobile phone load and other essential academic needs, which can make it difficult for those from economically disadvantaged households to continue their studies. Lapid said the ₱7,500 grant was intended to help ease some of these expenses and enable students to focus on completing their education. “Ang importante maka graduate kayo para matulungan niyo ang mga magulang niyo sa pang araw-araw na buhay,” he said, underscoring the importance of graduation in helping young people support their families.

Lapid, who also serves as chief operating officer of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), explained that the assistance is funded through collections from the Philippine travel tax, a portion of which is allocated to support higher education, tourism development, and culture and the arts. Under the law governing the distribution of travel tax revenues, 40% is allocated to higher education, 50% to tourism development and the remaining 10% to culture and the arts. The Tulong Dunong Program draws on the higher education allocation to provide financial support to eligible students.

At CNU, beneficiaries will be selected from applicants who meet the programme's eligibility criteria, with priority given to students from low-income households. The final list of beneficiaries will be subject to approval by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and announced once the selection process is completed. The university's Scholarship Center had earlier invited applications from eligible students, specifying that applicants must not be receiving the CHED Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) or any other private or government-funded scholarship or grant. Meanwhile, CNU President Dr Laurence Garcia welcomed the assistance and acknowledged the commitment to supporting the university's ongoing classroom renovation initiatives.

Garcia said the planned improvements would help create more comfortable and conducive learning environments, stressing that students deserve access to adequate facilities alongside quality teaching. “We are happy that the dream of our students of having classrooms that are conducive to learning will be happening soon. We have seen the true situation of the university, and the students deserve nothing less than a better school and a quality education,” he said.

The financial assistance, coupled with the proposed infrastructure improvements, is expected to strengthen support for CNU students by addressing two important aspects of higher education: affordability and access to quality learning facilities.