President’s Office to Give P46.4M ‘Finisher Fund’ to Bukidnon Graduating Students

MANILA, Philippines — Some 2,320 graduating college students in Bukidnon are set to receive P46.4 million in financial assistance from the Office of the President (OP), Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said in a statement on Tuesday. Malacañang referred to the assistance as a “finisher fund,” with each student receiving P20,000 under the OP’s Socio-Civic Projects Fund. The money may be used for tuition balances, transportation, learning materials and other school-related expenses. READ: LIVE UPDATES: Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Sept. 8, 2026 According to Malacañang, Recto discussed the program during a meeting with the 155 Presidential Scholars from Quezon town last Sept. 4, after inspecting the ongoing construction of the Bukidnon Airport. The 155 scholars come from the municipality’s 31 barangays, with five students selected from each barangay. They are among the 2,320 beneficiaries identified across Bukidnon. Recto said the assistance would help students who face financial difficulties during the final stage of their college education. “Hindi dapat mapurnada ang ilang taong pagsisikap dahil lamang kapos ang pamilya sa panghuling gastos,” Recto explained in a statement. (Years’ worth of hard work should not be foiled just because a family runs short of the last expenses they need.) The Bukidnon beneficiaries are part of a nationwide program expected to assist more than 200,000 graduating college students from over 42,000 barangays. Under the Presidential Scholars Program, each barangay receives P100,000 to provide P20,000 each to five college students. The assistance is part of the government’s broader efforts to provide financial support and access to higher education. With reports from Rendell Ivan Manuel, INQUIRER.net trainee /mr