ILOILO City – Thousands of underprivileged students in Western Visayas are poised to gain unprecedented access to higher education after PHINMA University of Iloilo (PHINMA UI) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6 sealed a partnership expanding scholarship support for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries.
The memorandum of agreement strengthens the Hawak Kamay Scholarship Program, offering up to 80 percent tuition subsidy for incoming first-year college students from low-income households — an intervention seen as critical amid rising costs of living and education.
“This is our way of ensuring that deserving students can continue their studies without being hindered by financial difficulties,” said PHINMA UI chief operating officer Martin Benedict Perez. “Through this initiative, we hope to empower students to focus on learning while we help address their challenges.”
DSWD-6 data underscore the scale of the opportunity — and the urgency.
“For the record, we have a total number of senior high school students — as of December 31, 2025, we reached 58,638. So these are the potential enrollees of PHINMA UI, especially for the Hawak Kamay program,” said Assistant Regional Director for Operations Katherine Lamprea.
Lamprea added that local government units are actively working with DSWD to identify and track eligible scholars.
“We have monitoring of these potential beneficiaries in this scholarship program,” she said, citing strong coordination with communities across Western Visayas.
However, the surge in demand presents a major challenge for the university, which is already bracing for a significant influx of students.
“At present, we already have over 30,000 students, and we are preparing for more,” said PHINMA UI University Controller Ruth Job Salamanca, noting ongoing infrastructure expansion, including new academic buildings and classrooms.
The university expects as many as 13,000 to 14,000 freshmen for academic year 2026–2027, with additional facilities projected to add over 100 classrooms to accommodate the growing student population.
Beyond tuition assistance, PHINMA UI highlighted its student coaching system as a key component of the program — designed to ensure scholars not only enroll but finish their degrees and transition to employment.
“Coaching is one of the unique services that we offer,” Salamanca explained. “From first year until the student gets a job, may ara gid ga-guide sa ila — helping them make decisions, address problems, and stay on track.”
The partnership signals a broader push to keep education within reach for vulnerable sectors, as inflation and economic pressures continue to threaten school completion rates among poor families./PN
