The Marcos administration officially launched a college scholarship program Friday for top-performing senior high school graduates specializing in high-priority sectors facing talent shortages.

In a message delivered by his son, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed the need for inclusive education during the launch of the Bagong Pilipinas Merit-Based Scholarship Program (BPMSP) at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena.

The President remained in recovery from diverticulitis, a condition involving inflammation of the large intestine.

“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’s message read. “Today, we are fulfilling that promise.”

Under the BPMSP, the top five graduates from every senior high school in the country, along with qualified TESDA National Certificate holders, are eligible for undergraduate or technical-vocational diploma programs.

The government aims to support 20,000 scholars for the 2026-2027 school year.

The initiative is part of a broader education suite known as “PBBM-GABAY ng Bayan,” a collaborative effort by the Commission on Higher Education, the Department of Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

The President also introduced Project PEPA (Patuloy na Edukasyon, Patuloy na Pag-Ahon), a nationwide information caravan, which aims to reach approximately 490,000 senior high school graduates from households under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to inform them of their eligibility for the Tertiary Education Subsidy.

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