Republic of the Philippines

Commission on Higher Education

REGIONAL OFFICE 1

The Commission on Higher Education Central Office (CHED CO), in collaboration with the CHED Regional Office I (CHED ROI), conducted a series of national-level activities, bringing together key agencies and partners to advance major education reforms under the Bagong Pilipinas and ACHIEVE agendas in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte from January 20 to 23, 2026.

The week-long activities included the National Directorate and CHED En Banc Meeting, the 2nd Joint Education Trifocal Management Committee Meeting (JETMC), and the Programa para sa Buti ng Bayan at Mamamayan: Galing, Akses, Batid at Angat Tungo sa Yaman ng Bayan (PBBM–GABAY ng Bayan).

The National Directorate and CHED En Banc Meeting focused on internal policy matters and strategic directions aligned with the Commission’s ACHIEVE agenda at the Fort Ilocandia on January 20-21.

Geared toward a stronger inter-agency coordination among the CHED, the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the 2nd JETMC Meeting kicked off on the January 22 in the same venue.

The meeting resulted in the institutionalization of Permanent Working Groups (PWGs) tasked with addressing long-standing coordination issues and harmonizing policies and programs across basic, higher, and technical-vocational education.

CHED Chairperson Shirley C. Agrupis presided over the meeting, with DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara and TESDA Director-General Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez as the principal attendees, alongside other top officials from the three agencies.

Facilitated by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), led by Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee, the meeting also solicited the participation from the Teacher Education Council, the University of the Philippines System, the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, and the Professional Regulation Commission.

On January 23, the PBBM–GABAY ng Bayan featured the ceremonial signing of the Joint Memorandum Circular on the Policies and Guidelines for the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program (BPMSP) by CHED, DepEd, and TESDA at the Centennial Arena.

The BPMSP, representing Galing in GABAY, is a competitive, merit-based scholarship open to top-performing senior high school graduates from public and private schools, including the Philippine Science High School System, as well as qualified holders of TESDA National Certificates.

Akses in Gabay was highlighted through Project “Patuloy na Edukasyon, Patuloy na Pag-Ahon” (Project PEPA), a nationwide information caravan aimed at providing 4Ps families with accurate and timely information on government-funded education opportunities.

For Batid, CHED launched TANAW, a national higher education data visualization platform that integrates institutional, enrollment, scholarship, and graduate outcomes data to promote transparency, informed student choice, and evidence-based policymaking.

Under Angat, DepEd Secretary Angara led the oath-taking of the 789 newly promoted public school teachers under DepEd’s Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System.

CHED also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Pag-IBIG Fund for Project BALAY (Building Access to Learning for Students), a partnership focused on developing affordable student housing, faculty and staff accommodations, and higher education infrastructure, particularly in state universities and colleges.

Following the PBBM-Gabay, the JETMC continued with presentations from the PWGs covering early childhood education and development; senior high school and learner pathways; inclusive education; functional literacy and learning recovery; workforce development; tertiary education scholarships; teacher education and professionalization; creative economy and culture; strategic communications; and the legislative and policy agenda.

The series of activities underscored the national government’s unified approach to strengthening access, equity, and relevance across the Philippine education system.

MMSU Stratcom and CHED MIMAROPA