A 23-year-old electrical engineering graduate from Bataan Peninsula State University expressed her gratitude to Senator Bong Go for being instrumental in finishing her university studies.
“Maraming salamat po, Kuya Bong Go. Binigyan ninyo po kami ng hope na makatapos at mapagtagumpayan po iyung mga pangarap namin,” said a proud Natasha Daniela Tamayo Salvador.
Salvador dreamed of working as an electrical engineer for the local municipal government as a way of paying it forward to her community.
“Ita-try ko mag-apply sa mga munisipyo kung saan para makatulong ako sa sarili kong bayan.”
“Pangarap ko pong maging trabaho ay maging licensed electrical engineer kung saan ita-try ko mag-apply sa mga munisipyo kung saan para makatulong ako sa sarili kong bayan,” she said.
Salvador is a recipient of the Commission on Higher Education-Tulong Dunong Program (CHED-TDP).
CHED-TDP is an educational support initiative supported by Go, which has helped thousands of students from low-income families continue their college education through a scholarship program as they strive for a better future.
According to her, the CHED-TDP has been a big help to her and her family.
“Nakatulong din po sa akin ang Tulong Dunong Program kung saan hindi ko na kailangan hingin sa nanay ko ang mga project na kailangan pagkagastusan,” Salvador said.
“Napupunan niya po ang pangangailangan ko bilang estudyante,” she added.
The chairperson of the Senate Youth Committee underscored, “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan at edukasyon ang susi tungo sa mas magandang kinabukasan.”
“Huwag kayong titigil sa inyong pangarap.”
“Huwag kayong titigil sa inyong pangarap dahil ito ay simula pa lang ng mas magandang bukas para sa inyo,” the member of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education stated.
As a known advocate of accessible and quality education, the veteran legislator continues to push for legislative measures that uphold and expand educational access for Filipinos.
The seasoned lawmaker co-authored and co-sponsored Republic Act No. 11510, which institutionalizes the Alternative Learning System to improve basic education for marginalized learners; RA 11984, or the No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act, which protects students from being barred from exams due to unpaid fees; and RA 12006, or the Free College Entrance Examinations Act, which removes exam fees for qualified senior high school students applying to private higher education institutions.
Additionally, the senator is the co-author and co-sponsor of RA 12077, also known as the Student Loan Payment Moratorium During Disasters and Emergencies Act, which provides temporary financial relief to students with loans during times of calamity.
For students like Salvador, Go served not only as a hope but as a guide.
“Binigyan ninyo po kami ng hope na makatapos, mapagtagumpayan po ang mga pangarap namin. Nandiyan po kayo binigyan po kami ng gabay, tulong para matapos namin, matugunan namin ang problema sa finances. Ipagpatuloy ang malasakit,” she concluded.
