DepEd eyes using Taguig's scholarship program for other LGUs
Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara said that Taguig City's learners' certificate scholarship could be used as a model initiative for other local government units amid their congestion problems.
The Taguig Learners' Certificate (TLC) Scholarship gives graduating public elementary school students in the city the opportunity to pursue high school in partner private schools within the locality to decongest public schools and provide a more conducive learning environment.
'Maganda sa Taguig kasi may TLC Scholarship sila. Kapag masikip na 'yung public school, binibigyan ng voucher ang bata para makapili ng private school na malapit,' Angara said in a press release on Tuesday.
(It's good here in Taguig because they have the TLC Scholarship. If the public school is already crowded, they will give a voucher to students so that they can choose which private school they can transfer to.)
'Pinag-aaralan na rin namin ito ngayon para sa ibang lugar tulad ng Cavite at Laguna kung saan masisikip na ang mga pampublikong paaralan,' he added.
(We are studying if this can be applicable in other areas such as Cavite and Laguna, where some public schools are crowded.)
Under the program, the city government shoulders both tuition and miscellaneous fees and a P10,000 allowance for other school-related needs. So far, the program has 61 partner private high schools across the city.
Growing numbers
Angara visited the Tenement Elementary School during the opening of classes on Monday for School Year 2025-2026.
With the enrollment reaching over 7,000 students by 7 a.m. on the first day of School Year 2025–2026, Tenement Elementary School in the city was forced to split some of its classrooms using temporary partitions to accommodate the growing number of learners.
According to Dr. Maria Fernandez, School Principal IV of Tenement Elementary School, the school had already recorded 7,222 students from Grade 1 to Grade 6 by early morning, and the number is expected to increase.
Meanwhile, Angara also commended Taguig's collaborative approach to education, highlighting the support of local officials and private sector partners.
'Here in Taguig, very helpful ang local government, ang legislators, even private partners. Sana ganoon sa lahat ng dako ng bansa (I wish this could be applicable in other parts of the country.),' he said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
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That's when you see how deep is the effect of cellphone use in their empathy.) A call for shared responsibility For Veruasa, the question of cellphone use in the classroom is no longer just a matter of classroom discipline or institutional policy. It's a reflection of how education must now grapple with the emotional, mental, and digital worlds that students inhabit—often without guidance. "Kapag tinanggal mo 'yung cellphone, parang tinanggalan mo sila ng access sa mundo nila," he explains. "Pero kapag pinayagan mo naman ito ng walang parameters, para mo silang pinabayaan sa isang lugar na walang direksyon." (If you ban the use of cellphones, it is like you removed their access to their own world. But when you allow it without parameters, it's like you let them free in a place without direction.) In this delicate balancing act, Veruasa sees his role not as an enforcer of outdated norms, but as a facilitator of deeper learning and self-awareness. His teaching, especially in subjects like Philosophy and Personal Development, offers a rare space where students are invited to think critically about their choices, habits, and distractions. Here, the cellphone is not demonized—but it is examined. 'Dapat may kaakibat na pag-unawa at tulong sa kung paano gamitin ang cellphone nang makabuluhan,' he said. 'Hindi siya puwedeng alisin lang, pero hindi rin puwedeng pabayaan.' (There should be understanding and help extended as to how the cellphone can be used in a relevant way. It cannot be removed just like that, but it also cannot just be allowed freely.) The future of education, he believes, lies not in banning technology but in teaching digital responsibility, emotional resilience, and mindfulness—skills as vital today as reading and writing. And in doing so, perhaps classrooms can evolve into spaces where students don't just absorb knowledge, but learn how to navigate their modern realities with both intelligence and compassion. In the end, the cellphone is merely a window. What students truly need is someone willing to help them see more clearly through it—and beyond it. —KG, GMA Integrated News
