BAM AQUINO: 20,000 NURSING, ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES STUDENTS TO BENEFIT FROM P500-M RLE AID

AROUND 20,000 nursing and other allied health sciences students are set to benefit from P500 million in financial assistance for Related Learning Experience (RLE) in the 2026 national budget, Senator Bam Aquino announced.

Aquino made the announcement during a reunion with nursing students he met while campaigning for the 2025 senatorial elections in Cebu City.

During their initial meeting, the students raised concerns over the high costs of RLE — equivalent to on-the-job training (OJT) and a requirement for graduating nursing students — which Aquino committed to address.

Fulfilling his promise, Aquino secured P500 million in the 2026 national budget under the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of the Higher Education Development Program, specifically earmarked to support RLE requirements for allied health sciences students.

“We were able to include in the budget a P500-million scholarship specifically for RLE, providing up to P20,000 per semester,” Aquino said.

“That’s good for about 20,000 students. I think there are around 100,000 nursing students in the Philippines, so one-fifth can receive assistance,” he added, stressing that underprivileged students will be prioritized under guidelines to be issued by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to ensure equitable and efficient implementation.

Aquino also thanked the students for bringing the issue to his attention, saying their input played a key role in shaping the RLE proposal.

“You can be proud and you can say, dahil nag-session tayo sa IT Park ay may nabuong pondong iyan. A lot of our laws kasi, when we consult, when we talk to people that we want to help, or iyong mga ibang leaders, mga mayors, nakukuha namin iyong insight,” he explained.

Aquino also filed Senate Bill No. 123, which seeks to make RLE free in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs).

Under the proposed measure, nursing students in private universities would apply for TES assistance for RLE-related expenses.