MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has maintained a strict stance against the misuse of public funds, clarifying that flagged scholarship transactions amounting to ₱941.87 million are cumulative balances dating back as far as 2019.
In an official statement responding to an October 11 newspaper report, the agency emphasized that these figures must be understood in their proper context.
”The current CHED leadership is undertaking corrective measures to address the outstanding audit observations, including ensuring that the necessary supporting documents are submitted to the COA for review,” the statement read.
”CHED emphasizes that audit observations are part of COA’s regular oversight process and should be addressed through proper documentation, compliance with audit requirements, and accountability in the use of public funds,” it added.
Addressing specific details from the report, CHED noted that out of the ₱716.19 million flagged under the CHED Merit Scholarship Program, only ₱40,000 was classified as an irregular disbursement due to a scholar in Region IV-B failing to meet grade requirements. The amount has already been refunded by Romblon State University.
Regional offices have also actively submitted compliance documents, updated school IDs, and significantly lowered unliquidated balances, while a bulk of the amount involved fund transfers to higher education institutions with pending liquidations.
Regarding the SIKAP Grant for faculty graduate studies, CHED explained that ₱131.67 million out of ₱134.97 million was flagged primarily due to incomplete paperwork verifying study completion and return service obligations. The agency stressed that missing documents do not automatically equate to irregularities or non-compliance.
Similar corrective measures and clarifications were provided for the Coconut Scholarship Program and CoScho releases, with regional offices stepping up monitoring under updated guidelines.
CHED confirmed it has already submitted required replies, settlement letters, and supporting papers to the Commission on Audit (COA).
”The Commission continues to follow through on remaining corrective actions while awaiting COA’s evaluation and validation. Full compliance and settlement of the audit observations remain subject to COA’s determination. CHED maintains zero tolerance for fund irregularities and will continue to require concerned offices and institutions to fully account for scholarship funds intended for Filipino learners,” the statement read.
Finally, the Commission urged media organizations to practice balanced reporting.
”We welcome the opportunity to provide further clarifications on these matters. We also appeal to media organizations to seek verification and clarification from CHED before publication to ensure that reports are accurate, balanced, and based on the most up-to-date information, so that Filipinos can make informed judgments based on facts and a clearer understanding of the issues,” it added.