CAGAYAN de Oro City — A government scholarship program for coconut farmers’ families has produced 308 graduates since 2023, including students who earned academic honors and passed professional licensure examinations, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)-10 said.
The graduates were recognized during the first regional Scholars’ Summit under the Scholarship Program for Coconut Farmers and their Families (CoScho), held on Oct. 7 in Cagayan de Oro City. The event gathered scholars from Northern Mindanao and Lanao del Sur.
As of September 2026, another 485 scholars remained enrolled in the program, including 419 from Northern Mindanao and 66 from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), according to CHED-10.
Of the 308 graduates, 252 studied at higher education institutions in Northern Mindanao, while 56 graduated from schools in BARMM whose scholarship processing is handled by CHED-10.
Arlita Amapola B. Minguez, CHED-10 chief education program specialist, said the program was established under Republic Act No. 11524, or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act.
CHED implements CoScho under the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan in partnership with the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
Minguez said the program aims to expand educational opportunities for coconut farmers and their families while developing skills and talent that can contribute to the agriculture sector.
PCA-10 Regional Manager Yvette B. Guanzon described the scholarship as an investment in farming families, their communities and the coconut industry.
She said education can give coconut farmers’ children opportunities to improve their lives, noting that hard work alone may not be enough to overcome poverty.
Scholar Patricia Angelica Loyloy, now a registered social worker, said the financial assistance helped her continue her education despite financial difficulties and motivated her to maintain her grades.
Fellow scholar Loren E. Cotingjo said the scholarship eased the burden of school expenses and allowed her to focus on her studies. She added that the program encouraged her to strive for excellence and give back to her community.
Aside from recognizing graduates’ academic and professional achievements, the summit featured financial literacy discussions and a job fair to introduce scholars to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
The program’s graduate and enrollment figures show its reach, but further information on scholarship amounts, completion rates and graduates’ employment outcomes would help assess its longer-term impact on beneficiaries and the coconut industry.
(With a report from Apipa Bagumbaran/PIA-10)
