Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday filed a Senate inquiry to probe the questionable Php 7 billion release of the Commission on Higher Education to the Unified Financial Assistance System (UniFAST) for scholarship programs.

The UniFAST is an attached agency of CHED that provides Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs) for tertiary education in accordance with Republic Act No. 10687.

Under Senate Bill No 128, she cited a report from the Commission on Audit (COA) showing that Php 3.4 billion worth of delayed and non-submission of billing and documents to state universities and colleges (SUCs) and universities and local universities and colleges (LUCs) in the past three years.

The UniFAST also paid Php 824 million to SUCs and LUCs without presenting official receipts.

She also stated that COA has flagged Php 131 million overpayments for tuition fees and school fees (TOSFs) due to deficient mechanisms of UniFAST to prevent over-charging and prevent enormous payments.

CHED Commissioner Prospero De Vera released a statement the same day, saying that UniFAST has already given answers in its reply to COA regarding the “questionable releases”.

It clarified that the observation, particularly the inefficient billing, requiring from UniFAST “have been corrected” as the allegations stem from COA observations three to four years ago (AY 2018-2019 and AY 2019-2020).

“CHED has always been fully transparent and accountable in its implementation of RA 10931 or the UAQTE. The beneficiaries of UAQTE are the beneficiaries mandated by the law. No UAQTE funds have been released to students who are not beneficiaries under the law,” De Vera said.

He further said that he is ready to meet with Hontiveros to clarify the concerns.