Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman and chair of the University of the Philippines Board of Regents J. Prospero E. De Vera III has been named a 2024 recipient of The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) award for his contributions to advancing higher education in the Philippines.
The TOFIL award, presented by the Junior Chamber International Senate Philippines (JCISP), recognizes individuals aged 41 and older for their exemplary contributions to public welfare and national development.
De Vera is best known for championing the passage of Republic Act 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, in 2017. He also led the higher education sector through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before joining CHED, De Vera was a faculty member at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG), where he is also an alumnus. He served as director of the Center for Policy and Executive Development and the Center for Leadership, Citizenship, and Democracy, and as the Vice President for Public Affairs of the UP System. He is also recognized as a respected political commentator and policy expert.
“This award is not just for me. It is also for my daughter, my granddaughters, my colleagues in CHED, and most of all the students whom I have met as I padyak around the country,” De Vera said during his acceptance speech. “I received The Outstanding Filipino Award on behalf of the Filipino students whose dreams and aspirations turned into reality because of free higher education.”
According to CHED, 2 million students are benefiting from free tertiary education under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, while more than 700,000 students are financial aid grantees.
Read the PNA release here.
