Sen. Bam Aquino announced that around 19,000 eligible nursing and allied health sciences students may benefit from a one-time ₱25,000 subsidy for their Related Learning Experience (RLE) expenses through the Allied Health Experiential Assistance for Deserving Students (AHEAD) grant.
The funding became possible after Aquino helped secure a ₱500 million allocation in the 2026 national budget for the program during his tenure as chairperson of the Committee on Basic Education.
In a Facebook post, the senator said the initiative aims to ease the financial burden faced by students who need to complete RLE and clinical internship requirements as part of their healthcare training.
“Malaking ginhawa ito para sa ating mga nursing at allied health students na matagal ding nag-alala kung paano mababayaran ang kanilang Related Learning Experience (RLE) at clinical internship fees habang nagsasanay para makapaglingkod sa bayan,” Sen. Bam announced.
(A huge relief for our nursing and allied health students who have long worried about how they would pay for their Related Learning Experience (RLE) and clinical internship fees while training to serve the nation.)
During the 2025 senatorial campaign, Sen. Bam vowed during his meetings with nursing students to address their concerns over the high cost of RLE, which is similar to on-the-job training (OJT) and is required for graduation.
“Matagal nating ipinaglaban na mabigyan ng suporta ang ating mga future healthcare professionals, kaya naman napakahalagang hakbang ng paglulunsad ng AHEAD (Allied Health Experiential Assistance for Deserving Students) grant ng CHED upang mas marami pang kabataang Pilipino ang makapagpatuloy sa kanilang pag-aaral at mas mapalapit sa kanilang pangarap na maging healthcare professionals,” he stressed.
(We have long fought to provide support for our future healthcare professionals, which is why the launch of CHED’s AHEAD (Allied Health Experiential Assistance for Deserving Students) grant is a significant step in helping more young Filipinos continue their studies and move closer to their dream of becoming healthcare professionals.)
Sen. Bam expressed gratitude to CHED, under the leadership of Chairperson Dr. Shirley Agrupis, for creating this program, swiftly releasing the guidelines, and developing the portal that students can use to apply for the RLE subsidy.
During the launch, 10 nursing students from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina (PLMar) held a ceremonial enrollment via the online application portal for the AHEAD grant. (https://ahead.ched.gov.ph/).
CinemaBravo 
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