TACLOBAN CITY — A fisheries student from Southern Leyte made history as the first summa cum laude graduate of the Visayas State University (VSU) Tolosa Campus, earning a P50,000 cash incentive from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Eastern Visayas (BFAR-8).
Jomari Tubigan of Silago, Southern Leyte, completed his Bachelor of Science in Fisheries degree with a General Weighted Average of 1.149. He was a scholar under BFAR’s Fisheries Scholarship Program (FSP) Fisherfolk Children’s Educational Grant (FCEG).
BFAR-8 awarded Tubigan P50,000, while 10 other FSP scholars who graduated cum laude in 2026 received P20,000 each in recognition of their academic achievements.
“I am honored to have graduated from the BS Fisheries program as an FSP scholar. Earning this degree would not have been possible without BFAR-8’s support, and for that, I am deeply grateful,” Tubigan said.
The other cum laude graduates were Princess Nover Comeo of VSU Tolosa Campus; Mekayla Lumata of Southern Leyte State University-Bontoc Campus; Danica Pecayo, Ashley Andrea Capate, Simfroso Lucero Jr. and Jhon Mark Tonizol of the University of Eastern Philippines-Catarman Campus; and Ma. Hyacinth May Bergado, Sailyn Ablay, Rosary Mae Gagaboan and Zyra Obina of Eastern Samar State University-Borongan Campus.
A total of 23 BFAR-8 scholars graduated this year from five state universities and colleges in Eastern Visayas, including Biliran Province State University-Biliran Campus.
BFAR-8 currently supports 44 scholars pursuing Bachelor of Science in Fisheries degrees through three scholarship components: the Fisheries Industry Leader Grant, Fisherfolk Children’s Educational Grant, and the Fisheries Scholarship Program for Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples.
The BFAR scholarship program provides educational support to help develop future fisheries professionals, particularly those from fisherfolk families and Indigenous communities. The agency said its goal is to produce graduates who can help strengthen the fisheries sector, improve the welfare of fishing communities and promote the sustainable management of the country’s aquatic resources.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
