Markus Castro
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Grab Philippines officially welcomed its fourth batch of GrabScholars, awarding full four-year scholarships to a fresh cohort of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Business, and Sustainability students.
In addition to tuition coverage at renowned institutions such as Mapua University and the Cebu Institute of Technology University, scholars receive a monthly stipend, a new laptop, and other school essentials.
The new cohort — Harvey Blaize Ramirez, Reign Quiñones, Lloeby Xyra Semana, Dainty Jurzhail Balde, Wrench Maxenne Singcol, and Chrislyn Bacalso — brings the program’s total number of existing full college scholars to 23.
Grab Philippines Managing Director Ronald Roda emphasized that investing in these students is an investment in the country’s tech capabilities. “The world is moving at breakneck speed, particularly with innovations in tech and AI. To better prepare our country towards important advancements, we need young Filipinos who aspire to be the next shapers of the STEM space,” Roda said. “GrabScholar is about ensuring Filipinos are empowered to be the builders and leaders of tomorrow’s tech landscape.”
The GrabScholar program is a cornerstone of the GrabForGood agenda, the superapp’s social impact initiative aimed at promoting socioeconomic mobility of communities in Southeast Asia.
Children of Grab and MOVE IT partners find a path to college
For several of the newest scholars, their scholarship is closely tied to their parents’ daily grind on the road, linking gig and platform work to longer-term aspirations for families in the Grab and MOVE IT ecosystem.
At Mapúa University, 18-year-old Harvey Blaize Ramirez is tackling AI Engineering. His father’s journey — evolving from a GrabFood rider to a GrabCar driver — serves as his blueprint for success. Harvey dreams of one day joining Grab’s engineering team or launching his own tech venture.
Reign Quiñones, an Industrial Engineering freshman at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), is no stranger to the hustle. While her father delivers for GrabFood, Reign balances her studies with freelance layout and editing jobs. A former campus journalist, she aims to become a Process Designer creating apps focused on social impact, such as disaster risk mitigation.
The program also welcomed new scholars from cities in regions outside of Metro Manila. In Cebu, Dainty Jurzhail Balde is pursuing Civil Engineering at the Cebu Institute of Technology University. With her father, a MOVE IT rider, serving as the sole breadwinner for their family of five, Balde is determined to pay it forward. She plans to start a foundation to mentor aspiring engineers from underprivileged backgrounds. Wrench Maxenne Singcol, a Computer Science student at the University of Mindanao, is from Davao City.
GrabScholar’s new batch includes students outside Grab’s partner ecosystem. Lloeby Xyra Semana, who aspires to be a CPA-lawyer, is a freshman Accountancy student at PUP. Before the scholarship, she was supported by her mother, a public school teacher and the family’s sole breadwinner.
Chrislyn Bacalso is pursuing a degree in Business Administration at Xavier University–Ateneo de Cagayan. Her father is a person with disability, while her mother — a vegetable vendor—provides for the family. Bacalso is aiming to become the first college graduate in their household.
Going beyond scholarships: one-time bursaries for K–12 learners
In addition to full college scholarships, GrabScholar provides one-time bursaries to more than 300 underprivileged elementary and high school students to help cover school-related needs. Financial assistance is available up to P2,500, typically disbursed via GrabPay as reimbursement for eligible expenses such as books, uniforms, and school supplies.
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