It aims to bring its accessible, student-centered, and success-focused college education to underserved communities.
In a press statement, PHINMA Education, a unit of the PHINMA Corporation, announced that it is set to officially expand to Butuan City this year through the expansion of PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College (COC), the largest private college in Northern Mindanao.
It confirmed that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has officially approved the opening of the PHINMA COC Butuan campus, which expands access to college education in Caraga.
The Butuan campus will offer various programs such as Accountancy, Management Accounting, Psychology, Early Childhood Education, Criminology, Civil Engineering, and Tourism Management.
“These programs are aligned with growing regional demand for professionals in key sectors driving growth across Caraga,” noted the group.
PHINMA COC Network COO Mark Macaventa said, “For years, many students from Butuan and nearby provinces have chosen to study at PHINMA COC in Cagayan de Oro because of the quality of education, strong board exam performance, and career opportunities our graduates achieve.”
PHINMA COC currently gives access to education to more than 38,000 underserved students across Carmen, Puerto, Iligan, and nearby communities.
With the expansion in Butuan, the institution expects to reach up to 50,000 more learners across the Caraga region, as the campus will be open to students from diverse backgrounds, including working students and those returning to complete their studies.
The new campus will also offer PHINMA Education’s Hawak Kamay (HK) Scholarship program, which does not require an entrance examination and does not impose maintaining grades.
The scholarship shall remain valid until students complete their degree, helping remove barriers to entry and ensuring as well continuing accessibility to various forms of support throughout their college journey.
“With PHINMA COC Butuan, we are making that same proven educational experience more accessible to students in Caraga — closer to their homes, families, and communities,” added Macaventa.
PHINMA Education Holdings, Inc. part of PHINMA Corporation, started operating in the education services sector in 2004 through the acquisition of PHINMA Araullo University in Nueva Ecija.
It has since expanded its presence across the Philippines, serving more than 150,000 students across a school network which includes: PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College, PHINMA University of Pangasinan, PHINMA University of Iloilo, Southwestern University PHINMA in Cebu City, PHINMA Saint Jude College in Manila, PHINMA Republican College in Quezon City, PHINMA Rizal College of Laguna, and PHINMA Union College of Laguna.
It also aims to expand across Southeast Asia beginning with Horizon Education in Indonesia.
Recently, it also acquired the Southeastern College in Pasay City for PHP 690 million.