MANILA, Philippines - Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu were in high spirits after receiving their high school diploma. They were also thankful to House Committee on Higher and Technical Education chair, Rep. Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara (center), also of the Lone District of Aurora province, who introduced them to the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS) program. According to Angara, it is best for other artists to finish their studies through the said program specifically for secondary education, so that later they could further pursue a college degree despite their busy schedule.