Studes assail ‘dirty politics’ for stop of full scholarships

BY DEXTER A SEE

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Thousands of students of the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College here denounced the “black propaganda and dirty politics” purportedly employed by disgruntled politicians and election losers which led to the eventual suspension of the institution’s full scholarship program.

The move of the students in coming out in the open to express their sentiments over the “undesirable actuations of the opposition” was triggered by the move of Rep. Victor Dominguez to cut full scholarship program for over 4,000 student beneficiaries of MPSPC.

While denouncing the anti-student acts of the opposition, the students appealed to Dominguez to pursue the implementation of the full scholarship program.

They said present and future generation, especially members of the indigent families in the province would be able to attain education and contribute to the economic development of the province if the program is continued.

The vigil of the students, organized by officers of the Supreme Student Council led by Roy Magalgalit, was done in a festive mood after the school management granted their request to defer the payment of their school fees for their exams this week.

Earlier, Dominguez suspended the implementation of the full scholarship grant of MPSPC following a series of charges filed by his critics before the Commission on Higher Education and the Commission on Human Rights, saying his “voluntary effort to help the younger generation to attain a descent education for the students was taken for granted.”

The students agreed to comply with the condition imposed by Dominguez for them to apply with the program so that they could be accommodated in case he decides to lift the suspension.

At the same time, the students vowed they will settle their school fees if their efforts to negotiate with the congressman for the implementation of the program this semester fails.

It was learned that students signed promissory notes committing that they will settle all their school fees until the end of the term in order for their parents to source out money for their obligations with the school.

MPSPC is the first higher education institution in the country to implement the full scholarship program for its students who are bonafide residents of Mountain province since the funds are being provided by Dominguez.

For the past two years, the veteran lawmaker has been allotting P7 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and P3 million from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples annually for the program.