MORE NEWS, KALINGA

College scholarship grants set for poor but deserving Kalinga province students

TABUK CITY – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Kalinga approved Ordinance No. 011 establishing a College Education Scholarship Program for poor but deserving students taking a four to five year college course.

Introduced by board member Antonio Bakilan Sr, the ordinance sought to help marginalized families send their children to school.

Bakilan cited Article 98 of the Local Government Code: one of the functions and duties of the SP is to establish a scholarship fund for the poor but deserving students in the schools located within its jurisdiction or for students within the province.

He said this function was not implemented from the time the LGC was enacted into law in 1991.
“The establishment of the CESP would give poor but deserving students the chance to finish a college degree of their choice,” he said, adding assisting selected students finish their education was investment for the province.

The program will start for school year 2008-2009. Each grantee is entitled to P2,000 assistance per school semester or P4,000 a year.

The amount of P360,000 shall be appropriated under the 2008 General Fund, P720,000 on the second year of implementation and P1.44 million, P1.8M; P3.6M for third fourth and fifth year of implementation respectively.

The fund requirement of the program shall be included in the 2008 budget and the succeeding years.

A program committee shall be created chaired by the provincial governor and the SP committee
chair on education, arts, culture and sports as vice chairman.

Members are the schools division superintendent, Liga ng mga Barangay presiden, and provincial planning and development coordinator.

The committee was directed by the ordinance to prepare immediately implementing rules and regulations of the law.

Qualification of a grantee: must be a Filipino citizen, born in and resident of Kalinga, must be poor but deserving as certified by the Punong Barangay and the municipal social welfare and development office.

A family income not exceeding P80,000 as proven by latest income tax return or certificate of tax exemption of parents from the Bureau of Internal Revenue is also needed.

The grantee must not be more than 21 years old, of good moral character as certified by the school principal or registrar, have a general average of at least 85 percent upon graduation from high school.

The grantee must have attended and completed elementary and secondary education in the province and should enroll in a CHED-accredited government education institution within Kalinga.
No two or more members of the same immediate family shall be allowed to enjoy the educational assistance at the same time and the applicant must not be enjoying other scholarship awards or educational grants.

Bakilan said the law was giving priority to orphans, those with disabilities, child of single parents and victims of armed conflicts.

Children of government and private employees, elective officials and overseas workers are not covered. Applicants must have no pending administrative or criminal case.

Except for Tabuk with 20 slots considering its big population, other municipalities will get 10 slots each of the scholarship grant.