P2M scholarship fund for Mt Prov studes released

By Francis Degay

BONTOC, Mountain Province – The last tranche of a scholarship fund worth P2 million for students of the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College has been released.

Mayor Franklin Odsey bared this after he verified the matter with Rep. Manuel Agyao, caretaker congressman of the province.

Agyao sent Odsey a photocopy of the advice for the last tranche dated Jan. 4, 2010 addressed to MPSPC signed by DBM secretary Rolando Andaya, Jr.

The P2 million was credited to the school Land Bank of the Philippines-Bontoc branch account with national clearing account no. 382774-5 and MDS sub-account no. 2104-90006-5 chargeable against the Priority Development Assistance Fund of fiscal year budget 2009 of Rep. Agyao.

The notice spelled out the purpose of the money which is to cover cash requirements for scholarship program in the lone district of Mountain Province as per special allotment release order no. G-09-08147.

Sometime last year Odsey called up Agyao on complaints from parents of students that the college management mandated the scholar-students to pay their tuition fees despite the scholarship program.

Agyao immediately responded and said he had released two checks for the scholarship funds to the college institution as followas: P3,000,000.00 with SARO no. ROCS-09-01728 dated April 3, 2009 and another P3,000,000.00 with SARO no. ROCS 09-04821 dated July 2, 2009.

The scholarship program was one of the initiatives of the late Rep. Victor Dominguez to bona fide residents of Mountain Province.

Agyao was appointed by President Gloria Arroyo as the legislative liaison officer for Mountain Province after Dominguez passed away in 2008.