SANTA MARCELA, Apayao – The Tulong Eskwela Program (TEP) resumed its payout activities, aiding 230 Senior High School (SHS) students from the municipalities of Flora and Santa Marcela earlier today, September 6.
A total of 74 beneficiaries from Santa Marcela and 156 from Flora received financial assistance amounting to PhP3,000 each during the simultaneous payout program held at the municipal government compound of the said towns.
This payout followed the mass distribution held in Luna on August 30, in where some beneficiaries were unable to attend.
This initiative is spearheaded by Apayao Lone District Representative Eleanor C. Bulut-Begtang, in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and is part of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s Bagong Pilipinas advocacy, with strong support from House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Flora Mayor Rodolfo Juan in his talk expressed his gratitude to the President and the House Speaker for their continued support to the yApayao learners. He likewise thanked Gov. Elias C. Bulut, Jr. and Bulut-Begtang for their scholarship programs and for securing additional funds.
“Uray dakkelen iti mait-ited kadagiti estudyante iti Apayao, nagbirok latta ni Gov. ken Cong. iti nayun nga tulong. Kasjay ka-importante iti panagkita da iti masakbayan yu nga ub-ubbing,” Mayor Juan said.
Juan encouraged the parents to motivate their children to excel academically. “Saan yu kuma sayangen dagitoy nga tulong,” the Mayor added. “Bagbagaan yu iti annak yu nga agbasa da nga nalaing tapno adda met pakakitaan nga adda bunga na dagitoy nga investment kadagiti ubbing.”
The TEP is aligned with the directive of President Marcos Jr. during his third State of the Nation Address in July to work toward educational reform through technology and modernization, according to House Speaker Romualdez.
Romualdez said the initiative, which was simultaneously launched in 220 areas in all provinces nationwide, is designed to alleviate the financial burdens that often hinder SHS students from “realizing their full potentials”.
Each area of implementation has a total of 3,000 parents of SHS students chosen as beneficiaries for the financial assistance under the DSWD’s Ayuda para sa Kapos Ang Kita Program (DSWD-AKAP) and another 3,000 for employment assistance under the Labor department’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay Sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD). By Jess Christley Marquez
