TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The city government, through the City Special Concerns and Coordinating Office (CSCCO), conducted a scholarship program orientation for the 577 newly accepted scholars together with their parents, on August 23 at the City Gymnasium.
CSCCO head Glen Wansi explained that the orientation will enlighten the students and their parents about how they were rigidly selected by their office.
He mentioned that most of the scholar grantees were children of single parents, barangay health workers, persons with disabilities, and those from the marginalized sector. Some students were abandoned, and some were shortlisted the previous semester but were not accommodated because of the limited number of slots available.
Wansi explained that the scholars have complied with the requirements and were screened well by their office staff. He added that they cannot be accommodated if they have not passed the requirements.
Speaking to the students and their parents via live stream, Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero said that the scholarship program is open to all, and he assures that no one shall be discriminated against in the educational financial grant.
He emphasized that many scholars had graduated with honors, and he challenged them to do the same by prioritizing their studies until they graduate from college in the hopes of finding a rewarding career.
The head of the Committee on Education, Councilor Eduardo Sacayle, stated that they may raise the semester grant or offer other benefits to the students through legislation.
He reminded the scholars that in order to avoid being eliminated in accordance with the scholarship guidelines, they must pursue their good standing in the classroom.
Assistant Head of CSCCO John Errol Gacuya thanked all of the parents in attendance and congratulated the scholars, telling them to be grateful as they were chosen out of all the applicants and to pursue their education diligently all the way to college graduation.
More than 20 years of scholarship program
As recalled, Mayor Estrañero has adopted and continued this scholarship program of the city government.
Under the leadership of Estrañero, the city government started the scholarship program’s extension by including senior high school students in public schools and raising the financial assistance from PhP4,000 to PhP5,000 every semester.
He assured that his administration will allocate funds to meet the financial requirements of the expanded scholarship program, which is expected to exceed 20 million pesos.
In 2002, the city government launched its scholarship program, under then Mayor Camilo Lammawin, Jr. whose goal was to support deserving students whose families belong to the underprivileged or marginalized sectors.
Through the program, thousands of students from the city have finished their degrees and are now part of the bureaucracy and other industries that help in nation-building.
A more robust scholarship program is one way of giving students from indigent families an opportunity to realize their dreams by pursuing and finishing a college degree. This will also ensure that the city, now and in the future, will continue to nurture productive and responsible citizens. By Ian Jefrey Addatu
