LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Benguet Caretaker Congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Yap explained the funds earmarked for the Youth Assistance Program (YAP) were sourced from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) under its educational assistance program and not from any local government in the province.
Yap, who chairs the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, stated that he strongly lobbied for the increase in the allocation of funds for the implementation of the YAP in the province for more deserving students to achieve a higher level of education and be productive in their chosen fields of profession in the future.
The lawmaker pointed out that the educational assistance program under the CHED is totally different from whatever educational programs being implemented by concerned local governments that is why local officials and heads of educational institutions should be responsible enough in their pronouncements so as not to mislead the people.
Rep. Yap said that he is doing his best to ensure Benguet will be provided with increased fund allocation under the aforesaid CHED program to help in lessening the burden from the local governments in having to allocate bigger funds for similar programs but instead use their funds for their other priority development projects.
He pointed out that the funds for the educational programs of the CHED and local governments should be complimentary and local politicians should not claim credit for these by riding on the issue.
According to him, many students from the countryside want to acquire a higher level of education but the difficulty of life in the countryside has been a hindrance for them to do so, thus, the enhancement of the YAP that allowed some over 1,000 deserving students from the province’s 140 barangays to initially benefit from the same.
Yap claimed that despite the minimal assistance provided to the beneficiaries of the YAP, he is proud of the resilience of the students in hurdling the obstacles in their quest to achieve a higher level of education for them to become productive individuals in the future and be instrumental in helping their families.
He explained he believes in the contention that education is still the best inheritance that parents and guardians could provide their children as this cannot be taken away from them and they could use the same to improve the lives of their families.
He expressed support to the educational assistance program of local governments but local officials should be responsible in informing their constituents on the funding sources for these. By HENT
