Vice Mayor Faustino A. Olowan expressed optimism that the local government will be able to significantly increase the seed money provided for the city’s educational financial assistance for indigent residents of the city.
He said that the initial beneficiaries of the city’s educational financial assistance program will have to make do with the limited funds that will be provided for the initial implementation of the program that will be rolled out by the first semester of 2020 after the crafting of the implementing rules and regulations.
Earlier, the City Council approved on third and final reading a proposed ordinance providing for the city’s College Education Financial Assistance Grant Program, providing funds therefore and for other purposes.
The ordinance authored by Vice Mayor Faustino A. Olowan states the measure is geared towards preparing the students in becoming exemplary future leaders with better lives and to serve as role models in the community, particularly physically, mentally, socially, morally and spiritually.
Under the proposed ordinance, a financial assistance grant of P6,000 will be given each to those poor and under privileged but deserving students every semester per schoolyear, who are enrolled and excel academically in schools located within the city.
The ordinance provides for the creation of a Baguio City Scholarship Council composed of all members of the city legislative body, City Budget Officer, City Social Welfare and Development Officer, Vice Mayor and the City Mayor, as vice chairperson and chairperson, respectively.
The committee shall be primarily tasked to implement the College Education Financial Assistance Grant Program as mandated.
Further, a scholarship committee in every school shall be created and composed by the council within 3 months after the approval of the proposed city legislative measure.
The ordinance stipulates all applications for scholarship shall be submitted to the Baguio City Scholarship Council through the City Mayor which shall make the evaluation, screening and selection, in consultation and coordination with the concerned scholarship committee, pursuant to the provisions of the measure and its implementing rules and regulations.
The scholarship committees in the schools shall be tasked to help the council in recommending, screening, evaluating and selecting all students qualified for the program.
Olowan proposed the appropriation of the amount of P10 million under the 2020 annual budget of the city government to fund the implementation of the program, which shall be increased by an additional P5 million annually upon the discretion of the City Mayor.
The ordinance adds that the implementing rules and regulations shall be formulated by the Committee on Education, Culture and Historical Research within 3 months from the approval of the proposed measure with the concurrence of the members of the city legislative body and thereafter, the same shall be submitted to the City Mayor for approval prior to implementation.
By Dexter A. See
