City officials recently requested the City Mayor to issue an Administrative Order creating a complimentary group or task force to assist assigned personnel of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) in the implementation of the Baguio College Education Financial Assistance grant program and to look into other concerns to be incorporated in the amendment of Ordinance No. 116, series of 2019 as amended by Ordinance No. 45, series of 2023 and further amended by Ordinance No. 94, series of 2023 pending the hiring of additional personnel as may be authorized.
Under Resolution No. 509, series of 2024, local legislators stated that pending the enactment of the proposed amendatory ordinance, the City Mayor is requested and authorized to issue an Administrative Order to create or designate a special group or task force to compliment implementing personnel of the CSWDO to be composed of designated personnel of the members of the local legislative body who in a meeting held on July 30, 2024 volunteered to augment and personally help in the implementation of the program and to further look into other concerns as may be needed to be incorporated in the amendment of the ordinance.
Ordinance No. 116, series of 2019 provided for the City Government of Baguio College Education Financial Assistance grant program to students and directed the annual allocation of P10 million in the budget of the city starting in 2020 to fund the established program.
Recognizing the importance of the program and seeing the need to accommodate more deserving and underprivileged students, Ordinance No. 116, series of 2019 was amended by Ordinance No. 45, series of 2023 increasing the financial assistance grant to P8,000 for each beneficiary with the appropriation of the amount of P20 million to be added to the 2022 budget to cover the adjustment.
Moreover, the said ordinance was further amended by Ordinance No. 94, series of 2023 that provided the extension of the program to accommodate students who are enrolled in schools even outside of the city.
The council claimed that reminded of the need to sustain the program, it recently approved in the 2024 budget the allocation of the needed amount but noting the ongoing enrollment in colleges and classes to begin in a week or two, the body cannot immediately enact an amendatory ordinance to address the manifested concerns in the implementation of the program, particularly the need for additional personnel to attend to the evaluation of applications and identification of deserving beneficiaries of thee program in the streamlining of requirements applicants are required to submit. By Dexter A. See
