By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter
LAOAG CITY—In Ilocos Norte, at least two of the 65 graduating college students of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) under the Expanded Students Grants in-aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) graduated at the state-run Mariano Marcos State University on April 5 with Latin honors.
Jaesem Ryan Gaces, Pantawid Pamilya Information Officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office in Region 1 said the department takes pride of the achievements of its 4Ps scholarship grantees.
Sheena Mae Acierda from Batac City and Melody Bayded from Paoay town are among the 65 student-grantees who will march at the sunken garden of the Batac University on Tuesday. Both Mss. Acierda and Bayded who finished Bachelor of Science in Elementary education are graduating as cum laude.
ESGP-PA is a college scholarship program of DSWD, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries.
Under the program, a student-grantee is entitled to a maximum grant of Php 60,000 per school year or P30,000 per semester for tuition and other school fees, textbooks or other learning materials, and stipend.
According to Mr. Gaces, graduating student-grantees are set to convene at the DSWD Regional Office after their graduation in San Fernando, La Union to honor their achievement while proving that they are worthy of the government’s investment.
With a budget allocation of Php 2.5 billion from the Department of Budget and Management, the program aims to contribute to the national government’s thrusts to alleviate poverty by increasing the number of graduates in higher education among poor households and to get these graduates employed in high-value added occupations.