DSWD offers college scholarship to Pantawid kids
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, May 29 (PIA)--The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-7) in Central Visayas has announced the Students’ Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (SGP-PA), which provide college scholarship grants for 282 eligible students in 47 municipalities in region 7 under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
DSWD7 Information Officer Aileen Lariba said the SGP-PA ensures the underprivileged children has a chance of getting a college education that may qualify for high-value added jobs and, thus giving the families a greater chance to cross poverty threshold for good as it supports its’ scholars entry to labor markets through placement assistance.
Of the 609 focus municipalities in the country identified for the SGP-PA implementation, 47 of these are from Central Visayas with 26 municipalities from Cebu, 19 from Negros Oriental and two for Siquijor province.
Eligible for the SGP-PA applicants are: (1) must be a Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary; (2) not more than 30 years old at the time of selection; (3) should be physically and mentally fit; (4) should be a high school graduate and/or equivalent; (5) no other higher education scholarship/grant from public institutions; (6) pass the entrance exam and academic requirements set by the SUCs; (7) pass the requirements set by the National SGP-PA Committee; and (8) must enroll/shift/transfer to CHED priority programs preferably in the leading SUCs most accessible from their residence.
Priority courses that a scholar may enrol include Information Technology, Agriculture and Related Fields, Teacher Education, Science and Math, Engineering, Health Services such as Pharmacy, Radiology and Medical Technology, Arts and Humanities, Atmospheric and Environmental Science.
Lariba said each student-grantee shall be entitled to a maximum of P 60T scholarship grant per school year wherein P30T per semester covering tuition fee, textbooks and monthly allowance of P3,500.
The selected scholarship grantee shall carry a full load per semester as prescribed in the curriculum and finish within the required period of the program.
He/she shall also maintain a satisfactory academic performance in accordance with the policies and standards of the SUC and render a return service of 2 years after graduation in the Philippines except for highly critical courses determined by local industry and government services.
“On the other hand, the parents have a responsibility in the implementation of the SGP-PA as well though responsibilities is not new for them since they have already been trained to handle such while they were trying to comply with set conditions of the 4Ps,” said Lariba.
These conditions include pre and post natal care for pregnant women, immunization, weighing, monthly health check-up for children and attendance to Family Development Sessions to continue receiving the P500/month health grant and 85% monthly attendance is required to receive the P300/month/child education grant but for a maximum of three children only, she added.
For SGP-PA, the parents shall sign the contract with the SUCs as the executor of the program and support their child as recipient of grants-in-aid towards completion of college students.
In addition, the parent/guardian shall ensure that the related expenses and other incidental expenses for health and clothing shall be paid on time and that the recipient will religiously attend to his/her classes and minimize absences, and complete school requirements.
Furthermore, the parent/guardian must provide such other moral support and ensure that all the financial benefits directly received by the grantee shall be spent for all the legitimate purposes and on time. In the event that the head is the beneficiary himself he shall assume the foregoing responsibilities to complete his studies.
Lariba emphasized, like in Pantawid Pamilya program, monitoring and evaluation is of utmost priority taking into consideration that this is a pilot project. Therefore, the National SGP-PA Committee compose of implementing agencies shall conduct a spot check in the implementation of the program in accordance with the guidelines develop for its purposes. (mbcn/JCT/PIA-Negros Oriental)
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Valencia LGU gets P.5-M assistance for its RHU
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, May 29 (PIA) -- The newly constructed rural health building of Valencia town will soon acquire new medical equipment following the release of half a million-peso financial assistance from Senator Teofisto Guingona III.
Department of Budget Management (DBM-7) regional director Carmela Fernan said the money is already deposited at the Development Bank of the Philippines and is credited to the account of the municipality.
The money is from the Priority Development Assistance Fund of Sen. Guingona.
Valencia Mayor Ricky Gonzalez said priority in the medical equipment lists to be purchased include dental chair, hospital beds, delivery tables, mobile aneroid sphygmomanometer, wheeled stretcher, among others.
“Procuring the said items is now on process,” Mayor Gonzalez said
Mayor Gonzalez sought the assistance of Senator Guingona to provide the rural health unit with new medical equipment to improve the delivery of health services to the people.
The town of Valencia acquired its P20-million rural health building early this year through a donation from the Energy Development Corporation, where the latter operates a geothermal steam field. (mbcn/JCT/PIA-Negros Oriental)
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Korean Univ, Silliman ink partnership on water treatment project
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, May 29 (PIA) -- A university in Korea had tied up with Silliman University on a joint project aimed at developing a technology for mitigating bacterial contamination of drinking water in the Philippines.
Chonbuk National University President Dr. Geo-Suk Suh of Korea and Silliman President Dr. Ben Malayang III signed recently the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to undertake the project, “Sustainable development and technical support for a physical water treatment technology to mitigate scaling and bacterial contamination of drinking water and piping systems in the Philippines.”
The project will be submitted for funding under the Global Research and Development Networking Program of the National Research Foundation of the Republic of Korea.
Aimed primarily at promoting research and academic exchange, the project will involve carrying out of activities over a three-year period, ending May 30, 2015.
This will also involve the laboratories of both universities: Chonbuk’s Physical Water Treatment and Biosystem Laboratory and those at Silliman’s College of Engineering and Design (CED).
Heading the project will be Prof. Cheol Sang Kim, chairperson of the Division of Mechanical Design and Engineering of the College of Engineering of Chonbuk. His counterpart in Silliman is Dr. Benjamin Tobias, former Dean and now professor at Silliman’s CED.
Chonbuk National University, founded in 1947, is the flagship Korean university of the Jeonbuk Province of South Korea. (MCBN/JCT-PIA Negros Oriental)