BY MARY JOY CAVAÑAS
ILOILO City – Three thousand indigent students from this city were the first to benefit from the Integrated Scholarships and Incentives Program (ISIP) for the Youth: Empowering Students through Education and Opportunity on Saturday, Dec. 9, during its nationwide launch at the West Visayas State University (WVSU) cultural center.
Beneficiaries are enrolled in Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) “Tulong Dunong” scholarship program and are eligible for a P15,000 annual grant until they graduate.
They will also receive an additional P2,000 under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD’s) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations every semester.
ISIP for the Youth is a convergence project with the DSWD, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), CHED, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, in partnership with Iloilo City Lone District’s Rep. Julienne “Jam-jam” Baronda, Uswag Ilonggo’s Rep. James “Jojo” Ang, and Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas, led the enlistment of the 3,000 students to the scholarship and incentives program.
The program, Romualdez said, aids deserving learners so they can continue their studies and eventually contribute to the development of the country.
For her part, Baronda said, “We are making history. Congress has chosen Iloilo City to be the venue for the launching of the ISIP for the Youth as a major component of the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) of President Bongbong Marcos.”
She encouraged the beneficiaries to focus on their studies, adding, “Let us always believe in our dreams and together we will survive.”
Baronda also reminded the parents to fully support and guide their children.
“Sa mga ginikanan, giyahan niyo gid ang mga kabataan niyo. Kung kulang-kulang kamo sa pinansiyal, show them your love, and your time and understanding,” she said./PN
