BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – A total of 3, 359 poor but deserving students across Western Visayas availed themselves of a scholarship grant through the Expanded Students’ Grant-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGPPA) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Of the number, Negros Occidental has the biggest slot with 1, 271, followed by Iloilo with 981; Capiz, 414; Antique, 311; Aklan, 294; and Guimaras, 87.
“They are now enrolled in different state universities and colleges in the region, taking up priority courses,” said Assistant Regional Director Joel P. Galicia of DSWD.
ESGP-PA aims to effectively address poverty alleviation by increasing the number of graduates in higher education among poor households and making them employable.
Given priority to the ESGPPA scholarship are beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program, Galicia said.
Student-grantees are entitled to a maximum grant of P60,000 per academic year, which includes P20,000 for tuition, other fees and academic and extracurricular expenses; P5,000 for textbook and other learning materials, and P3,500 per month for 10 months for food, lodging, clothing, transportation, health or medical needs, basic school supplies and other related costs.
According to Galicia, funding for the program is released directly by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to the concerned state universities and colleges.
The program was first implemented in 2012 with 242 students in the region availing themselves of it. They are now on their third year in college./ PN
