Youths hope to get Capitol scholarship

CEBU, Philippines - Christian Aposaga, 20, travelled more than three hours from his hometown in Tabuelan town, northwest Cebu to get to the Cebu Provincial Capitol Thursday.

He was among the many young people hoping to get a slot in the Cebu provincial government‘s Paglaum scholarship program.

As the son of a tricycle driver and housewife, Aposaga has been living a hard life.

But his circumstances are not stopping him from achieving his dreams of getting a college diploma.

“Ganahan ko makalampos ko pag-eskwela ug makatabang sad sa akong ginikanan,” he said.

Aposaga was in his sophomore year when he was forced to stop because his parents could no longer afford to send him to college.

His father earns more or less P200 a day which is barely enough to sustain the entire family’s needs.

He hopes that the provincial government would grant him scholarship so he could pursue his degree in Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering at the Cebu Technological University-Daanbantayan in northern Cebu.

CTU-Daanbantayan campus is approximately 63.4 kilometers away from Aposaga’s hometown.

Aposaga joined the 170 other applicants of the scholarship grant from the province’s fourth district during the screening at the Vice Governor’s conference room last Thursday.

Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, co-chair of the Provincial Council for the Welfare of Children (PCWC), said only 300 of the over a thousand applicants would be accepted.

The province has set aside P10 million budget to send qualified scholars, at least 43 beneficiaries from each of the seven districts, to college once the first semester opens in June.

However, Magpale said they might accept another 300 scholars if the government pushes through with the free tuition fees for state universities and colleges.

“Kun mahimo mahinayon na karong June, we can extend up to 300 , kay duna man ta kuno’y bayranan P850 nga matriculation fee even if you go to the state college or state university, plus the 1,500 monthly allowance,” she said.

Those who will not be accepted this year, the vice governor said, could still reapply next year.

The Paglaum scholarship program provides P10,000 tuition and payment of miscellaneous fees as well as P1,500 subsistence allowance to handicapped, marginalized, and poor students. Among the program's beneficiaries are children of drug surrenderers and dysfunctional families. (FREEMAN)