Lanao del Sur extends financial support to poor students

LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines — Officials have extended financial assistance to poor students in a bid to produce professionals who can help foster “culture of peace” in Lanao del Sur province.

In a statement Wednesday, the office of Gov. Soraya Alonto-Adiong said the students who received cash grants are beneficiaries of the Lanao del Sur Educational Assistance Program, most known by its acronym LEAP.

Adiong said there are 724 elementary, 275 high school and 185 college LEAP grantees in Lanao del Sur, which covers 39 towns in two congressional districts.

The provincial government’s monetary support to each LEAP grantee, covering the last quarter of 2017, was released early this week in Marawi City, the capital of Lanao del Sur.

Adiong said the financial assistance for LEAP passers for the remaining months of school year 2017-2018 shall be released in tranches soon.

Adiong, a first-termer provincial governor, said among the goals of the program for deserving elementary pupils and high school and college students is to produce more educated Maranaos who can help promote peace and sustainable development in the province.

Adiong said mainstream education is also a good antidote to peace and security problems, including misguided religious extremism.

She said her administration is keen on propagating a “culture of peace” among her constituents in all of Lanao del Sur’s 39 towns and in the more than 90 barangays in Marawi City.

Lanao del Sur is a component province of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which also covers Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.