SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique — The Antique provincial government will release the PHP5,000 scholarship funds to its 3,000 scholars on October 26, an official said on Monday.
Rexon Nodque, Provincial Youth Development head in charge of the program, said the scholars from the southern part of the province will receive their scholarship fund during a program at the Binirayan Gymnasium in San Jose de Buenavista.
“The scholarship fund will be released by Senator Loren Legarda and Antique Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao,” he said in an interview.
He said the Antique provincial government has appropriated PHP30 million for the scholarship program this year.
He added that majority of the the scholars are enrolled at the University of Antique and the others at the St. Anthony’s College.
The rest of the scholars are enrolled in the different universities in Iloilo city, Aklan, Negros Occidental and in Manila, Nodque said.
The province has 6,500 scholars this school year.
On October 26, Nodque said Legarda will lead the distribution of scholarship fund for the first semester to beneficiaries of the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) Tulong Dunong program.
The ceremony will coincide with the launching of Legarda’s party-list group, Luntiang Pilipinas.
“There are more than 7,000 student scholars of the Tulong Dunong in the province for this semester,” Nodque said.
He said practically, the provincial scholars are also those scholars in the CHED’s scholarship program.
“Antique has been allocated PHP38 million for the Tulong Dunong this school year because of Senator Legarda,” he said.
Last school year, he said the province was allocated almost PHP85 million for the Tulong Dunong but that it was cut this school year due to the free tuition program in state universities and colleges.
“Our Antiqueño students are really fortunate because of the provincial scholarship and the Tulong Dunong that they receive,” he said.
He said the provincial government still give the beneficiaries the scholarship fund to defray other expenses, like board and lodging, projects, and allowances. (Annabel Consuelo Petinglay/PNA)
