ILOILO CITY — “The Iskolar sang Iloilo” Program (ISIP) of the provincial government produced its first licensed chemist in the person of Brienz Athena S. Suaberon, 22, of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo.
Suaberon, the child of single mother, Ruth, who is a food vendor, passed the Chemist Licensure Exam given last October 9-10. Her father, also a vendor, died a year ago.
Suaberon said she initially wanted to take up Biology or Medical Technology as she dreamed of becoming a doctor.
“However, my parents doubted if they could afford to send me to medical school so they advised me to choose a better preparatory course for medicine,” she said in an interview Thursday.
She then chose Chemistry as she could work in a laboratory if she could not enroll in Medicine.
“I survived even though it was not my priority course because I believe that you should finish whatever you have started,” she said.
Suaberon is a fresh graduate of Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Visayas in Miag-ao, Iloilo. Her full tuition and miscellaneous fees were shouldered by the provincial government.
She received a PHP2,800 monthly stipend, PHP2,000 book and PHP1,000 uniform allowances annually.
Her mother thanked the provincial government for helping the less privileged but deserving students to achieve their dreams. She expressed hope that the province would continue to extend educational assistance to less fortunate students.
“If she did not qualify for the scholarship program, maybe we could send her to college but it would be difficult for us to cover her fees and expenses,” she said.
ISIP has already produced a total of 763 scholars since the start of its implementation in 1995.
This year, the incentives have been increased from a monthly stipend of PHP2,800 to PHP3,500 and PHP2,000 book allowance from the previous PHP1,000. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
