By Hydee Templonuevo/ PNA
GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The provincial government of South Cotabato is targeting to enlist more tertiary scholars this year under its flagship Kabugwason Paglaum Scholarship Program (KPSP).
Ruel Bagunoc, KPSP executive director, said Wednesday they are set to open the application for the program’s grant-in-aid component, which mainly offers scholarships for bachelor degrees.
He said the application forms will be available starting March at their office inside the provincial capitol in Koronadal City.
As in the previous years, he said all applicants will be subjected to stringent screening and evaluation process through a panel composed of representatives from various sectors.
Last year, at least 151 new scholars were absorbed by the program out of around 1,500 applicants. “This is to ensure that we enlist the deserving and best qualified scholars,” he said in a briefing.
Bagunoc said scholarship slots will be opened for all five categories of the grant-in-aid program, which was set by a provincial ordinance.
Category A caters to scholars with an annual family income of less than PHP200,000 while Category B is for those with family income of PHP200,000 and above.
Category C is for those who received recognition or have won regional, national and international competitions, Category D for persons with disabilities and Category E for the indigenous peoples.
Scholars under Categories A, C, D and E will receive PHP3,500 monthly stipend and PHP15,000 per semester for tuition and other school fees.
Grantees under Category B will only receive monthly stipend of PHP1,500 but will also get PHP15,000 for the school fees.
The provincial government allots an annual budget of PHP25 million for the implementation of the program, which currently caters to 467 undergraduate and 17 post-graduate scholars.
Bagunoc said the undergraduate scholars are enrolled in four to five-year degree courses in colleges and universities in this city, Koronadal City, Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat and in Davao City.
Seven scholars are currently taking medicine, with four of them enrolled at the West Visayas State University and three at the University of Northern Philippines, he said.
Bagunoc said 10 scholars are enrolled in law studies at the Mindanao State University- General Santos campus and at the Sultan Kudarat State University.
For this school year, 2018-2019, he said 235 undergraduate scholars are expected to graduate and two others will finish post-graduate medicine.
In 2018, Bagunoc said program produced 39 new professionals, with six graduating as cum laude and two with honors.
