The
Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Agusan del Norte recently asked the Committee
on Education of the House of Senate and House of Representatives to ensure the
fund allocation of the Scholarship Grants Program for barangay officials and
their beneficiaries.
The SP passed and approved a
resolution requesting the House of Congress for the inclusion of fund
allocation in the General Appropriations Act for the sustainable implementation
of the said scholarship grants as provided for under Section 393 B (4) of RA
7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.
Pursuant to Section 393 B (4) of RA
7160, it mandated that the punong barangay, the sangguniang barangay members,
the barangay treasurer, the barangay secretary and their legitimate dependent
children, and the sangguniang kabataan officials attending state universities
or colleges (SUCs) shall be exempted during their incumbency from paying
tuition to the schools they enrolled.
In adherence to the said provision,
the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issued Memorandum Order Nos. 62-1997
and 15-2009 to provide guidelines for all SUCs on the said scholarship grant.
However, a problem ensued as the
scholarship program is not honored by SUCs because there is no assurance of
fund allocation from the national government and there is no existing clear-cut
mechanism as to where they can obtain the payments or reimbursements of the
tuition or matriculation fees incurred by the beneficiaries.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of
Davao Oriental and Marinduque expressed the same concerns on the matter and
were soliciting the support from the SP of Agusan del Norte to request the
national government to adopt a clear-cut mechanism that will ensure the fund
allocation of the program and payment to SUCs.
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