The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya) joined hands with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in implementing a student financial assistance program known as the Students’ Grants-in Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (SGP-PA).
The SGP-PA aims to contribute to National Government’s thrusts in effectively addressing poverty alleviation by increasing the number of graduates in higher education among poor households, and to get graduates employed in high-value added occupations in order to lift their families out of poverty and contribute to national development.
In Region 8, there are 55 identified municipalities with 330 potential beneficiaries for the SGP-PA program. Each municipality has six slots for scholarship.
The potential list of beneficiaries was taken from the Pantawid Pamilya database at the national level with its basis of having children who graduated high school and or in the college level. The list with corresponding validation form is being brought down to the regional level for validation.
Pantawid Pamilya Regional Coordinator Marichu Bustillos has already taken the lead to orient the staff from the identified municipalities with the said potential beneficiaries of the program. Initially, the orientation took off last May 10, 2012 at the Leyte Park Hotel with 15 Municipal Links of Leyte and six from the province of Eastern Samar. On the other hand, the orientation for Western and Northern Samar Provinces is set on the 11th of May, 2012 in Calbayog City.
The CHED having been, as chair of the National SGP-PA Committee (NCS), issues an award to the beneficiaries after selected by the NCS after validation and shortlisting has been conducted in the regional level. The State Universities and Colleges as member of the committee, administer the examination and other appropriate admission requirements. While the DSWD Monitor the implementation of the program in coordination with the local government units.