The one Graduate

Up for deliberation by Congress is a bill to expand the coverage of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to include support for tertiary education, instead of basic education.

The explanatory note to House Bill No. 1494 explains the rationale for it: The government must not only give people fish to eat but must teach them how to fish, as education is still the best route towards a better life.

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Under the proposed law, the grant of scholarships for degree and nondegree programs, including technical and vocational courses, shall be extended to students coming from households that are qualified beneficiaries of the 4Ps as certified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The bill provides that beneficiaries of the program be entitled to an allowance of at least P5,000 per semester, which may be increased upon approval by the Commission on Higher Education. That amount may not be much, but for a poor family, that's already a princely sun.

A P300-million initial allotment will be administered by the CHEd, with subsequent funding to be taken from the agency’s budget. The House committee on poverty alleviation has endorsed the measure for plenary consideration.

We urge legislators to pass this bill as this would enable very poor families to have at least one member graduate from college or a technical institution. This would  allow them to land better paying jobs later on and significantly improve their chances to escape from poverty and deprivation.

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