MARCH 2, 2014

NR # 3393B

Additional financial assistance and scholarship grant to poor student beneficiaries of 4Ps sought
A lawmaker is proposing the automatic granting of additional financial assistance and scholarship grant to poor but deserving students whose families are covered by the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, more popularly known as the 4Ps. Rep. ric !livare" #$st %istrict, Para&a'ue (ity) filed *ouse +ill ,--., which seeks to grant additional monthly stipend to 'ualified students enrolled in a college course or vocational course. !livare" said the 4Ps program only covers primary education or pre/school to high school for children up to $4 years old and provides a budgeted stipend of P,00.00 per month for each child. !livare" said to date, the 4Ps Program provides cash grants of P1,000 a year or P200 per month per household for health and nutrition e3penses and P,,000 for one school year #$0 months) or P,00 per month per child for educational e3penses with a ma3imum of three children per household. 4hile we truly commend the efforts of our government to alleviate poverty through this program, we also believe that such minimal amount is barely sufficient to effectively afford destitute children a decent and serious education, !livare" said. 5he proposed measure does not undermine the great pro6ect of the government, but aims to help the government e3ecute its program and achieve its ob6ectives more efficiently and effectively, !livare" said. 7n filing the bill, !livare" cited the declared policy of the 8tate to protect and promote the right of all citi"ens to 'uality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all, giving the highest budgetary priority to education. 9nder the measure to be known as 5he 4Ps Automatic 8cholarship Act, every child who has finished high school and has enrolled in a college or university under the regular load shall be entitled to a monthly stipend of P$,000. :or those children beneficiaries who opted to enroll in a vocational college of institution, an additional monthly stipend of P-00.00 shall be given to them. 5he stipend shall subsist for so long as the child is enrolled and has attended at least -2; of the re'uired school days and has no delin'uency records and no dropped sub6ects. 9nder the bill, priority shall be given to intelligent and deserving students whose families are covered by the 4Ps Program with respect to available scholarship grants form local government units #<=9s), third party sponsors and other persons>individuals. 5he %epartment of 8ocial 4elfare and %evelopment #%84%) is mandated to promulgate the implementing rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. #,0) lvc