ESGPPA Supports, Monitors Student Grantees

Given the constant increase of college fees, many students find it hard to pursue tertiary education. In the Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) bared that two out of five high school graduates (or about 40 percent) did not proceed to college. To help address this problem CHED provided scholarships and educational grants to poor but deserving students one of which is the Expanded Students Grants-in-Aide Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGPPA).

ESGPPA is implemented by CHED, Department of Budget and Management, Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Two years ago Glenda Berondo of Barangay Guadalupe, Carmen, Bohol thought that enrolling in college in just a dream because her father’s P5, 000 monthly income is not enough to feed their family of seven.

A student-grantee shall be entitled with P60, 000 maximum grant per year or P30, 000 per semester. The grant is intended to cover the costs for tuition and other school fees, academic and extracurricular expenses, purchase of textbooks, board and lodging, transportation, clothing, admission/entrance fees, health and other valid related education expenses and support services to complete the degree program.

“May 2014 was the most unforgettable moment of my life because it was during that time when I learned that I will be a grantee of ESGPPA,” a beaming Glenda shared.

“I could not believe it because there were so many applicants yet I was lucky to be chosen as one of the grantees,” she added.

Glenda’s family is a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program since 2011. Pantawid Pamilya is the national governments version of the conditional cash transfer that invests in the health and education of poor households with children aged 0-18.

Meanwhile, Glenda is now an incoming second year student pursuing a degree in Education major in English.

“ESGPPA does not only support me financially but is also monitors my studies through meetings and constant follow-ups,” Glenda cited.
The incoming college sophomore is optimistic to become a licensed teacher someday, she said.“I plan to teach in a public school to educate poor students like me.”

ESGP-PA is among the long-term instrument and commitment of the government to break the vicious cycle of poverty in the country afflicting the poor but deserving Filipino youth and their families.

In Central Visayas, there are currently 2,093 ESGPPA grantees enrolled in Cebu Normal University (271), Cebu Technological University (711), Bohol Island State University (629), Siquijor State College (150) and Negros Oriental State University (222).  (Phoebe Jen Indino- Pantawid Pamilya Information Officer)