The Baguio City Council is planning to once again increase the educational grant for qualified college students to encourage more applications, as recent reports indicate a decline in the number of grantees.
Cynthia Langagan, Acting Assistant Head of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), said since the implementation of the Baguio College Education Financial Assistance Grant (BCEFAG) in School Year 2020-2021, the program had experienced fluctuations in the number of grantees due to various challenges.
Initially, the first semester of SY 2020-2021 saw 546 applicants out of a targeted 800. The low number of applicants was most likely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Numbers increased to 722 in the second semester.
In SY 2021-2022, the first semester had 850 grantees, but this dropped to 627 in the second semester due to financial waivers, non-enrollment, failed grades, and alternative scholarships.
The trend of decreasing numbers continued in SY 2022-2023, with 444 grantees in the first semester and 350 in the second, primarily due to the non-submission of documents and failed subjects.
SY 2023-2024 saw an increase to 843 grantees in the first semester, indicating improved outreach, but a decrease to 755 in the second semester due to similar issues of non-submission and preference for other scholarships.
Emphasizing practical challenges faced by students, Langagan suggested increasing the assistance amount from the current P8,000.00 per semester to at least P10,000.00.
She argued that this adjustment would better align with the rising costs of education, including tuition fees that often exceed P25,000.00 per semester, not accounting for other essential expenses like books and transportation.
She noted that one reason for the decline in the number of grantees is that other scholarships offer higher grants, prompting recipients to transfer.
According to Langagan, there is also a need for an increased budget to accommodate more grantees. An additional P17 million would be needed to support at least 1,000 more students, she said.
Langagan also proposed amending the ordinance to allow leniency for students who fail one or two subjects. She deemed this move necessary to ensure these students continue qualifying for assistance in subsequent semesters, thus preventing a decline in the number of grantees.
Meanwhile, she acknowledged procedural gaps, explaining that while the CSWDO acts as the program secretariat and coordinates with the Vice Mayor’s Office for committee meetings, formal establishment of school-level scholarship committees has not been fully realized.
She cited resource constraints, such as having only one staff member managing program oversight, which limits the ability to conduct school visitations effectively to monitor compliance and address issues like non-submission of requirements.
Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda stressed the importance of implementing Section 5 of the BCEFAG ordinance which mandates the creation of scholarship committees in every school to manage applications and recommendations. The said provision aims to streamline application processes and ensure equitable distribution of scholarships without excessive bureaucratic burdens.
Moreover, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President John Rhey Mananeng proposed involving universities, particularly their registrars and guidance counselors to make it easier for students to submit their documents and to facilitate a faster and more efficient process. He said this would significantly reduce the workload of the CSWDO.
Several members of the city council expressed their opposition to the program’s “politicization” and asserted that there should be no political interference in the screening and selection of beneficiaries.
In July 2023, a council resolution was passed to ensure equitable slots for all members of the city council where each council member could refer 25 grantees to CSWDO. Some council members submitted referrals, while others did not utilize their slots despite invitations.
Langagan said their office conducts assessments independently but welcomes referrals from city council members and that all referrals undergo the same assessment process.
She stressed that their office discourages students from submitting forms through any councilor or politician to avoid any political interference.
The BCEFAG was established through an ordinance enacted by the city council in 2019.
The recent amendment to the ordinance now permits the acceptance of applications from students residing outside Baguio City but attending schools within the city. It also increased the original grant amount from P6,000.00 to P8,000.00, with the budget adjusted from P10 million to P20 million.
Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan noted that despite the approval for a P20 million budget, only P10 million is currently utilized.
The city council plans to engage in a dialogue with the Local Finance Committee to determine the feasibility of the proposed budget increase for the program. **Jordan G. Habbiling
