Recipients of the Bawat Barangay Makikinabang (BBM) scholarship grants in Negros Occidental are thankful for the assistance that will ensure they finish college amid issues of nepotism surrounding the selection of scholars.
Across the 601 barangays in Negros Occidental, a total of 3,005 graduating college students are expected to avail of the presidential scholarship program that provides a PHP20,000 cash grant to each beneficiary.
On Wednesday, Barangay Atipuluan in Bago City delisted the three grantees initially selected and replaced them to adhere to the guidelines of the presidential scholarship program.
In a Facebook post, village councilman Kent Daryl Memoria said they accepted applications for the three slots, conducted a raffle among the 17 qualified applicants, and selected the three whose names were drawn by lot.
“After careful checking of the guidelines, the three beneficiaries were delisted from the scholarship program and the subsidies allocated to them will be returned in accordance with the proper procedure,” he added.
A Facebook post of Barangay Poblacion, Bago City showed two students were also named as replacements after the drawing of lots Wednesday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Negros Occidental Board Member Richard Julius Sablan, president of the province’s Liga ng mga Barangay, advised village officials whose family members are recipients of the scholarship grants to return the amount released to them.
Sablan said complaints have reached the Department of the Interior and Local Government, particularly those involving certain barangays in Bago City, Moises Padilla, and Cauayan, which selected presidential scholars who are children or family members of barangay officials.
Meanwhile, Barangay Tagukon in Kabankalan City on Tuesday posted on Facebook photos of the five scholars, all students of Central Philippines State University, receiving the PHP20,000 cash assistance on Aug. 12.
They are Cassandra Joy Aldamar, Leslie Joy Magbato, Francine Esplaguera, Jeanette Dausan, and Mary Jane Tayhon.
“This will help ease the financial burden on my parents and allow me to continue my education. I will treasure this opportunity, use the scholarship responsibly, and remain dedicated to achieving my goals and making my parents proud,” Aldamar, a daughter of a driver and a day care worker, said.
Tayhon said she needs funds for her thesis study and on-the-job training.
“This scholarship would greatly help my siblings and me by supporting our educational needs and lessening my family’s financial burden. With this opportunity, I can focus more on my studies and continue working hard to achieve my goals. I am grateful for this assistance and promise to use it responsibly,” she added. (PNA)
