By Jocelyn P. Alvarez
ISABELA CITY,
Basilan – The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) is granting
scholarships to IP youths to help them pursue their college education through a
financial assistance dubbed Educational Assistance Program (EAP).
Speaking before some 30 IP college
student-participants in a journalistic writing workshop, Abdurasid Buddick,
regional EAP focal person of NCIP-9 said “you are very lucky to avail of this
program. Huwag n’yo lang kami bibigyan ng rason at pagkakataon na tanggalin
kayo sa master list (don’t give us a chance to strip you off from the master
list.)”
Buddick advised the grantees to maintain
their weighted average of 80 to be able to keep the scholarship until they
graduate “huwag na huwag bababa ang grado nyo ng 80 sa general average, kahit na
1 point, or else I’m sorry, you will be out (Never let your general average be
lower than 80, or else, you’re out.)”
Buddick also challenged the IP youths to have
a grade of 92 or above for them to be accelerated to merit list and enjoy the
benefit of a full scholar. “If you are going to have a good grade of 92 and
above, I can accelerate you to merit list, a full scholarship, so you will be
receiving 25,000 per semester.”
Regular EAP scholar receives only P10,000 per
semester while full scholar gets 25,000 per semester.
“Normally, the grant is only good for four
years. However, if you are enrolled in a five-year course, we will give you
until your fifth year so long as you can maintain your weighted average,”
Buddick emphasized.
Buddick informed that the NCIP’s new system
when it comes to the releasing of scholarship funds/allowance, it allows NCIP
to pay directly to the school of the IP-grantee and any excess (allowance) will be deposited directly to the
grantee’s account. “That is why we need
your bank account details and for those na wala pa, you need to open one.”
Poor but deserving members of the Indigenous Cultural
Communities or Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) who are high school graduates or
college level within or covered by the jurisdiction of NCIP Regional Office may
avail of the EAP.
