Group formed to study funding source of barangay scholars
TACLOBAN CITY — Various agencies that formed into a group continue to study the source of funding for barangay scholars, which has been incurring millions of pesos loss on the part of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in the region.
This after Department of Interior and Local Government regional director William Paler raised the concern during recent meeting of the Regional Development Council (RDC) that many children of barangay officials were not able to avail of education benefits provided for under the Local Government Code of 1991, because of certain restrictions by SUCs.
In a meeting of the RDC’s Social Development Committee (SDC), lawyer Darwin Bibar of the DILG legal division said that the technical working group is recommending for the RDC to pass a resolution enjoining the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) to standardize “other requirements” provided in an order of the Commission on Higher Education.
“We are also recommending for RDC to pass a resolution requesting the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to reconsider claim for reimbursement by SUCs on the basis of section 434 of the Local Government Code of 1991,” Bibar told the members of the SDC.
Leyte Normal University (LNU) President Evelyn Cruzada, who heads PASUC Eastern Visayas, said that schools are losing in the implementation of educational benefits for dependents of barangay officials considering that there is no reimbursement scheme yet that is institutionalized.
“Their tuition fees are not part of the budget from the national government. That would really rise up to P5 million each school year,” Cruzada earlier said. With the absence of budget from the national government for this program, the top school official said that the program affects their funding.
Under section 393 of Republic Act 7160, barangay officials are “exempted during their incumbency from paying tuition and matriculation fees for their legitimate dependent children attending state colleges or universities.”
The same benefit also covers Sangguniang Kabataan officials during their incumbency while they are enrolled in public tertiary schools.
The law states that they may likewise avail of such educational benefits in public tertiary schools located within their own province or city.
However, under the same ruling, “there can be no reimbursement of expenses incurred by SUCs in the grant of scholarships.”
“As to the issue of funding, the SUCs through PASUC shall submit a budget proposal to CHED, for incorporation in the budget that the higher education commission will submit to DBM,” Bibar said.
In the next group’s meeting, Cruzada is expected to present the data on the number of barangay scholars enrolled in SUCs regionwide.
The technical working group is chaired by the DILG, with representatives from DBM, CHED, PASUC, Leyte provincial government and Tacloban City government as members.
By sarwell q. meniano
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