The Baguio City Council is reviewing a proposal to increase the college financial grant from P8,000 to P10,000 per semester.
Initiated by Councilor Benny Bomogao, this proposal seeks to further amend Ordinance 94-2023 which provides financial assistance to qualified college students. The ordinance was first amended in 2019, raising the grant from P6,000 to P8,000. If approved, this latest amendment will increase the grant by P2,000, bringing it to P10,000 per semester.
The proposal also states that the grant may increase every two years, subject to the recommendation of the City Council or the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and the availability of funds.
To fund the proposed increase, an additional P7 million will be added to the existing P20 million allocation for the program. This combined amount will be included as a supplemental allocation in the 2025 executive budget. Each year, the same amount will be appropriated and incorporated into the executive budget, with a P5 million increase subject to approval by the city council and the mayor through an ordinance.
The proposal was approved on first reading by the city council on February 3, 2025, and was referred to the Committee on Appropriations and Finance- Cluster A for review.
The financial assistance is granted to poor and underprivileged but deserving college students who are enrolled and excel academically in universities or colleges in the city.
Applications for the said grant are submitted to and screened by the Baguio City Scholarship Council composed of the city mayor as the chairperson, the vice mayor as the vice-chairperson, and all council members, the city budget officer, and the city social welfare and development officer as members.
Applicants who are currently receiving educational support from organizations such as the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and similar agencies are no longer eligible for the grant.
Those who wish to apply must personally visit the CSWDO and submit the following requirements: a Certificate of Enrollment or Registration Form, a barangay certification stating the applicant’s parents’ or guardian’s name, duration of residency, and the purpose for applying for the grant, as well as the original copy of the Assessment of School Fees with one photocopy. -Jordan G. Habbiling
