- CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region 6 announced tonight, Sept. 14, that no educational assistance payouts will be held on Sept. 17 and 24.
This is because the funding allotted for student-beneficiaries in Western Visayas, including in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, had already been used up.
The DSWD said a total of 36,131 students-in-crisis received educational assistance of P101,326,000 in all.
The department earlier said only P91 million was allotted for Region 6.
Much as we want to continue giving assistance, there is no more funds for it, the DSWD said in an advisory, adding that they already requested its national office for additional budget but there was no reply as of this time.
The DSWD said that, as of Sept. 10, Negros Occidental and Bacolod City received P28.94 million in cash assistance, disbursed to 10,256 students, with 2,293 in the elementary, 1,878 in high school, 1,447 in senior high school, and 4,638 in college.
The province and city of Iloilo received P35.19 million for 11,686 students; Capiz, P11.01 million for 4,186 student-beneficiaries; Antique, P10.57 million for 3,809 beneficiaries; Aklan, P10.31 million for 3,965 students; and Guimaras with P5.28 million in assistance to 2,229 poor students.
On Sept. 7, the department temporarily stopped the online registration of applicants for educational assistance, saying that its personnel need to process the information and details in the applications of early registrants.
Under the program, qualified elementary students availed of P1,000 each; high school, P2,000; senior high school, P3,000; and P4,000 for vocational/college students./CGC
