Enrollment in Pasig hits record high under renamed scholarship program
The enrollment of students in the Pasig government's renamed scholarship program this year hit a new record high of 13,000, following the modification of the requirements to apply.
"Very happy po ako i-report sa inyo na this year, pinakamaraming scholars sa kasaysayan ng lungsod Pasig, 13,000 scholars po," Sotto said in his Facebook live video as he signed into law the Pasig City Scholarship Program.
"Ito talaga excited ako sa lahat ng ordinansa na naipasa ng Sanggunian so far sa bagong term natin since July, dito ako pinaka-na-excite kasi para ito sa kinabukasan ng Pasigueño eh. Para ito sa kinabukasan ng ating mga kabataang mag-aaral," he added.
It was previously named as the "BCE Scholarship Program" under the administration of Pasig City's former mayor, Bobby C. Eusebio.
Sotto, however, said the district's scholarship program began when Pasig was converted into a city in the 1990s, as required under the Local Government Code, and long before Eusebio became mayor.
"So actually, hindi naman ito ideya ng politiko, o hindi ito ideya ng isang politiko lang o ng isang grupo o ng isang partido. Nasa batas ito, kailangan nating magkaroon ng scholarship program, Section 458 ng Local Governmnet Code."
With the newly signed ordinance, the city government is seeking to allocate P400 million for the scholarship in 2020, to further increase the number of scholars from 13,000 to 16,000, Sotto said.
The mayor promised to ensure the "continuity" of the scholarship program, adding that funds have been realigned to further accommodate more students from the previous 11,000 scholars.
Sotto said the breakdown for next year will be 2,500 scholars for the grade school level, and 10,500 scholars for the high school level. — MDM, GMA News