BACOLOD City Councilor Renecito Novero, chairperson of the City Council committee on education, said they already abolished the scholarship committee in the city.

This was due to the report and recommendations of the Public Employment Services Office (Peso) officials, Novero said.

“Based on their experience and observations, the scholarship committee caused the delay and impediments on the implementation of the scholarship programs because it’s hard to gather all of them,” he said.

Novero noted that the city council had earlier approved an ordinance abolishing a scholarship committee in the Comprehensive Scholarship Program of Bacolod.

The ordinance, authored by Novero, amended Section 2(b) of Article V of the ordinance and will now read as: “No person or individual should be considered in the scholarship program for the poor unless his or her parents or guardians have a combined gross monthly income of not more than P10,000 and belong to the current poverty threshold, as identified by the Department of Social Services and Development.” His or her monthly income should not exceed P10,000 upon reaching the legal age.

The ordinance also amended Section 1 of Article VI, Sections 1, 2 and 3 of Article IX.

“We abolished the scholarship committee, but the qualifying process will be done by Peso official and it will be recommendatory to the City Mayor, who will decide the implementation of the program,” Novero said

He said they also increased the benefits of the scholars from P6,000 to P10,000 because of the continued increase of the basic commodities.

He added that those who graduate class valedictorian and salutatorian will also be automatically qualified for the full subsidy of their tuition and other school fees in college.