COMMISSION on Higher Education Davao Region (Ched-Davao) urged incoming college students to apply for agricultural scholarship grants.
“We are the implementing agency for scholarship under the sugarcane industry, SRA (Sugar Regulatory Administration), kana siya kung dependent ka sa sugarcane farmer, naa pud grant para sa ilaha (if you’re also dependent of a sugarcane farmer),” Lourdes Melody Villanueva, Education Program Specialist, Focal person for Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs), said in an interview with SunStar Davao on May 22, 2023.
Villanueva said that there are 10 slots open for this scholarship grant which is also open for graduate school.
To avail of the grant, she said applicants should visit and apply to the SRA office, once accepted applicants will be recommended to Ched.
Aside from the SRA scholarship grant, Villanueva said that they are also waiting for the Philippine Coconut Authority scholarship grant.
“Agriculture related courses pud na siya. Under na siya sa Republic Act (RA) 11524,” Villanueva said.
The RA 11524 was made “to consolidate the benefits due to coconut farmers, especially the poor and marginalized, under various statutes and to expedite the delivery thereof to attain increased incomes for coconut farmers, alleviate poverty, and achieve social equality.”
She added that they only receive few applications for this kind of scholarship as some students prefer to take other courses.
Meanwhile, Villanueva said there are a total of 650 slots of scholarship opportunities open in the region for incoming college freshmen.
“We have an existing call for applications for the CHED-merit scholarship program. The deadline is on May 31, 2023,” she said.
Villanueva said they have already posted an announcement about the call for applications and as of May 22, roughly 2,000 students have already applied for the scholarship.
She added that the scholarship has been paused in 2022 due to budget constraints.
“Although we have stopped the application for new grantees, the budget for the ongoing grantees naa na siya (are there). So for 2023, naa tay call for applications (so for this year, we have an ongoing call for applications) for incoming freshmen students,” she added.
She said that to qualify for the scholarship grant, the student should be a Filipino citizen and an entering first-year student who is eligible for a college whose general weighted average (GWA) is at least 96 percent or its equivalent for Full Merit Program and 93 percent to 95 percent or its equivalent for Half Merit Program.
Villanueva added that the student’s parents or guardians have an annual gross income of P400,000 and below.
To apply, Villanueva said applicants should visit their website at https://stufaps.chedroxi.com/ and there will be no walk-in application.
Villanueva said to apply for the scholarship opportunities, she urged the public to apply on legitimate websites and Facebook accounts of Ched and not from other platforms that might give them incorrect information. KSD