AROUND 300 scholars who graduated with honors got their early Christmas gift yesterday—cash incentives and plaques from the City Government.
The City has set aside P3.2 million in this year’s budget for the incentives of 364 scholars (1 summa cum laude, 19 magna cum laude and 344 cum laude) who graduated last year and this year.
Out of 22 colleges and universities that accept City scholars, 10 were able to produce honor graduates.
Lyka Remeticado, a summa cum laude who graduated from Asian College of Technology International Education Foundation Inc. (ACTIEF), was the lone scholar to receive P30,000 as an incentive.
The distribution of the plaques and cash incentives is an offshoot of the passage of former Councilors Alvin Dizon and Lea Japson’s ordinance, which created the Cebu City scholar honor graduate incentive program.
Under City Ordinance (CO) 2424 or the ordinance providing incentives to all Cebu City scholars who graduated with honors, those who graduated summa cum laude will get P30,000.
Magna cum laude graduates will get P15,000, while cum laude graduates will get P10,000.
It was the first time that the City distributed the incentives to the graduates yesterday.
Ceremony
Dizon, along with Councilor Joy Augustus Young and Shine Alexis Antonio of the scholarship committee, handed the plaques to the honor scholars during a ceremony at City Hall.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña was also present and assured the students that the City will continue the scholarship program, including the incentives for honor graduates.
The giving of college scholarships to students who graduated from the public secondary schools in the city is among the top priorities of Osmeña.
Dizon said he wrote the ordinance to encourage students to perform well in school.
Alexis explained that graduates from 2015 only received their incentive yesterday since they needed to change the fund source of the incentive program.
It was first charged to the City’s share of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) funds, but later changed to the general fund.
Every year, the City is mandated to set aside funds for the program, as stated under CO 2424.
Inspiration
For his part, Young said the scholars who received incentives from the City should serve as an inspiration to the others to do well in school.
Young is the deputy mayor for education.
In response, Remeticado thanked the City for its scholarship program, which, she said, allowed her to push through with her college education.
“I was hesitant to go to college because my parents might not be able to sustain the expenses, but thank God, the City has its scholarship program and I was able to graduate. I was able to achieve what I have right now because of the help of the City,” she said.