MANILA, March 25, 2013-Reelectionist Senator Loren Legarda today said that every family, especially the 3.8 million households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), should have at least one college graduate.
Legarda said that her vision, which she will work on in her next term, is a “Pantawid Tuition Program” that will fund one college scholar for every poor family.
“Ang aking hangarin, ang aking gagawin, at ang aking sisikapin sa aking susunod na termino ay magkaroon ng kahit isang diploma ang bawat pamilyang Pilipino, lalo na yung nasa ilalim ng 4Ps, para ang bawat mahirap na pamilya ay siguradong magkakaroon ng isang college graduate,” she said.
Legarda explained that ensuring that every poor family has one college graduate will widen the opportunities for progress and freedom from poverty.
“When a family has a college graduate, who has a greater chance of getting a permanent and good-paying job as a professional, they will have a greater opportunity for a better life,” she said, stressing that giving college scholarships to 4Ps beneficiaries would have lasting impact on the lives of the country’s poorest families and will also benefit the nation’s productivity and growth.
She added that it would not be a big dent on the government’s education budget if college scholarships are given to the poorest of the poor since state universities and colleges (SUCs) are already in place and have their regular annual appropriations from the national government.
“Not only will the Pantawid Tuition Program help bring down poverty incidence, which is the goal of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, but it will also expand the number of people who are employable and open up opportunities for the youth in the informal sector,” Legarda concluded.
