Gov’t subsidy for college students targets ‘poorest of poor’

BATANGAS CITY — The government has allocated P16 billion to subsidize the expenses of poor college students, on top of their free tuition in state schools this year.

The Tertiary Education Subsidy  will give priority to students who belong to the “poorest of the poor” in society, particularly those included in the “Listahan,” or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Eligible students may use the cash allowances for transportation, books, lodging and other school fees, said Carmelita Yadao Sison, officer in charge of the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education.

The amount is part of the P40-billion budget for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, or the Free Higher Education Law for school year 2018-2019. —Maricar Cinco