257,000 indigent students get P650-M study aid

NEATER LINE | Beneficiaries of the educational assistance distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) form a more orderly queue outside the DSWD-NCR office in Sampaloc, Manila, which leads to a bigger crowd inside (right photo), still observing order, as personnel of the agency process their cash aid. (Photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed educational assistance worth nearly P650 million to more than 257,000 indigent students, its spokesperson said on Monday.

Assistant Secretary Rommel Lopez said that of the 257,285 beneficiaries, about 85,000 were college students or those taking technical and vocational courses, about 79,700 were elementary students and around 56,600 were high school students.

Lopez said the DSWD had spent P649.8 million of its P1.5-billion budget for the educational assistance program, which will end on Sept. 24.

He also disclosed that DSWD had received around two million applications for education assistance. He said all applications would be screened as the P1.5 billion would be enough for 400,000 students only.

Lopez said the DSWD would also set up payout centers in remote areas in the country so students from rural villages and indigenous peoples communities could avail themselves of the program.

However, only students who are indigent or in crisis situations will receive the monetary aid, he said.

—JEROME ANING

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