ABOUT 21 scholars of the Cebu provincial government received new medals in a ceremony yesterday afternoon at the Capitol’s social hall.
The medal designs which bore the logo of the provincial government, the Lapu-Lapu monument and the Magellan’s cross were distributed to the scholars under the Capitol’s valedictorian scholarship program.
The awards were different from the “Governor’s Excellence Award” medals that bore the image of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
Those medals were reserved for public school children who graduated at the top of their class.
The Capitol had yet to pay for the 2,600 medals after acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said they have yet to settle other payables.
Last week, Magpale said the supplier presented to them the new medal design and she approved it.
But she said they would review the contracts first before they could release the payment for the medals.
Magpale said they will release payment if everything is in order.
One of the new medal recipients was Joje Mar Sanchez, who credited the scholarship program for helping him finish school and earn a degree.
He graduated magna cum laude last March with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education Major in Physical Sciences.
“I never worried about the finances. Our part was to maintain our grades only,” said Sanchez, whose mother earns P2,000 to P4,000 a month as an on-call housekeeper.
Sanchez, who will take the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET), said he was offered a job in a private school in Cebu City.
All scholars received a P5,000 cash incentive and a certificate from the Capitol.
On top of that, scholars who graduated cum laude and magna cum laude received P10,000 and P20,000. Energy undersecretary Ina Magpale-Asirit represented her mother Magpale, who is attending campaign sorties.
Asirit reminded the scholars to embrace the opportunities given them to realize their dreams.
The scholars who graduated yesterday were the first batch of scholars under the Capitol’s valedictorian scholarship program of the which began in 2009./Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus