by Miriam G. Desacada
Borongan City- At least 358 of the 404 students, so far, in Eastern Samar have been validated to qualify as recipients of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)’s Student Monetary Assistance for Recovery and Transition (SMART) program, which was administered by House Minority Leader, Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan in that area.
Libanan, a native of Eastern Samar who is now 4Ps party-list representative, met days ago with the local media following the distribution of P25,000 one-time scholarship assistance each to students of various state colleges and universities in the province, who qualified for the SMART program of CHED.
The legally mandated financial assistance was given to qualified tertiary students whose studies and academic requirements were direly affected by the COVID-19 to enable them to recover from the pandemic, said Libanan, a lawyer and former congressman of Eastern Samar province.
Majority of the recipients, who passed the validation process, came from the Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) in Borongan City, the capital of the province, but 200 more from other institutions are still undergoing validation to qualify them for the fund.
A similar payout activity was also conducted for college scholars in other provinces across the country, but it was in Eastern Samar where most number of students was recorded as recipients, through the initiatives of Libanan.
We highly appreciate and in gratitude to CHED-Region 8 Regional Director Maximo Aljibe, ESSU president Andres Pagatpatan Jr and his faculty and staff for their full support to the government’s program for our students, Libanan said.
The congressman also said: “We don’t just build state universities here (Eastern Samar), we also provide free tertiary education and allowances, which means that these students will have no more reasons not to be able to finish college.”
CHED’s SMART grant, which includes funds for educational expenses and cost of living allowance, aims to increase the chance of students to graduate despite the effects of pandemic, he said.
Libanan also said that, for those students who were much affected by the pandemic and encountered difficulties in their studies, are now bound to recovery with this SMART grant: “I am praying that you will continue to treasure education and use this in your studies to help your family and the community.”
Libanan further emphasized that “education is the great equalizer,” denoting that, with education providing all a level playing field, everyone has equal opportunities.
“In places like Eastern Samar, one of the biggest investments that the government must do is to provide education to the people that would assure them of a way to a better future,” he said. —-Miriam G. Desacada