• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
The provincial government of Negros Occidental, through the Negros Occidental Scholarship Program, has ratified 25 new Abanse Negrense Scholars who will be taking Bachelor of Science in Information Technology at the Mapua Malayan Digital College.
The scholarship was made formal through a signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the province and the Mapua Malayan Digital College on Thursday at the Capitol Social Hall.
The scholarship provides deserving students from Negros Occidental, excluding Bacolod City, with a partial scholarship for a three-year and six-month college education at MMDC.
Based on the website of MMDC, each scholar will receive P15,000 per term for the duration of their study at MMDC, which will be applied toward matriculation fees.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that the 25 new IT scholars will have a counterpart of their tuition fee. However, the existing scholars had been entitled to full scholarships.
“We have now 91 IT scholars [at MMDC], and 25 of them are new or in their 1st year. Their tuition ranges from P20,000 to P25,000, and we pay in full, but for the new batch, based on the policy of Mapua, it is for the scholars to actually contribute for ownership,” he said.
Moreover, during the ceremony, one of the pioneering batch of the IT scholars at MMDC testified how the program helped them to achieve their dreams.
“During the pandemic, I found it hard to balance my life and work. We faced financial struggles; at that time, I was worried about my college education. Thankfully, I discovered MMDC and the Abanse Negrense Scholarship, and it truly changed the direction of my life,” said Kristine Encabo, a 4th-year BSIT major in software development.
The Abanse Negrense Scholarship highlights education as one of the province’s priorities.*
