PRESS RELEASE
The Department of Agriculture (DA) called for a consultation with the scholarship coordinators of State Universities and Colleges in the region to explain the revised guidelines of the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) scholarship program.
According to Director Peter Sobrevega, chair of the ACEF Regional Coordinating Unit, this scholarship program seeks to contribute to agri-fishery development by increasing the number of graduates in higher education.
The ACEF Grants-In-Aid Higher Education Program (ACEF-GIAHEP) is open to incoming college students who will enroll in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary medicine.
Twelve state universities and one private school are partners in the implementation of the ACEF-GIAHEP in Western Visayas, to wit:
- Aklan State University
- University of Antique
- Capiz State University
- Guimaras State College
- Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College
- Iloilo State College of Fisheries
- Iloilo Science and Technology University
- West Visayas State University
- University of the Philippines-Visayas
- Northern Negros Occidental State College of Science and Technology
- Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
- Central Philippine State University in Negros Occidental
- Central Philippine University in Iloilo City
“Interested students are advised to talk to the scholarship coordinator of the school they wish to enroll in as early as this month,” said Julie Delima of the DA 6 ACEF Coordinating Unit.
Under the revised guideline, a scholar shall be entitled to P20,000 per year tuition and other school fees, P25,000 per year stipends and P2,000 book allowance. Moreover, a scholar will also receive P3, 500.00 tuition and other school fees, and P5, 000 stipend for summer class. In addition to that, P15,000 support to thesis and P3, 000 allowance for the On-the-job training will also be given to the ACEF scholar.
Louis Albert Dela Cruz of the DA National Scholarship Office said that under the revised guidelines, ACEF scholars will be screened and evaluated by the Commission on Higher Education but the program fund will be downloaded from DA.
On the otherhand, Maria Karen G. Zaldivar, CHED Region 6 education supervisor, urged DA and all stakeholders to regularly give updates on the program.
“The success of every scholarship program depends on the cooperation of everybody,” she added. (SMHToreno/DA-RAFIS 6)
