Cebu City Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover, Jr. | CDN Digital file photo
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu- Recognizing the vital role of the agriculture sector in food sustainability and local farmer empowerment, a Cebu City councilor proposed an ordinance to provide scholarship grants to students who would pursue agriculture-related programs in college.
The proposed legislation, titled “An Ordinance Granting Educational Scholarship Assistance to Qualified Cebu City Residents Pursuing Agriculture-Related Academic Degrees and Providing Funds Therefor,” is authored by Councilor Pastor Jun Alcover.
Under the ordinance, the city will provide transportation allowances, book allowances, uniform allowances, and school and tuition fees.
Scholarship beneficiaries must maintain passing grades to continue enjoying the scholarship grant.
Under the proposed ordinance, the city will offer scholarships to ten qualified individuals annually pursuing bachelor’s degrees related to agricultural studies.
The city will allocate P2 million annually for the program. After graduation, beneficiaries must provide mandatory consultancy services to the Cebu City Government for four years.
On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, the city council held a public hearing for the proposed ordinance.
In previous interviews, Alcover had said he thought of crafting his draft ordinance as he took cognizance of the important “role of agriculture for food sustainability in the modern industrialized world.”
In a visit to Cebu, Senator Cynthia Villar said that offering agriculture-related courses, especially to the young, would help revive their love for farming.
Instead of leaving their farms to look for employment elsewhere, the children of farmers will already be encouraged to stay and continue to grow crops on their land.
Paired with the use of the right farming models and technology, they will surely be able to earn more from farming, she added.
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