Cebu City scholarship program: Private school students may soon qualify
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Private school students from low-income families may soon gain access to Cebu City’s college scholarship program under a proposed ordinance that seeks to expand educational opportunities beyond the program’s traditionally public school-focused beneficiaries.
Councilors Winston Pepito and Harry Eran have proposed amendments to the Cebu City Scholarship Program that would allow certain graduates of private schools to qualify for scholarships, provided they meet strict academic and financial requirements.
The proposal, which the City Council recently referred to its committee on laws and styling, seeks to amend Sections 3, 4, and 10 of City Ordinance No. 2333, as amended by Ordinance No. 2437.
The measure opens the scholarship program to outstanding students who completed their education in private schools but came from financially disadvantaged families and studied through scholarships, grants, or other forms of educational assistance.
Expanding access across Cebu City
The Cebu City Scholarship Program was established in 2010 and later institutionalized through City Ordinance No. 2333 to help poor but deserving Cebu City residents pursue college or vocational education.
Under the existing ordinance, qualified beneficiaries largely include graduates of public high schools, graduates of private high schools who studied through government scholarship programs, and Alternative Learning System (ALS) completers whose parents are registered Cebu City voters.
The current law also imposes strict educational track requirements on students who attended private schools under scholarship or voucher programs. In many cases, applicants must have completed portions of their education in public schools within Cebu City before qualifying.
The proposed amendment retains those requirements but adds a new category of eligible applicants.
Under the proposal, graduates who completed both elementary and high school education in private schools within Cebu City may now apply for the scholarship program if they entered those institutions through scholarships, academic grants, or similar educational assistance programs.
However, they must still satisfy several conditions.
The proposal requires applicants to present proof that they studied under scholarship or grant programs and submit certification from the Bureau of Internal Revenue showing that their parents or legal guardians earn P250,000 or less annually.
Lawmakers said the amendment aims to make the scholarship program more inclusive while ensuring that assistance continues to reach students who genuinely need financial support.
In the ordinance’s explanatory provisions, the authors said the city seeks to strengthen social equity and improve access to quality education by refining scholarship qualifications and expanding opportunities for deserving students.
Who qualifies under the proposal?
If approved, the scholarship program would cover the following:
- Public high school graduates from Cebu City
- Graduates of private schools who studied through scholarship or government voucher programs and satisfy existing educational requirements
- Alternative Learning System (ALS) graduates
- Qualified graduates of private schools who completed their education through scholarships, grants, or institutional assistance and whose families fall within the prescribed income threshold
Like the existing program, applicants’ parents or legal guardians must remain resident voters of Cebu City.
All applicants must also comply with scholarship requirements and screening procedures set by the city.
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Changes in Cebu City scholarship management
Moreover, the ordinance proposes expanding the scholarship committee that oversees the program.
Aside from existing members, the measure would add representatives from the Cebu City Federation of Parents-Teachers Association, the Cebu City Scholars Coordinators, the Cebu City College Scholars Society, and the chairperson of the City Council’s scholarship committee.
According to the authors, the broader representation would strengthen program administration, monitoring, and implementation.
Stricter accreditation for schools
The proposal also seeks tighter oversight of schools participating in the scholarship program.
Under the amended Section 10, the Scholarship Committee would conduct comprehensive evaluations of participating schools, examining their permits, licenses, accreditations, academic performance, institutional track records, and learning facilities.
The committee would assess classrooms, faculty qualifications, libraries, laboratories, and other educational facilities before granting accreditation.
Only schools that meet the committee’s standards and receive official accreditation could accept scholarship grantees.
The city would also require accredited schools to sign a memorandum of agreement outlining their responsibilities and the rules governing implementation of the scholarship program.
The proposed ordinance now awaits further review by the City Council’s committee on laws and styling before lawmakers consider it for approval.
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