‘GUGMA NI MARTIN’: Speaker spreads love to Ilonggo youth

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Top national and local officials led by House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez will spearhead today the nationwide launch of the Integrated Scholarships and Incentives Program (ISIP) for the Youth: Empowering Students through Education and Opportunity at the West Visayas State University Cultural Center with the initial batch of 3,000 Ilonggo youth beneficiaries.

Romualdez, in partnership with Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda, Uswag Ilonggo Rep. James “Jojo” Ang, and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, will enlist 3,000 students to ISIP for the Youth.

ISIP for the Youth is a program that aims to support President Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos Jr.’s education agenda to support students, creating skills development and employment programs where no student will be left behind.

It is a convergence project with the Department of Social Welfare (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

“We are extremely happy that our beloved Speaker chose Iloilo City to launch his youth-centered program. Education is one of our core advocacies, and this initiative will tremendously help make dreams come true. We thank Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for this early Christmas gift for the Ilonggos,” Rep. Baronda said.

This program aims to support students in their educational requirements to make higher education more accessible, enjoy better opportunities, and become partners of the government in nation building.

“We extend assistance to the youth and ISIP will definitely create positive changes in the lives of many Ilonggo learners in Western Visayas. The affirmative impact of ISIP is long-term, and we are immensely thankful to Speaker Romualdez for this,” Rep. Jojo Ang said.

The program will benefit 3,000 indigent students across Iloilo City and Western Visayas who struggle to afford the demands of obtaining quality education. The youth-support program also provides comprehensive assistance, including bi-annual financial aid under the DSWD AICS to cover other necessary educational expenses until they graduate.

Beneficiaries who will graduate under the program will be prioritized in the Government Internship Program (GIP), paving the way for employment opportunities and exposures to guide them toward preferred professional tracks.

As economic capacity takes a criterion to qualify for ISIP, parents or immediate guardians of the student-recipients may also be given assistance through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers Program (TUPAD) under DOLE or other government interventions should the need arise – making it a comprehensive project benefiting both the students and their families.