Prov’l gov’t gives maritime scholarships to students

By: Liez’l Marie Lamasan

BACOLOD City – Eleven students were granted Study Now, Pay Later scholarship under the Negros Occidental provincial government’s Maritime Bridging Program Scholarship.

The scholars will undergo a six-month bridging program from Mechanical to Marine Engineering at VMA Global College that eventually leads them to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering.

The project is a tripartite endeavor of the provincial government, VMA Global College, and manning companies, aimed to provide educational benefits to the poor but deserving students.

During the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing, it was emphasized that the maritime school will select the qualified grantees under the Negros Occidental Scholarship Program (NOSP).

The MOA likewise required the scholars to embark on all the necessary training programs and coordinate with the shipboard training officer (STO) and VMA Training Center’s training director for completion before they will be endorsed for a shipboard training program.

For its part, the provincial government vowed to pay the tuition and school fees, while the manning companies committed to grant employment for these students after a year of shipboard training.

Meanwhile, Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., underscored the provincial government’s thrust in providing quality education and producing globally competitive Filipinos by offering opportunities, such as the maritime scholarship, to the less privileged and deserving Negrense youth.

VMA was represented by its college president, Dr. Elizabeth Salabas while the manning companies include Veritas Maritime Corp., Phoenix Maritime Corp., Leonis Navigation Co. Inc., and Orophil Shipping International Co. Inc.

Among of those who also attended the MOA signing were vice governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, provincial consultant Roy Balicas, provincial budget officer Percival Salado, Jr., Negros Occidental Scholarship Program head Karen Dinsay, and the grantees’ parents. (PIA)