By Jinky Tabor
VIRAC, CATANDUANES --Catanduanes is now accepting applicants for aspiring Doctors and Lawyers for scholarship grants by the provincial government of Catanduanes.
Virac, Catanduanes Map (Wikipedia/ Manila Bulletin)
Governor Joseph C. Cua signed the ordinance institutionalizing scholarship program for would-be doctors and lawyers following a unanimous approval by the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the ordinance.
In his state of the provincial address last October 2017, he said :“We lack doctors and lawyers in our province. Because we practice free tuition, we will allocate the excess funds for scholarships in our plan to open scholarship grants to deserving students who would want to be doctors and lawyers and those who want to pursue in higher learning levels on condition that they will serve the province for a maximum of five years.”
However, in the approved ordinance, instead of five years, grantees will render service for one year for every two scholarship years..
Under the ordinance, applicants must be bonafide resident sof Catanduanes and residing for at least five (5) years prior to the application;
Applicants must also have a general weighted average of 1.75 or its equivalent in undergraduate program. Likewise, he/she must pass and obtain a rating of 85% in Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhilSAT), and at least 90% in the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT).
The ordinance also featured scholarship grants to teachers pursuing Masteral and Doctoral degrees.