A beneficiary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) Pantawid sa Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) has topped the April 2023 Civil Engineers Licensure Examination.
Courtesy of DSWD
Alexis Castillo Alegado, who graduated cum laude from Mariano Marcos State University in Batac, Ilocos Norte, garnered a score of 92.10 percent on the board exam.
He is one of the two topnotchers along with Garret Wilkenson Ching Sia from De La Salle University in Manila.
On Saturday morning, April 29, the Professional Regulation Commission announced that 5,887 out of 16,936 passed the licensure exam.
READ: 5,887 out of 16,936 pass April 2023 Civil Engineers Licensure Exam — PRC
DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said that the 22-year-old graduate's success is a "concrete indication that DSWD’s 4Ps is a valuable tool in effectively investing in human capital."
"Patunay po ang tagumpay ni Engr. Alexis Alegado na ang ating 4Ps ay napakahalaga sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino para mapagtapos sa kolehiyo ang kanilang mga anak na siyang makakatulong para sa pag-angat mula sa kahirapan (The success of Engr. Alexis Alegado is proof that our 4Ps is very important for every Filipino family to send their children to college, which can help lift them out of poverty)," he added.
As per the DSWD Field Office 1's report, Alegado was also a beneficiary of the Expanded Student's Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA), which automatically qualified him for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) under Republic Act 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
"Beneficiaries under ESGP-PA are poor but deserving students belonging to families listed in the DSWD’s 4Ps program. They can enroll in selected State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) taking up the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) priority programs and other courses offerings within the government key growth areas.
"TES is one of the four programs under RA 10931 which will provide funding for qualified Filipino students from the poorest-of-the-poor households enrolled in public and private Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs)," the agency said.
ESGP-PA grantees are also provided with the following assistance: "allowance for books, supplies, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses; a reasonable allowance for the documented rental or purchase of personal computer or laptop and other education-related expenses; an allowance for room and board costs incurred by the student; additional subsidy of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) or a one-time cost of a first licensure examination for graduates of a Board course or program."