Make full use of govt aid

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REMEMBER “Sampaguita girl”?

She’s the girl who engaged a security guard of a popular mall in Mandaluyong City in a fight that went viral on the internet. Netizens immediately took the side of the poor girl who was wearing a high school uniform, because she seemed so frail and helpless against the guard with his shotgun.  Although the guard just parried her blows and was obviously just implementing the mall’s policy, he became the subject of criticism from the public, mainly because he initially confiscated and destroyed the sampaguita garlands that the girl was selling.

It turned out that the girl was in her early 20s and was enrolled in college, taking up medical technology. She was wearing the HS uniform to look younger than she really is, and to sell more sampaguitas. The money she makes helps her pay for tuition and other school needs, aside from shelling out assistance to three other siblings.

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There is actually nothing wrong with wearing clothes that would make you look younger, or would push forward any legitimate business activity that you have, especially if a girl has few options on what to wear. The girl just had the grit and determination to pursue her studies despite her family’s poverty.

It was her mother who narrated to the media the sacrifices that her daughter had to bear in their day-to-day struggle in their community of informal settlers.  She said although the government has a lot of assistance programs for the poor, such as the AKAP, AICS, TUPAD and others, these have not descended in their neighborhood, and if at all, they have yet to become beneficiaries, save for 4Ps which lasted only for a while.

However, the mother said, there is one government intervention program that the Sampaguita girl was able to take advantage of. It is the “Anti-No Permit, No Exam Act” which allows students to take school examinations despite their unsettled financial obligations. Under the law, disadvantaged students with unpaid tuition and other school fees may take examinations.

The girl, due to poverty, is sometimes late in paying her tuition, but because of this law, the private school where she studies had to accommodate her during final exams.

This leads us to thinking: If one is determined enough, any young Filipino student browsing online could discover little-known government projects and programs that support their quest for knowledge.

An example is the educational assistance that is given by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) under General Manager Mel Robles. Thousands of elementary, high school and college students may apply for educational assistance that the PCSO gives to every applicant, provided they are legitimately enrolled and are able to meet simple requirements such as school ID, photos, enrollment forms, etc. The PCSO issues the checks not to the students or their parents, but directly to the schools.

One has got to be resourceful and determined to get ahead in life, as the “Sampaguita girl” showed to all and sundry.

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