Dependents of active overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Cordillera region have over 400 scholarship slots to apply for this year, providing many with the opportunity to pursue free higher education.
Dina Ponciano, OIC regional director of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)-Cordillera, said on Friday that 440 scholarship slots under various programs remain available until July 31.
Under the Education for Development Scholarship Program (EDSP), 36 slots—six per province in the region—are open to college students in their second to fifth year who have yet to complete their degree.
Qualified students will receive PHP60,000 in annual financial assistance.
Meanwhile, the OFW Dependent Scholarship Program (ODSP) has 310 slots for incoming first-year college students, with 35 slots per province and 41 for Apayao.
“Apayao is given a special consideration because of the economic state of the province,” she said.
An additional 94 ODSP slots are reserved for second to fifth year college students, with each province getting 15 slots, except Apayao with 19 due to its previous status as one of the country’s 20 poorest provinces.
To broaden access, OWWA has raised the income eligibility ceiling from USD600 to USD1,000.
Applications are submitted online on a first-come, first-served basis and reopen annually for those who miss the deadline or fail to qualify. (PNA)