Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

* apne
HOUSE BILLNO, 8802 _

Introduced by AGRI Partylist
Representative Orestes T. Salon and Representative Delphine Gan Lee

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seck
small farmers and appro

to provide scholarship grants to the children of
‘ate funds therefor.

‘The Philippines is primarily an agricultural country with an
estimated 9.67 hectares of land classified as agricultural. This comprises
32.22% of the total land area of the entire country. Understandably, the
agriculture sector employs 10.93 million persons out of the total 36.42 million
workforce which ounts to 30% of the total employment, according to the
Philippine Statistics Authority.

It is surprising to note however, that based on a study conducted by the
Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, a Filipino farm , on the average, a
measly Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00) a year. This may be attributed to
inadequate resources due to the lack of support by the government, leading to
low production levels. Given the aforementioned amount, these farmers
grapple with the bitter reality of poverty, leaving the obligation of sending their
children to school the least of their priorities, and further dragging the family
into the unending cycle of illiteracy, helplessness and hunger.



The lone solution to address this pitiable situation is by taking appropriate
steps to uplift the standard of living of small farmers. In particular, the bill
intends to make quality education accessible to small farming families who fail
to send their children to finish higher education because of financial constraints.
Thus, this bill secks to institutionalize scholarship grants to the children of small
farmers

In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

REP. ORE! T. SALON REP, BELPHINE GAN LEE
AGRI Partylist — , AGRI Partylist


Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESE)
Quezon City

‘ATIVES.

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session
8852
HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by AGRI Partylist
s T. Salon and Representative Delphine Gan Lee

Representative Ores

AN ACT
GRANTING SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CHILDREN OF SMALL FARMERS
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled.

SECTION, 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the
“Scholarship for Children of Small Farmers Act.””

SEC

TION. 2, Declaration of Policy. ~ It is the policy of the State to

promote comprehensive rural development and a

an reform as well as give
priority to education and science and technology to accelerate social progress
and promote development in the country. ‘Toward this end, the government
shall provide qualified children of small farmers’ opportunities to obtain quality
education through the grant of scholarships.

SE

“TION. 3. General Objectives.— ‘This Act promotes — the
development of agriculture throughout the country by financing the college

education of talented and deserving children of small farmers and provides



incentives for them to pursue a career in the field of agriculture or any

agriculture-related courses, especially in their home regions.

SECTION. 4. Children of Small Farmers Scholarship Fund. —
There is hereby created a Children of Small Farmers Scholarship Fund to be
administered by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in financing the

college education of talented and deserving children of small farmers, For

purposes of this Act and in accordance with Republic Act No. 7607, otherwise

known as the “Magna Carta of Small Farmers,” small farmers shall refer to

natural persons dependent on small-scale subsistence farming as their primary
source of income and whose sale, barter or exchange of agricultural products do

nol eX

eed a gross value of One hundred eighty thousand pesos
(P180,000.00) per annum based in 1992 constant prices.

SE

ION. 5. Children of Small Farmer Scholarship Grant. ~ The
scholarship grant awarded under this Act shall be applied for any agriculture or
agriculture-related courses, as identified by the CHED as a priority course, and

shall cover the entire tuition and miss

cllancous fees of the grantee, ‘The grantee

may enrol in any public or private university or college throughout the country.
Qualified and deserving children of small farmers who enrol in in these

courses shall be granted financial aid amounting to one hundred per cent

(100%) of the tuition fees and miscellaneous fees covering the board and

lodging, food and transportation allowance and other school requirements.



SECTION. 6, Qualifications. — To be eligible for the scholarship
grant under this Act the applicant must:

(a) Bea Filipino citizen of good moral character;

(b) Be ahigh school graduate;

(c) Bea child of a small farmer;

(a) Be not more than twenty-five (25) years of age at the time of the
award of the grant;

(ce) Be qualified as an incoming college student in any curricular year
level at the time of the award; and

(f) Have complied with such other requirements that may be

established by the CHED,

SECTION. 7. Limit. — The award of the scholars

ip grant shall be
limited to two (2) children only per small farmer and shall apply even if both
parents are small farmers.

SECTION. 8. Conditions of the Grant. — ‘The grantees of the
scholarship must maintain a general weighted average (GWA) grade of eighty-

five percent (80%) or better, with no failing grade in any subject. ‘The grantee

must also carry a full semestral or trimestral load as prescribed in the course
curriculum and finish within the normal duration of the course. Failure to meet
any of these conditions shall be a ground for the termination of the grant.

SECTION. 9. Appeal. — Upon receipt of a written notice of

termination of scholarship due to non-compliance or violation of the terms and



conditions of the scholarship, a grantee may, not later than fifteen (15) days
from receipt of the notice, file an appeal for reconsideration and reinstatement
of the scholarship with the CHED. Upon the lapse of the fifteen (15) days
wherein a grantee may file an appeal and no appeal is made, the termination of
scholarship shall become final and executory.

SECTION. 10. Service Obligation. — After graduating, a grantee
must render return service in the Philippines on a full-time basis, preferably in
the grantee’s home region and along the grantee’s field of training, for a period
equivalent to two (2) years for every year that the grantee enjoyed the
scholarship, Return service may be done by being employed within the
Philippines in a government agency or a private company or by. self-
employment, ‘The proof of employment, such as, certificate of employment,
business permit, income tax return and other documents evidencing the
grantee’s completion of the required number of years of return service must be
submitted to the CHED before being issued a final clearance.

A grantee that is unable to render the return service obligation imposed
under this section shall be liable to reimburse the Government the amount
equivalent to the scholarship funds received under this Act.

SECTION. 11, Implementing Agency. — ‘The CHED shall be the
main implementing agency of the provisions of this Act. It shall be responsible

for the evaluation, awarding and monitoring of the scholarship grants and



scholars. The CHED is also tasked with coordinating with other relevant

agencies in the fulfilment of the goals of this Act.

SECTION. 12. Review and Monitoring. — The CHED shall report to
the President of the Philippines and to Congress after the first year, and annually
thereafter, on the implementation of the provisions of this Act and submit

recommendations for its improvement.

SE

“TION. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations, ~ Within sixty
(60) days from the approval of this Act, the CHED shall promulgate the rules
and regulations to effectively implement the provisions of this Act.

Ss

ION. 14, Appropriations. ~ ‘The amount necessary to carry out
the initial implementation of this Act shall be included in the appropriations of
the CHED in the annual General Appropriations Act of the year the following,

the eff

tivity of this Act. Thereafier, such sums as may be necessary for the
effective and continuous implementation of the provisions of this Act shall he

included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SE

ION. 15. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part hereof
is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provisions not
otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting.

SECTION. 16, Repealing Clause.— All laws, decrees, executive
orders, proclamations and administrative regulations or parts thereof

inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.



SE

ION. 17. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national
newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,