The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has awarded a cheque worth P20,000 to one of its scholars who graduated cum laude.
During the awarding ceremony on Thursday, Lilibeth Signey, director of BFAR-Cordillera, said the additional incentive given to Aubrey Dominique Bernardez, a BFAR scholar for Bachelor of Arts in Fisheries, is provided for in the provisions of the BFAR Fisheries Scholarship Program – Fishery Industry Leadership Grant for those graduating with honors.
The ceremony coincided with the celebration of Cordillera Month and the opening of the “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” agro-industrial fair at the Payanan Sports Complex here.
Bernardez graduated cum laude at the Cagayan State College earlier this month.
The BFAR scholarship program provides an additional incentive of P20,000 for those graduating cum laude; P30,000 for magna cum laude; and P50,000 for summa cum laude.
The scholarship program is available to children of fisherfolk, industry leaders, and indigenous peoples, as an additional poverty alleviation program of the DA.
At least 80 scholars are supported every year with about 30 new slots added each year.
“The goal is to have professional technical experts in fisheries to better improve the fish production of the country using not just the open seas but the inland waters and fishponds,” June Lois Fermin, chief Aquaculturist and designate information officer of the BFAR-Cordillera, said in an interview.
The fisheries scholarship is one of the education grants of the Department of Agriculture to improve food production and attain food sustainability aside from lifting people with academic potentials out of poverty by giving free education.
The scholarship covers the tuition of the student aside from book allowance, a cash stipend, on-the-job-training allowance, and thesis allowance. – PNA
