Cauayan City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development held the Regional Expanded Students’ Grants-In-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) graduation ceremonies for school year 2016-2017 at F.L. Dy Coliseum on June 19, 2017.

The activity was organized in collaboration with Commission on Higher Education (CHeD) and various State Universities with Isabela State University as the hosting school, the program producing 162 graduates for the academic year.

ESGP-PA traces its roots in 2012 as a poverty alleviation initiative implemented by four national agencies namely: CHED, DSWD, Devpartment of Budget and Management and the Department of Labor and Employment. In the region, the program is implemented in partnership with six State Universities and Colleges, namely: Batanes State College, Cagayan State University, Isabela State University, Nueva Vizcaya State University, Quirino State University and Philippine Normal University-North Luzon.

It aims to provide educational assistance to children of poor families, giving priority to grantees of the Pantawid Pamilya Program paving the way for them to acquire a degree and ensuring that holistic professionals are produced.

This year, 1 magna cum laude in the person of Jorlee Baquiran Ortiz from Isabela State University – Echague campus graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy. In recognition of his achievement, the local government of Angadanan, Isabela provided Fifteen thousand pesos (PhP 15,000.00) as cash assistance in preparation for his licensure examination for Accountancy in October of this year.