Tomas to give scholarships, cash assistance to Cordova

CEBU, Philippines - After announcing that he will give scholarships to public high school graduates in Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday said that this will be expanded to the town of Cordova and it is expected to benefit some 1,000 students.

But unlike the graduates of public high schools in Cebu City who will be given a P10,000 scholarship by the city, those in Cordova will only get a P5,000 scholarship.

Osmeña believes that not all of those who will graduate from public high schools in Cordova will continue their studies in college.

The mayor also announced yesterday that each of the senior citizens in that island-municipality of the province’ sixth district will be given P2,000 cash assistance, or half of what is being given to their counterparts in the city.

Osmeña explained that his move of granting scholarship to the high school graduates and cash assistance to the senior citizens in Cordova will disprove the claims of his critics that his program is just intended to boost his political interest.

Cordova is one of the towns of the province, but Osmeña said he has decided to grant some incentives to the people of that island-municipality out of goodwill in relation to the city’s Big Brother program.

Businessman Jonathan Guardo, Osmeña’s main opponent in the south district congressional race on May 10, said it would be inappropriate for the mayor to grant such an incentive to the people outside his territorial jurisdiction because he failed to attend to the needs of his constituents.

Guardo said there are many poor residents in the city who need health assistance while many of our roads are still dilapidated.

Meanwhile, Osmeña said he will tell his staff to invite Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to attend the giving of scholarship to high school graduates and cash assistance to the senior citizens of Cordova to prove that the city is not bankrupt. — Rene U. Borromeo/BRP    (FREEMAN NEWS)