Villar seeks scholarship grants for children of AFP personnel

MANILA, Philippines –  Children of military personnel are expected to receive more benefits from the government with an education bill that was recently submitted at the House of Representatives.

Las Piñas City Rep. Mark. Villar filed House Bill 3433 or the Scholarship Grants for the Children of the Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Act.

“The bill will aims to encourage and reward our soldiers to continue their selfless act for the country and would boost their morale to effectively perform their sworn duties and responsibilities,” Villar said.

The scholarship grant will include pre-school, elementary, secondary as well as tertiary education and shall be applicable in all public schools and state universities in throughout the country.

Only legitimate children of AFP members, not exceeding four, may avail of the scholarship grant, provided that they meet the academic requirement for admission to subject school, state university or college.

Government agencies that will be tasked to implement the legislation include the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education with the support of the AFP.

“The bill serves to acknowledge the valiant efforts of the members of the AFP in maintaining peace and sovereignty of our country. Their job demands every ounce of patriotism and nationalism in their blood and most of the time, they sacrifice their time with their families for the sake of serving the country,” Villar said.

“We are often criticized for not giving our military personnel sufficient means to maintain peace and security in our country. The least we can do is to give them additional incentives that would ensure a better life for their dependents,” he added.