4 Filipino students awarded Singapore scholarship

MANILA, Philippines - The Singapore Government has awarded the 2009 Singapore Scholarship to four outstanding Filipino students from various areas of the Philippines. Ambassador of Singapore to the Philippines A. Selverajah presented the awards to the recipients in a ceremony at the Singapore Embassy on July 8, 2009. The guests of honor at the award ceremony were Mona Dumlao-Valisno, Presidential Assistant for Education, and Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary, Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs Ronald Allarey.

The four recipients are Stephanie Anne Oliveros, Wayne Isaac Tan Uy and Ivan John Clement from Ateneo de Manila University; and Kimberly Siy Huang from the British School, Manila.

This is the 11th year running that the Singapore Scholarship is being offered by the Singapore Government. The initiative was launched at the 6th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi in December 1998 by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. It underlines Singapore’s firm belief that human resource development is key to a country’s social and economic development. To date, a total of 83 Filipino students have been awarded this scholarship. In addition, 121 Filipino high school students have been awarded the ASEAN Scholarship to study in Singapore, while 74 Filipinos have pursued post-graduate public administration courses under scholarships provided by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and 1,734 Filipinos have also undergone short-term training courses and attachments under the Singapore Cooperation Program.

The four scholarships amount to P16 million and are tenable at the National University of Singapore, the Nanyang Technological University and the Singapore Management University. Each award is valid for up to four years of tertiary study, and covers tuition fees, airfares, annual living allowances, and other miscellaneous expenses. Scholars are selected on the basis of academic merit, leadership qualities and their potential to contribute to community development. The Singapore Government does not impose a bond on the scholars and instead encourages them to return home and serve their home countries upon graduation.