Province to sue over ‘unqualified’ beneficiaries

The Cebu provincial government through the Provincial Women's Commission (PWC) plans to file a case against a social worker in Daanbantayan for allegedly endorsing applicants not qualified for a scholarship program.

Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, chairwoman of the PWC, said over a hundred applicants for the Paglaum Scholarship Program were endorsed by Heidie Aplece, a social worker of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), but some of these applicants are said to be not qualified.

The Paglaum Scholarship Program of the province provides free tuition to students who otherwise cannot afford to go to college.

Magpale said they were informed that the father of one of the scholars is an operator of a van-for-hire, meaning the family can afford to send the student to school.

"Now this scholarship program is really for poorest of the poor, nakalusot sa interview, kay ang bata pud maayo ‘guro pagka-brief sa social worker. We are filing a case against the social worker. She signed hundred plus recommendations, ang nadawat 68," Magpale said.

The PWC personnel also discovered that the recommendations submitted followed a template.

"Amo pa g’yud na-discover, in the process, kay usa ra man to among gi-review. Duna siyay template, ang paragraph the same, gi-change lang niya ang name, ug ang ‘he’ or ‘she’ and in the end mo-ingon dayon siya nga therefore, he is qualified to be accepted in the program," Magpale said.

The recommendation letter from the social worker is one of the requirements needed by applicants during the actual interview with Capitol officials.

Magpale said at the municipal level it is the social worker's role to study or investigate whether or not the applicant can afford to go to school before it will be endorsed to the province.

However, MSWDO consultant and spokeswoman Malou Loot defended Aplece saying the Capitol is just politicizing the program.

Loot said the councilors of Daanbantayan who are allies of Magpale are the ones who endorsed the applicants to the social worker.

"Rekomendasyon man ‘tawon na sa ilang mga konsehal kay wala man ‘tawon na kalibotan ang MSWDO kinsa ng mga tawhana oy, dili man sad sila ang nag-conduct og investigation kun pobre o dato ba," Loot said.

She said the Capitol cannot remove Aplece from office since the social worker is not under the Capitol's jurisdiction.

"There is no memorandum of agreement kun unsay papel sa LGU, ika duha ang kanang program nila wala nila gi-through sa mayors, unya ilang domdomon nga ang tanang department heads sa mga local government under sa Office of the Mayor," Loot said.

Magpale said their office already informed Aplece about the matter.

She said Aplece admitted that her staff processed the papers and she just signed it, but because of command responsibility Aplece will be the one to face the criminal and administrative charges that will be filed against her.

The vice governor further said they will continue the scholarship of those who will be found unqualified, but they will inform the scholars about the matter and it will be up to them if they will quit or not.

Magpale said more deserving students could have benefited from the program.

"She (Aplece) made fun of our scholarship program," Magpale said.

Aside from the free tuition, scholars of the province also get a P1,500 monthly allowance from the Capitol. —

Le Phyllis F. Antojado/BRP