Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

Unjust Scholarship

The GSIS offers scholarship to students of STI. But only 20 percent of the tuition fee is paid by GSIS provided that student is the close relative of the current GSIS member or pensioner.

Well & Good

Giving scholarships to students is heartily welcomed!

What is wrong with the 20 percent scholarship grant to students at STI who are relatives of the GSIS members and pensioners is its discriminary nature.

The GSIS scholarship funds come from all the GSIS members and pensioners with majority of the close relative children are studying in other colleges and universities. These children studying in other institutions must be given the amount the GSIS gives to STI students.

For the GSIS to continue giving scholarship to relatives of GSIS members and pensioners studying at STI without giving the same privilege to those students studying in other schools is unfair, unjust and discriminatory.  

Philippine Olympics

In the last Olympic games held in London, United Kingdom, the Philippines sent 24 members contingent. Well and good, but the Philippines delegation was composed of more officials than athletes. There were 11 athletes and 13 officials. The 11 athletes were all easily eliminated even in the qualifying rounds in their respect event. 

It is so frustrating, so embarrassing watching a Filipino athlete being defeated. It is so disgusting for citizens with 100 million people  from where  athletes are selected  to compete in the last three Olympic games without even a bronze medal won.

Why do so many countries have medals in the Olympic games even if they have less population from where they select their athletes? These current Philippine Sports officials had no reason to stay even a day in the office entrusted to develop sports in the Philippines.

Mark Anthony Barriga of Tagum, Davao Del Norte could have won a medal in boxing if he was scientifically trained and coached.

Should we claim we were cheated in that boxing match because of the warnings and points addition to his opponent, it only points to the respect and admiration of the referee and judges who officiated the fight to the Philippines sports officials of that boxing bout between Barriga and the Kazaks. 

Overseas

Filipinos Sign To Vote

For the May 2013 election, more than 200,000 overseas Filipinos signed up for overseas absentee voting (OAV) as the Department of Foreign Affairs stepped up its campaign to encourage million Filipino migrants to register.

The DFA said total OAV registration reached 800,000 as Philippine missions all over the world posted 212,009 new registrants in August in addition to the more than 580,000 individuals already in the OAV list.

The climb in figures “indicates that the targeted one million registered voters for the 2013 senatorial and partylist elections is about to be realized,” the DFA said.

Of the new registrants, some 36,391 came from the Middle East and Africa; 31,785 from the Americas; 21,959 from Europe, and 20,035 from the Asia Pacific.

A total 101,839, meanwhile, registered in local OAV registration centers before leaving the Philippines, including desks at the airport, overseas employment and welfare offices, and DFA OAV centers. 

The DFA diplomatic posts around the world have stepped up efforts to encourage wider participation in the OAV through online campaigns and touching base with Filipino communities abroad.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario also sent letters to some 4,000 Filipino leaders around the world to seek support for the OAV. /MP