Shawne Marion Manalo

The Department of Science and Technology - Science and Education Institute (DOST-SEI) revealed there will be a delay with the release for scholarship stipends of undergraduate students at a budget hearing on September 5.

Photo Courtesy of DOST/Davao Today.

According to DOST-SEI Officer-in-Charge Albert Mariño, the late release was caused by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) denying the request for additional appropriations. 

“Nag-request po kami ng additional appropriations doon sa aming requirement so talagang hindi na-approve ng DBM nung time na yun,” Mariño stated.

The DBM Assistant Director Joanna Galarpe rebutted that DOST-SEI did not have a pending request for additional cash allocation for scholars.

The agency will support 46,234 undergraduate students for the Academic Year 2024-2025, with an addition of 10,756 students who passed the 2024 DOST-SEI scholarship examination.

Scholars are entitled to tuition fee grants amounting to P40,000 annually, and P8,000 supposedly received monthly, but constantly pushed back due to delays.

The DOST Secretary Renato Solidum explained in the budget hearing that delays are sometimes caused by universities when students fail to submit their grades as a requirement for the cash allowance.

“Minsan doon nagkakaproblema kasi minsan ‘yung mga bata hindi naman nagbibigay ng grades or nakakasubmit kaagad,” Solidum reiterated.

He proposed implementing “core groups” with DOST-SEI employees in each university to handle the disbursement of stipends to amend this issue

Scholars have been experiencing delayed scholarship stipends since 2020, with organizations voicing out against the bureaucratic process that slows down the process.

“The stipend delay has already been an issue long before, but it is still continuously affecting the scholars,“ said the UP DOST Scholars’ Association in November 2020.