The “One Family, One Professional” as a personal educational program of Misamis Occidental Governor Henry Oaminal is now reaping fruits as hundreds of young Misamisnons will soon graduate in the fields they have chosen.
The program has 3,200 scholars to date while others are still freshmen enrolled at the different colleges and schools in said province.
Under the program, each scholar will be screened by the local government units they come from and finally be chosen by the Governor himself.
There is no grade requirement to maintain the scholarship “As long as they will pass every subject and they focus on their studies.”
Each scholar receives a P5,000 monthly school allowance intended for their tuition and other school fees until they graduate.
The Philippine Statistics Authority report showed that the literacy rate in Northern Mindanao is at 94.0 percent.
The Governor explained, “I want every family to have one professional to improve the condition of the family which will lead to economic growth of the province.” “Let us put it this way if a family has a professional who can land a good job after graduation, the morale of the family is high and the graduate will then support the next sibling and the income of the family will be focused on food and other necessities because a major component in the educational requirement is being taken cared of,” Oaminal added.
The Beneficiaries
A teary-eyed Romeo delos Angeles narrated how desperate he was when he lost in job in Saudi Arabia when the global crisis prompted his company to send them home in 2014.
“I was hopeless, I worked as a mason in a local construction here just to fend for my family, I lost hope in having a professional son. I am just a high school graduate and my happiness is their success,” he narrated.
Dreams shattered for his son Romeo III, his namesake, since his father is now 63 years old and employment opportunities are nil, “My heart bleeds every time I see him looking at the sky,” said Mercy, the mother.
But when they learned that their son was among the scholars who passed the screening “We cannot describe our happiness.”
This coming May, their son Romeo III will graduate in Electrical Engineering at Northwest Mindanao State College of Science and Technology in Tangub City.
“Dili dayud naku masulti ang akong kalipay, naan a jud koy professional sa Mao, (I cannot express my happiness, I will have a professional in May.” Romeo Sr. said.
The Delos Angeles family is thankful that the “One Family, One Professional” program ushered their son to reach his dream.
“Dakung tabang sa amoa.Sauna, kada bulan ko mag cash advance sa akong ginatrabahoan a ting-tuition. Pero, sukad na scholar siya, wala na mi nakautang, ang among kuarta padulong na sa pagkaon (It is a big help to us. Before, I need to apply for a cash advance from my employer when tuition is due. But when he became a scholar, we no longer borrow money and our income is dedicated to the food of our family).
Erlina Lemosnero Huelin, a street food vendor said borrowing money from the loan sharks has been her source to send her son Ian to school.
Ian said, “Every examination I can hear my mother go to loan sharks for my tuition fee, often I cannot catch up with the permit requirement because my parents cannot pay on time and our grades will not be released.”
“I devote myself to my studies because I felt how hard it is to find money and I want to show to Governor Oaminal that sending me to school is not a waste of resources.”
Huelin will graduate in May with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Gerald Sabijon, the son of a tricycle driver from a resident of Oroquita City said “The OFOP is a big leap to our dreams. Sending a child to school is very hard but the Governor is helping us, I will not frustrate him”
Gerald will graduate in May with a degree in Business administration.
The parents and the beneficiaries thanked the governor and wished that more youth and students from the different villages of Misamis Occidental would benefit from the program.
They also wished that Oaminal would be blessed for him to carry on and realize the dream of the young Misamisnon.
