QUALITY EDUCATION AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL

FOSTER PARENTS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (FPSP) OF THE BOHOL CIRCLE OF EASTERN USA, Manila, 16 November 2004

It is my great pleasure to share with you my views and insights on the Foster Parents Scholarship Program (FPSP) of the Bohol Circle of Eastern USA.

Education is a key element to break the Filipino’s endless cycle of poverty and is the right of every Filipino. It is education that can provide our people, particularly the youth, with more opportunities. For decades, we accepted the premise that poor children cannot go to school and were content to watch these young children face an uncertain future. We were passive in the face of a great moral failing.

Now, thanks to organizations like the Bohol Circle of Eastern USA, programs like the FPSP have opened doors for poor but deserving students. The FPSP allows these students to continue their college and high school studies through the sacrifice and commitment of friends, sanos, and kababayans who dedicate not only their financial and moral support, but also their talents and prayers to the endeavor.

In its four years of existence, FPSP has already supported 11 college and 4 high school students from the different parts of the province of Bohol. I am especially proud to hear that the FPSP scholars have used the benefits of scholarship to sculpt their own success and accomplishment, as several of them passed the Civil Service sub-professional examinations, with one of them capping the tenth place. Surely, these are the young people who will use their success to help in meaningful ways both members of their own communities and society as a whole.

In a world where knowledge has become a crucial element for nations to prosper and compete, we must put primacy to the Filipino youth’s capacity to actively participate in national development and rightfully claim opportunities for improving their quality of life. This can only be achieved through enhancing their knowledge and skills and providing them avenues for utilizing their inherent talents towards more productive objectives.

I commend the Bohol Circle of Eastern USA for rising to the challenge and complementing government efforts to provide access to education and opportunity for the youth. In the recently crafted Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) for 2005-2010 and the Ten Point Agenda, it is stated that “…the country’s investment in education shall increasingly depend on an active partnership among the national government, local governments, private sector, non-government organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups.” Clearly this is one of the top priorities of the administration.

Mabuhay tayong lahat!

MARAMING SALAMAT AT MULI MABUHAY KAYONG LAHAT!

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