In the interest of the service and in view of the Administration ™s continuing thrust to expand its educational scholarship program and make it accessible to the intended beneficiaries all over the country, an OFW Dependent Scholarship Program or OFWDSP is hereby established, subject to the following rules and procedures.

1.0 NATURE OF THE PROGRAM

The OFWDSP is a scholarship program that offers financial assistance to qualified dependents of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who receive a monthly salary of not more than US$400.00 and who shall enroll in any four-year or five-year baccalaureate course or associate course leading to a baccalaureate degree or associate degree in a state college or university.

The OFWDSP shall be implemented nationwide with each province, including the National Capital Region (NCR), given automatic scholarship slots.

2.0 OBJECTIVES

The Program shall have the following objectives:

2.1 To provide the opportunity to poor, but deserving students, to earn a baccalaureate degree or associate degree and become agents in community development;

2.2 To expand the number of beneficiaries in all regions of the country;

2.3 To expand program coverage to the provincial level.

3.0 PROGRAM COVERAGE

3.1 Beneficiary

3.1.1 Legal dependent of an OWWA active member whose monthly salary is US$400.00 or below. This shall be determined through the verified employment contract, overseas employment certificate (OEC) or OWWA OFW member verification sheet.

For the purpose of this program, an active member shall be defined as an OWWA-registered member who has a valid membership at the time of availment or whose membership had expired for not more than six-months.

3.1.2 Each OWWA active member is entitled to only one (1) scholar-beneficiary.

3.1.3 OFW couples who are both eligible for the program shall be entitled to only one (1) slot.

3.1.4 Eligible OFWs who are previous availees of the EDSP and the CMWSP, are no longer qualified under the OFWDSP;

3.1.5 The following are considered OFW legal dependents:

•  Children (natural or adopted) of married OFWs/Single OFWs.

• Brother or Sister (half or full-blood) of Single/Childless Married OFW.

3.1.6 Qualifications of a Legal Dependent:

- Single, not more than 21 years old, at the time of application.

- High school graduate or about to graduate from high school, or already enrolled in college.

• Physically, mentally and morally fit.

- Must pass the qualifiying or entrance examination conducted by an OWWA-partner state college/university or any CHED recognized and accredited educational institution located in the region/province.

3.2 Entitlements Under the Program:

All selected scholars/grantees shall be entitled to the following benefits under the program:

3.2.1 Financial assistance of Php20,000.00/year or Php10,000.00/semester that shall cover tuition fees and other academic-related expenses;

3.2.2 The financial assistance shall be released on a semestral basis. There shall be no summer class/term disbursement of funds.

3.2.3 A group health and accident insurance coverage of Php100,000.00/scholar;

4.0 GENERAL POLICY

4.1 The program shall follow the regular schedule of qualifying examinations in state colleges or state universities, or any CHED recognized or accredited educational institution

4.2 The start of the regular program shall follow the official school year adopted by the Department of Education (DepEd).

4.3 Annual Scholarship Slots:

ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED FIFTY (1,250) scholars shall be chosen per year from eighty (80) provinces nationwide;

• 20 scholars from each of the country ™s ten poorest provinces for a total of 200.
  

1. Masbate 6. Lanao del Norte 2. Camarines Norte 7. Zamboanga del Norte 3. Agusan del Sur 8. Zamboanga Sibugay 4. Surigao del Norte 9. Sarangani 5. Mountain Province 10. Maguindanao

• 12 scholars from each of the country ™s 70 other provinces for a total of 840.

• 12 scholars for each of the 17 cities and municipalities of the NCR for a total of 204.

• 6 scholars whose cases are considered meritorious by the Scholarship Committee.

4.4 Venue of Study

4.4.1 The Scholar shall enroll and attend school preferably in a state university, state college or in any CHED-recognized or accredited educational institution located in his/her place of residency. 

4.4.2 In no case shall a scholar, after passing the required qualifying examination in his/her region, be allowed to transfer to any state college or university located in another region.

4.4.3 Since not all provinces in the regions and municipalities and cities have state colleges and/or universities, prospective scholar may take the qualifying examination at the nearest CHED-recognized or accredited educational institution in their locality.

4.5 Scholarship Conditions

4.5.1 The scholar must not be a recipient of other OWWA educational benefit or similar grant from any government or private institutions.

4.5.2 The actual amount of tuition fee shall be paid directly to the school; the remaining balance, if any, shall be released to the scholar for his/her other academic expenses.

4.5.3 If the tuition fee is more than the financial grant, the scholar shall shoulder the difference in the amount.

4.5.4 The Scholar, together with his parent/guardian, must sign a Scholarship Agreement with OWWA specifying the terms and conditions of the scholarship grant.

4.5.5 The scholar shall observe and maintain the school ™s academic standards to enjoy the scholarship continuously.

4.6 List of Identified Baccalaureate Courses

The following are the recommended degree courses based on the assessment of the Department of Labor and Employment on hard to fill job vacancies in the Philippines:

4.6.1 All Courses in B.S. Engineering and B.S. Sciences

4.6.2 B.S. in Information Technology and similar B.S. courses in IT

4.6.3 B.S. in Food Technology

4.6.4. B.S. in Agriculture and related courses in Agribusiness

4.6.5 B.S. in Medical Technology

4.6.6 B.S. in Midwifery

4.6.7 B.S. in Nutrition

4.6.8 B.S. in Physical Therapy

4.6.9 B.S. in Pharmacy

4.6.10 Other B.S. in Health Services and/or Medical Tourism

4.6.11 B.S. in Aviation and all related courses

4.6.12 B.S. in Marine Engineering, Transportation, and related courses

4.6.13 B.S. in Hotel and Restaurant Management and related courses in HRM

4.6.14 Associate Course leading to a baccalaureate degree

The list shall be updated regularly taking into consideration prevailing labor market demand.

4.7 Program Guidelines

4.7.1 For the First School Year (SY 2010-2011) of the program ™s implementation, the following guidelines shall be observed:

a. Eligible to the program are high school graduates, those about to graduate, and those already enrolled in college.

b. A flexible number of slots shall be observed between the high school graduates and those already enrolled in college. No fixed ratio shall be applied as this shall depend upon the number of applicants from both categories.

c. In case there are more eligible applicants than the number of available slots, selections shall be based on the general weighted average (GWA) in high school, in case of high school graduates; while for those already in college, the GWA shall be based on the grades obtained during the semester preceding the current semester.

d. No qualifying examination shall be required from students entering college as freshman, They shall, however, be required to pass the entrance requirements of their preferred school;

e. Those already enrolled in college shall remain in the same school or university until completion of the courses.

f. Applicant/s whose cases are considered meritorious cases shall require the special approval of the Scholarship Committee.

4.7.2 During the Program ™s Second School Year and succeeding years, the following guidelines shall be observed:

a. Only high school graduates or students who will graduate from high school shall be eligible to the program;

b. RWOs shall identify prospective candidates from each province under their jurisdiction to undergo qualifying examination at partner-state college /university.

c. Only the top passers from each province and the NCR in the qualifying examinations shall be selected for the program.

d. In case of tie in ranking for the last slot, the applicant with the highest general weighted average (GWA) in his/her high school card shall be selected.

5.0 DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS

The following documentary requirements shall be submitted by the Applicant-scholar:

5.1 1 set of accomplished Application Form.
5.2 2 pcs. Passport size pictures.
5.3 Proof of relationship to OWWA member

•   Birth Certificate certified by the Local Civil Registrar or the NCSO

•  Baptismal certificate
  

5.4 Proof of OWWA membership of the OFW-member:

•  Official Receipt of OWWA contribution

•  Certification of membership issued by OWWA Membership Processing Center (MPC)
  

5.5 School Records

• Form 137

• Transcript of Records

• Certificate of True Copy of Grades for those who are already in college (for SY2010-2011 only)
  

5.6 Medical Certificate/Clearance from any DOH-accredited hospital/center/clinic;

5.7 Certificate of Good Moral Character issued by the school Principal/Guidance Counselor;

5.8 Original copy of the Scholarship Agreement.

6.0 SCHOLARSHIP AGREEMENT

All scholars accepted to the program, including their parents/guardians, shall sign a Scholarship Agreement with OWWA. The Agreement shall bind the Scholar, the Parent, and the OWWA to observe, comply, and abide by the terms and conditions set forth under the program, such as, but not limited to the following:

6.1 Scholar and Parent/Guardian Obligations
6.2 Duration of Scholarship
6.3 Leave of Absence/Deferment of Scholarship
6.4 Shifting of Program of Study/Transfer of School
6.5 Suspension/Reinstatement of Scholarship
5.6 Termination of the Scholarship
5.7 Reimbursement of Scholarship Grant

The Scholarship Agreement shall form part of this MOI as œAnnex A^* 

7.0 MONITORING AND EVALUATION

The Regional Welfare Offices (RWOs) shall evaluate the academic performance of the scholars to determine their continued availment of the program. They shall be tasked to prepare a Case Study of scholars who have academic problems or who have violated program guidelines. The RWOs shall submit their report to the Scholarship Committee (SCOM) of the Secretariat.

In addition to the Case Study report, the RWOs shall submit the following reports following the schedule indicated therein:

7.1 Enrollment Report - 2 weeks after opening of classes
7.2 Progress Report - 1 week end of each semester
7.3 Terminal Report - 2 weeks after completion of course
7.4 Employment Report - 6 months after graduation.

8.0 BUDGETARY REQUIREMENTS

For the Year 2010, a budget of TWENTY FIVE MILLION ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND (Php25,150,000.00) PESOS has been approved for the scholarship of 1,250 scholars with entitlement to insurance coverage.

9.0 EFFECTIVITY

This MOI takes effect immediately.

(SGD.) CARMELITA S. DIMZON, DPA
  Administrator

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^* Not Filed with ONAR