A beneficiary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid sa Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Paoay, Ilocos Norte has topped the 2023 Civil Engineering Licensure Examination.
Engr. Alexis Castillo Alegado, who garnered a score of 92.10%, is a Cum Laude graduate of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac, Ilocos Norte.
The 22-year-old Alegado was among the 32 out of 77 graduates of MMSU’s College of Engineering who passed the Civil Engineering Licensure Exams administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) last April 23-24.
Alegado’s MMSU posted a 41.56% passing rate, which is higher than the 34.76% national passing rate where 5,887 out of 16,936 (34.76%) successfully passed the licensure examination.
The DSWD’s 4Ps program is human development measure of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor to improve the health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-18.
DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said Alegado’s academic success and his topping the 2023 Civil Engineering Licensure Examinations is a concrete indication that DSWD’s 4Ps is a valuable tool in effectively investing in human capital.
“Patunay po ang tagumpay ni Engr. Alexis Alegado na ang ating 4Ps ay napakahalaga sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino para mapagtapos sa kolehiyo ang kanilang mga anak na siyang makakatulong para sa pag-angat mula sa kahirapan,” Asst. Secretary Lopez said.
An initial report sent by the DSWD Field Office 1 said Alegado was also a student-beneficiary of the Expanded Student’s Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) program which made him automatically qualified for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) under Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
Beneficiaries under ESGP-PA are poor but deserving students belonging to families listed in the DSWD’s 4Ps program. They can enroll in selected State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) taking up the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) priority programs and other courses offerings within the government key growth areas.
TES is one of the four programs under RA 10931 which will provide funding for qualified Filipino students from the poorest-of-the-poor households enrolled in public and private Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs).
Once accepted under TES, ESGP-PA grantees will receive the following: allowance for books, supplies, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses; a reasonable allowance for the documented rental or purchase of personal computer or laptop and other education-related expenses; allowance for room and board costs incurred by the student; additional subsidy of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) or a one-time cost of a first licensure examination for graduates of a Board course or program. #
