Bill seeking scholarships, incentives to farmers’ dependents pushed

Davao City First District Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte filed a bill seeking to encourage more youth to pursue a career in agriculture and take on the challenges facing the vital sector.

Duterte, together with Benguet Representative Eric Yap and Representative Edvic Yap of ACT-CIS Party-list, filed House Bill 7572, which seeks to provide subsidies to children of qualified indigent farmers who will enroll in agriculture courses and other related fields of study in state universities and colleges (SUCs).

This is in addition to the free tuition through Republic Act (RA) 10931, often known as the Universal Access to Excellent Tertiary Education Act.

Under RA 10931 dependents of indigent farmers are eligible for free tuition and other school fees, as well as other incentives and subsidies like living and transportation allowances, if they meet the admissions requirements for agriculture and other related courses.

The qualified indigent farmer is someone who is listed in the Department of Agriculture’s (DA’s)