VALENTINE’S DAY advanced in a “Festival of Love” with 2,000 young sweethearts, all his own.
Solomonic proportions in the art of loving – not in the sense of eros but of agape – Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales displayed these past days.
In the City of San Fernando on Sunday, 2,000 college kids – from all over the district – received grants for the second semester of the 2011-2012 term amounting to P7.2 million from Gonzales’ priority development assistance fund or (PDAF).
Says Cong Dong: “We have started awarding the grants to our scholars this month, being a love month, to sort of make them feel in a special way how much we care about their education and their future.”
Over the week-end, Gonzales turned over P451,800 to Carlito Mandap, principal of the Justino Sevilla High School in Barangay Mangga Cacutud, Arayat to cover the needs of 502 students.
Still in Arayat, the Camba High School received from the congressman P339,150 for the expenses of 464 students.
Gonzales’ love fest for his scholars will go on till March, with some 8,000 elementary and high school kids slated to receive grants amounting to P5.5 million for the current school year.
Some accounting now: P7.2 million plus P451,800 plus P339,150 plus P5.5 million equals P13,490,950. No small change just for one semester.
But a mere drop in the bucket, aye, a cupful in the wellspring of Gonzales’ PDAF goodness that has so far amounted to P100 million worth of scholarship grants, plus additional funds through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for skills upgrade on information technology, resulting to the educational empowerment of 25,000 youths. No mean feat there.
“To help the poor and marginalized rise from their humble circumstances and make a better life for themselves and their children.” So goes Gonzales’ mission statement in his scholarship programs.
“We are very thankful to Congressman Gonzales for the support to indigent students. The scholarship assistance is something that the students look forward to each year because the assistance is being given without any grade requirement.” So glorified principal Mandap of Gonzales’ program.
Que horror! What is that principal talking about? Has he lost his pedagogic bearings?
The absence of any grade requirement is a total negation of any scholarship program. Grades, superior grades, being the very definition of scholarship.
So it is with elitist snobbery that we readily dismiss Gonzales’ “scholarship” program as simple dole-out, as plain patronage politics.
It is of his own accord, Gonzales admits as readily, that he opted to dispense with the grade requirement in his scholarship program so as to provide more students the opportunity to study.
“Not only to the indigent-but-intelligent youth should the opportunity to study be opened. All students, whether academically gifted or not, should be given the chance to study.
My only requirement is that they pass their subjects and finish their studies,” Gonzales said, adding that he only asks his scholars to take their studies seriously and avoid incurring failing marks.
Equitable distribution of opportunities. Ah, how did I ever miss the great social equalizer most evident in Gonzales’ scholarship program? Truly unforgiveable for the unrepentant socialist me.
And then, the very timing – Valentine’s – gives one time to pause, and feel.
Gonzales’ scholarship programs are an act of love. And love – if only to be love – sets no pre-conditions at all.
So what’s all my fuss about grade requirements about? Shame on effete elitism. Shame on snooty me.
