THE CITY government of Valenzuela will start accepting scholarship applications for incoming first year college students this week.

The application forms for the Dr. Pio Valenzuela Scholarship Program will be available from January 3 to March 4, 2022.

The scholarship offers financial assistance for poor students to continue their education in public and private colleges and universities.

It was implemented through Municipal Council Ordinance No. 12 of 1995 which was amended in 2009 through City Ordinance No. 37.

Under the scholarship, learners receive P30,000 annually.

The scholarship also covers all baccalaureate or undergraduate college and university programs under the General Academic strands, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics strands, the Humanities and Social Sciences strands, and the Accountancy, Business, and Management strands.

It applies to public and private colleges and universities accredited by the Commission on Higher Education.

To qualify for the program, applicants must be natural-born Filipino citizens and permanent residents of Valenzuela City; must be graduates of any public or private junior high school in the city, having studied for four consecutive years.

They must also be underprivileged Grade 12 students enrolled in any program under the GAS, STEM, HUMSS, and ABM strands; and must have a general weighted average of 85 percent and above with no grades in any subject below 85 in the first to fourth grading period from Grade 9 to 10, and in the first and second semester of Grade 11.

Employed parents of applicants must have an annual gross income below P120,000, the city government said.

Students who have been residing in the city for at least four years prior to their application are also qualified.

For more information, interested students can visit https://www.valenzuela.gov.ph/drpioscholarship.