When he was about to graduate from senior high school, Johnrey Arancana was looking for scholarship programs that he could avail of to ease the financial burden on his parents.
One of the scholarship programs that he applied for was the Fishery Scholarship Program (FSP) offered by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
“It all started after graduating from senior high school; nag apply ko og mga scholarship opportunities og usa na ato ang kaning Fishery Scholarship Program. Fortunately, nakapasar ko sa FSP. Ako gyung gi try nga maka eskwela kog college, para di na maglisod akong parents,” said Arancana.
(It all started when I graduated from senior high school. I applied for scholarship programs and one of them was the Fishery Scholarship Program. Fortunately, I passed the FSP. I really wanted to study in college so I could help my parents fulfill the needs of our family.)
Arancana, 22, became one of the scholars of FSP who successfully earned a degree in Bachelor of Science in Fisheries (BS Fisheries) in 2023 at the Visayas State University in Tolosa, Leyte.
He said the scholarship was a big help for his tertiary education, especially in providing him with an allowance to cover his college expenses.
“During sa akong pag-eskwela sa college as an FSP scholar, nakadawat kog P5,000 allowance per month, P3,000 allowance for my OJT, and P7,000 allowance as support for my thesis,” he said.
(When I was studying in college as an FSP scholar, I was able to receive P5,000 per month as my allowance, P3,000 as allowance for my OJT, and P7,000 as support for my thesis.)
Arancana sees the FSP as a blessing for it gave him assurance in terms of employment opportunities.
“As an FSP scholar, BFAR will either help you or hire you so that you can become their employee or you can work right away,” he said.
Five years after he became an FSP scholar, Arancana is now an employee of the BFAR Region 7.
BFAR’s Fishery Scholarship Program scholars with their scholarship certificates at BFAR Regional Office 7 in Cebu City. (Photo from BFAR7)
Fishery Scholarship Program
Formerly known as the Ferdinand E. Marcos Scholarship for Fisheries, the FSP was first implemented in 1979 with a budget of P2 million.
Consisting of three components, namely the Fisheries Children Educational Grant (FCEG), the Fisheries Industry Leaders Grant (FILG), and the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs), the flagship program awards qualified students with a full scholarship grant for college studies leading to the degree of BS Fisheries, among other financial grants that will help the scholars attain educational success.
The FILG grants scholarships for senior high school graduates with honors and allocates three scholarship slots per region nationwide, while the FCEG provides scholarships for the children of those registered fisherfolks with 20 scholarship slots per region.
The ICCs/IPs, on the other hand, offers scholarships for those who are members of the cultural and Indigenous communities with three scholarship slots per region.
“Ang target every year ani per region kay total of 26 scholars ang madugang and ang BFAR nag allocate na karon og P100M every year intended for this scholarship program,” said Roel Pateno, focal person of the FSP.
(The target every year per region is that a total of 26 scholars will be added. BFAR has now allocated P100M every year intended for this scholarship program.)
Currently, there are 104 FSP scholars in Region 7 who are enrolled in various state universities and colleges in Visayas and Mindanao.
“Sa mga ni graduate na nga mga FSP scholars diri sa Central Visayas, we have a total of 346 scholars who graduated as of 2018,” said Pateno.
(We have a total of 346 scholars in Central Visayas who graduated already as of 2018.)
Pateno said the FSP also aims to help boost the fisheries industry amid the lack of interest among young people to pursue fisheries-related courses in college.
“Mura wala na poy manguha og fisheries course karong panahona, so ang kaning programaha motabang gyud sa pag-uplift sa morale sa mga fisherfolks. Matabangan ilang mga anak nga makahuman og pag eskwela para makatabang sa ilang pamilya pagkahuman nila,” he said.
(It seems there are not that many young people who take up fisheries courses these days. This program will really help uplift the morale of our fisherfolks and their communities by helping their children study in college and help their families after they graduate.)
FSP benefits
The FSP provides financial assistance to its scholars that covers the following:
- Monthly allowance P5,000
- Book allowance – P2,000 per semester
- OJT support – P3,000
- Thesis support – P7,900
- Graduation allowance P1,500
It also provides the following additional incentives for scholars who will graduate with Latin honors
- Cum laude – P20,000
- Magna cum laude – P30,000
- Summa cum laude – P50,000
Application process
BFAR7 is inviting senior high school graduating and graduate students who are interested in applying for FPS to approach their local government units or go to the nearest BFAR office to fill out the application forms.
Deadline for applications is on July 31 and the examination is scheduled on Oct. 19.
BFAR is targeting around 500 applicants who will take the scholarship examination.
“Ato lang ipahibaw nga aduna natay programa nga gi offer alang sa atong mga scholars, so e-take advantage lang ni nga program. Take lang og exam para at least aduna moy chance nga mahimong scholar aning programaha,” said Pateno.
(We are offering this scholarship program, so take advantage of this opportunity. Just give it a try and take the exam so that at least you have a chance to become an FSP scholar.) (RGC/PIA7 Cebu)
