CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Philippines (PIA) – At least 15 young indigenous people (IP) have availed of scholarship grants for School Year 2011-2012 given by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

Dubbed “Bulig Ki Agulanga” (Tulong Para kay Ate/Kuya) Program in Mindanao, the scholarship is part of NGCP’s advocacy for IP education even in the remotest villages in the country.

Through the NGCP, nine high school and six college students from the indigenous communities in Bukidnon will be granted full school year educational assistance, which includes tuition fees, books, and uniform allowance, and a monthly stipend.

Wedding site

DAVAO CITY (PNA) – The upscale market of Beijing in China looks at this city and Region 11 as a new wedding and honeymoon destination. Mary Ann Montemayor, chairperson of the Davao Tourism Council, said the interest of the Chinese travel and tour operators surfaced during the recently held tourism event in Beijing where the tourism sector here promoted Davao as a must-visit destination among the Chinese.

Montemayor said they saw the interest of the Chinese, noting that “island wedding” in Asian countries has become a trend. “I think it has been a status for these people to travel outside of their place for a wedding or honeymoon affair,” she said.

Services summit

BUTUAN CITY – The three-day 1st National Summit of Student Services Personnel is set next month at a downtown hotel and convention center here. Delegates to this affair include deans, directors on student affairs, guidance officers, and student publication advisers, and other school authorities, both from the public and private colleges and universities in the country.

More than 700 delegates coming various regions, provinces, and cities in the country are set to attend in the three-day summit, said Rex F. Ybanez, regional chairman of the United Nations Youth Association of the Philippines. (Mike Crismundo)

Support urged

DAVAO CITY (PNA) – City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio urged the public to cooperate with the tight security being implemented in the city by police and military authorities.

She said the heightened alert is being observed by the Task Force (TF) Davao and Davao City Police Office (DCPO) following the travel advisory issued by the United States government for Mindanao, and the recent bombing of a bar in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat on Sunday.

Duterte-Carpio affirmed the threat posed by terror groups lurking in Central Mindanao based on the assessment of the city’s security cluster.

Tribal congress

KORONADAL CITY (PIA) – Indigenous peoples (IP) who gathered in Makilala, North Cotabato during the weekend sought active participation in governance. At least 5,000 members of ethic groups attended the 1st Provincial IP Congress held at the Makilala Municipal Gymnasium from June 18 to 19, organized by the office of Rep. Nancy Catamco (2nd District, Cotabato), herself a Manuvu-Bagobo from Magpet town.

Dubbed “Kongreso sa Katawhang Lumad sa North Cotabato,” highlight of the activity was the submission of a resolution that calls on Congress for the implementation of the mandatory representation of IPs in various governance bodies.