Scholarship to ease field work financial woes for UP CSWCD students

Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo

Oct 27

From left: CSWCD College Secretary Paul Edward Muego, UP OAR Director K.C. Abalos-Orendain, CSWCD Dean Lenore Polotan-Dela Cruz, Brandt Ivann Paul Aquino, John Bryan Salamanca, Perrie Rejuso, Jedidiah Apolinario and Adeza Ann Azares, AVP for Public Affairs Jeanette Yasol-Naval, and Dr. Aileen Reyes of the UPD Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)

Immense relief from the mental and emotional toll of thinking about money for internship expenses. Less worrying about how to get extra income to cover financial requirements of field work. Money for food, transportation, and other personal needs that would otherwise be taken out of an already stretched family budget.

"The need to support CSWCD students doing field work was first identified because this entails allowances necessary to travel, work, and live with partner communities which are usually outside of Metro Manila and in remote areas."—UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jeanette Yasol-Naval (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)

These are some of the ways the Fe Parajas I. Benito Scholarship will benefit its recipients, according to the recipients themselves—Community Development majors Brandt Ivann Paul Aquino, Perrie Rejuso, and John Bryan Salamanca, and Social Work majors Jedidiah Apolinario and Adeza Ann Azares.

"What we can do in return is to become good community development workers."—John Bryan Salamanca, on receiving the scholarship (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)

Jedidiah Apolinario says the scholarship is a big help in easing the burden of field work expenses on her family income, allowing her to focus more on her internship and attending to the needs of her clients. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)

The scholarship was launched on October 23 with the awarding of grants to the first batch of recipients, who are all fourth-year students of the UP Diliman (UPD) College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD). They are currently enrolled in the field instruction program, which is either community-based work or agency-based internship.

Established by Ted Benito in honor of his mother, who graduated with a 1954 BA Social Work degree from the then-UP College of Liberal Arts, the scholarship was his way of "paying it forward": an act of compassion she instilled in him. Social work and social workers "need to be uplifted," he said.

US-based Ted Benito joins the launch and awarding via Zoom. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)

Eric Panuncialman, president of the UP Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles (UPAAGLA), added that social work and community development are "very fulfilling humanitarian jobs." The UPAAGLA was Benito's first link to getting the scholarship created. Coordination with the UP Office of Alumni Relations (OAR), UPD Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, CSWCD, and the UPD Office of Scholarship and Grants laid the foundation for the firm establishment of the scholarship.