A young faculty member of the MMSU College of Agriculture, Food and Sustainable Development (CAFSD) has received a Sirib Award bestowed by the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) in recognition of her being top 9 in the 2017 Agriculturist Licensure Examination.

Hazel H. Achuela received the award at the Provincial Capitol  last February 16 through Ilocos Norte Governor Imee R. Marcos.

Gov. Marcos lauded Achuela’s accomplishment in the recent board examination saying that such feat has brought honor to MMSU and the province of Ilocos Norte.

“Talaga namang kitang-kita ang kinasirib at kinatan-ok ng mga Ilokano na muling pinatunayan ni Hazel Achuela ng Mariano Marcos State University (The wisdom and greatness of Ilocanos are again manifested by the achievement of Hazel Achuela of Mariano Marcos State University),” the governor said.

“Indeed, high-quality education is offered at the lone and premier state university dito sa Ilocos Norte, ang MMSU. Lahat ay pwedeng mag-aral. Lahat, pwedeng mangarap. And now that we have free education, free tuition fees, nothing is impossible for poor yet deserving students,” she added.

Achuela was one of the 2,224 who received the award from the PGIN, through the Provincial Education Department (PED) and the Ilocos Norte Youth Development Office, where most of them were scholars for the year 2017.

This tally included both the scholarships given during the second semester of academic year

(AY) 2016-2017 and the first semester of AY 2017-2018.

 Of the 2,224 awardees, 1,102 scholarships were sourced out from the INYDO, namely: the Sirib Young Leaders Scholarship, Sirib Community Leaders Scholarship, and top five finalists of previous Miss Ilocos Norte pageants. From 539 scholars during the latter period of AY 2016-2017, the number rose to 563 the following school year.

Meanwhile, the number of Sirib Academic Scholarships under PED, totaled to 636 for both semesters. PED also shouldered a total of 434 scholarships in the technical-vocational category, a program aimed primarily towards the underemployed and out-of-school youth to ensure more equal opportunity for skills development and employment both locally and abroad.

Moreover, a total of 52 athletic scholarships under PED and introduced by Senior Provincial Board Member Matthew Marcos Manotoc were awarded during AY 2017-2018. Recipients of PGIN scholarships are a mix of students in private and public institutions.

Even with full tuition subsidies provided by the national government for AY 2017-2018, Gov. Marcos chose to sustain the PGIN scholarship programs, continuing to assist students in paying for the lodging and transportation costs as well as giving them additional funds for books and school supplies.

Achuela was a scholar of the Expanded Students’ Grant-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) or popularly known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). It is intended for tertiary education of poor but deserving students belonging to indigent household under the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or informal sector families.

 Aside from being a scholar, she also represented MMSU in the Asian Association of Agricultural Colleges and Universities (AAACU) Study Tour held in Tokyo, Japan. Her family was also recognized as the National Champion in the Search for Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya 2015. She graduated as magna cum laude last year.

 The Sirib Awards was institutionalized through Provincial Ordinance No. 010-2016 sponsored by Senior Provincial Board Member Matthew Marcos Manotoc because the Gov. Marcos wanted such youth to be appreciated by their home province and not only by external organizations or competitions.