The Minister of National Defense

1.    The Office of Budget and Management shall provide adequate funds in the budget of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (National Scholarship Center) to support the scholarship program for rebel returnees;

2.    Scholarships may be granted to a rebel returnee to allow him to complete either a secondary or a collegiate degree, depending on his educational background and degree of preparedness. He shall be entitled to the scholarship for as long as his academic performance enables him to be in his good academic standing. In any case, a returnee (and his transferee as hereinafter determined) may enjoy a scholarship for no more than four (4) years in all, with the possibility of a one year extension as may be approved by the MECS;

3.    To qualify for scholarship, a returnee must take a placement test (Philippine Educational Placement Test) in order to determine his grade or year level. This shall be administered by the MECS through the National Education Testing Center;

4.    Scholarships leading towards a degree shall be to government schools, including national or local secondary and tertiary level institutions, or to programs of private schools that are accredited with the Federation of Accrediting Associations of the Philippines (FAAP). The MECS shall remit scholarship funds directly to the schools, to be used in support of the scholars as determined under this Letter;

5.    If the returnee is illiterate or is otherwise unable or unwilling to go to school, he may waive the scholarship to a first degree relation in order to enable that relation to finish a secondary or college level course as the case may be. To qualify, the first degree relation likewise must take the PEPT examination;

6.    The Minister of National Defense shall prepare a list of the rebel returnees who may be considered for scholarships and shall assist the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports in establishing the identity of the said returnees;

7.    The MECS, through the Bureau of Continuing Education, shall offer a reasonable number of non-formal education courses, either directly or on arrangement with a suitable vocational-technical school or government/private agency so as to serve the needs of returnees who are unable to take advantage of scholarship either personally or through a first degree relation.

8.    The Minister of Education, Culture and Sports shall issue the rules and regulations to implement these Guidelines, in coordination with the Minister of National Defense and other agencies concerned.

Since 19.07.98.