Negros Occidental Gov. Bong Lacson together with University of St. La Salle – Bacolod President and Chancellor Br. Joaquin Severino Martinez, DepEd Negros Occidental Schools Division Superintendent Anthony Liobet, DepEd Sagay Division Superintendent Marsette Sabbaluca, USLS Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Project Free Director Dr. Annabele Balor, and Negros Occ. Scholarship Program Head Karen Dinsay signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for Batch 4 of Project FREE – Paglaum Scholarship Program at USLS, this morning.

The Project FREE or Flagships to Reach Educational Excellence – Paglaum Program is a continuing joint partnership between the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, USLS – Bacolod, the Department of Education, and the Commission on Higher Education, which is open to all public elementary and high school teachers in Negros Occidental for post-graduate studies.

In his message, Gov. Lacson said that the province, in its desire to make education more accessible to many, launched the said scholarship program more than 20 years ago and has produced thousands of graduates of the Project FREE program for teachers.

He said that the landmark initiative in partnership with USLS reflects the shared vision of a future where schools are led by individuals equipped with the skills and passion necessary to make the educational system responsive to the needs of a rapidly changing and evolving world.

“As Governor, I firmly believe in the potential of the Negrense talent and capacity. With proper opportunities and skill enhancement, Negrense students can rise to the challenges posed by modernization and globalization,” he said.