Approved PhilSA scholars lacked certificates of good character, NBI clearances: COA

OUT of 18 applicants for international and local scholarship grants in 2022, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) approved 11 but government auditors said if the agency’s own declared eligibility requirements were strictly enforced, only one should have qualified.

In the 2022 audit of the four-year-old agency, it was shown that only one of the 11 approved scholars identified as “Applicant No. 14” fully complied with the 11-point guidelines of the Accelerating Strategic Space Research and Development Applications (AD ASTRA) scholarship program.

Other than the age limit of 45 and Filipino citizenship, the program also required submission of a medical certificate attesting that the applicant is of sound physical and mental health; NBI clearance as proof of no existing criminal case; recommendation letters to establish good moral character; and proof of having passed the internal scholarship process of his/her agency (for government employees).

Verification by the audit team revealed only five complied with the physical/mental fitness requirement, only three submitted certificates of good moral character, only four were deemed compliant regarding proof of no pending administrative or criminal case, and only Applicant No. 14 passed the internal scholarship process.

Of the 11 who were approved by the Scholarship Committee, the Commission on Audit noted that four will receive international scholarships while seven will study locally.

“Further examination of the submitted eligibility documents as proof of their compliance… revealed that of the 17 applicants who have been determined by the (committee) as eligible, only one… is considered as eligible per our examination of the applicants’ file,” the COA declared.

The lone applicant who made the cut based on the review by the audit team is a government employee although the report did not disclose from which agency he/she is coming.

“The agency required the submission of recommendation letters from previous professors or supervisors as proof of the applicant’s good moral character. However, for 14 cases, good moral character is not evident from the review of the recommendation letters,” auditors said.

Since compliance with