AUGUST 3, 2026
OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental — For Gian L. Damo-ag, becoming an engineer began with a simple goal: finish college despite the financial challenges his family faced.
Raised by his grandparents in Barangay Dalapang, Ozamiz City, Damo-ag grew up in a humble household. His grandfather worked as a farmer, and as the second eldest among five siblings, he learned early that education was not only a personal ambition but also a path toward a better future for his family.
A diligent student, Damo-ag would often spend time in the library after classes, reviewing lessons, reading ahead, and preparing for the next academic challenge.
His dedication earned him a scholarship that allowed him to complete senior high school at Misamis University. College, however, presented a new challenge.
In 2022, Damo-ag enrolled at Mindanao State University–Marawi to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. The university offered a practical path toward his dream while helping ease the financial burden on his family.
But pursuing an engineering degree came with expenses beyond tuition, including printing, learning materials, and laboratory requirements.
Later that year, the One Family, One Professional Program (OFOP) was introduced by the Asenso Administration under Governor Henry S. Oaminal. Damo-ag eventually became one of its scholars.
The program was shaped in part by Oaminal’s own experience of pursuing an education despite financial difficulties. Before becoming a lawyer and governor, Oaminal worked as a shoeshine boy and sold encyclopedias while relying on scholarships to continue his studies.
Having experienced the difficulty of pursuing an education without enough financial resources, Oaminal made educational assistance one of the priorities of his administration.
For Damo-ag, becoming an OFOP scholar meant having one less financial burden to carry.
The assistance helped him cover school-related expenses and purchase learning materials, while also allowing him to meet some of his personal needs without adding to his family’s financial difficulties. More importantly, the support allowed him to focus more on his studies.
Damo-ag said completing an engineering degree would have been more difficult without financial assistance, particularly because of the costs associated with laboratory work and other academic requirements.
With the added support, he continued attending classes, preparing for examinations and completing the requirements of his program. He eventually achieved more than he initially expected.
Damo-ag graduated Magna Cum Laude from Mindanao State University–Marawi with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Graduating with honors, he said, was never his original goal. He simply wanted to finish college.
But the opportunity provided through OFOP gave him the support to continue until he reached the finish line. Looking back, Damo-ag credits his achievement to his family, the people who supported him and the scholarship program that helped make his education possible.
His story is also part of a broader effort to expand access to higher education for students from financially challenged families.
What began as a provincial initiative in Misamis Occidental has since expanded beyond the province. With Oaminal serving as chairperson of the Regional Development Council-X, OFOP has been expanded across Northern Mindanao, opening an additional 1,000 scholarship slots for students from the region’s five provinces and two highly urbanized cities.
In Misamis Occidental alone, around 7,000 scholars are currently benefiting from the program. For students like Damo-ag, the expansion offers more than financial assistance. It provides an opportunity to pursue degrees that may otherwise be difficult to afford—and, in his case, turn a long-held dream of becoming an engineer into reality.
