Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday spearheaded the distribution of financial assistance to village beneficiaries in Pilar, Bataan, aimed at helping communities cope with the adverse impact of the Middle East crisis.
According to Philippines News Agency, the PHP8 billion in cash aid for 42,000 villages was rolled out under the Bawat Barangay Makinabang Program, granting PHP200,000 to each barangay recipient for educational, social, and economic projects. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto explained that village beneficiaries are entitled to spend half of the PHP200,000 in assistance to implement their projects.
Recto detailed that PHP100,000 will be allocated for street lights, patrol vehicles, and closed-circuit television cameras to promote safety, as well as for the use of power generators to supply electricity to health centers and evacuation centers during disasters. The other PHP100,000, he stated, will be tapped for a 'finisher program' for residents who are college seniors to ensure that their graduation would not be 'derailed or delayed' by the economic disturbance caused by the geopolitical tensions in the Gulf region.
Recto noted that the program is expected to benefit about 200,000 graduating college students who might be forced to drop out of school due to economic disruption. 'We are protecting the dreams of students who are already within reach of graduation. Hindi natin sila hahayaang huminto sa huling taon ng pag-aaral (We will not let them stop in their last year of school),' he said, citing interventions required to address the 39 percent attrition rate among college students.
Recto said the government is eyeing the completion of cash assistance distribution to all beneficiaries before June to ensure full utilization by yearend. He mentioned that the Office of the President has partnered with the Liga ng mga Barangay in mobilizing the release of cash assistance and monitoring fund use.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government, through its field offices, will oversee the implementation of the Bawat Barangay Makinabang Program to ensure all beneficiaries' compliance with public budgeting, accounting, and audit rules. Approximately 5,000 villages were among the first batch to receive the aid when it was launched on March 24, according to data from the Office of the Executive Secretary.
