President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged young Filipinos to prepare for future leadership roles, saying those currently in power will not remain in office forever and the next generation must be ready to serve the country.
Marcos made the statement Monday during the distribution of P20,000 in scholarship assistance to selected graduating students from Makati City’s 23 barangays.
A total of 115 students received aid under the program, with five scholars chosen from each barangay.
“And that is important because lagi ko namang iniisip, kaming mga nakaupo ngayon, ‘di forever ito. Darating ang panahon, nandiyan kayo, kayo na ang magpapatakbo ng lahat, ng mga negosyo, ng mga sa gobyerno,” Marcos said.
“At mabuti naman, pagka nagka, masabi natin na nakapag-aral kayo nang mabuti, maganda ang inyong edukasyon ay ready na kayo. Ready na kayo para dito sa bagong challenge na ihaharap sa inyo,” he added.
The President said the scholarship program is meant to help students gain the education and training they need not only to improve their lives and support their families, but also to contribute to the country when called upon.
“When your country calls for your duty to the country… And pagka sinabi ko ‘yung duty to the country, hindi ibig sabihin gobyerno lang ‘yan. Kung ano man, at, it is important that you are very ready. And that is why it is important that you get a good education. Kaya naman ‘yan ang ating ginagawa,” Marcos said.
Under the program, each barangay receives P100,000 in educational assistance from the Socio-Civic Projects Fund to support five presidential scholars, with each student getting P20,000.
The assistance forms part of a broader P200,000 allocation per barangay under the fund, which also includes another P100,000 for community development projects identified by barangay officials.
The community project component may be used for priority needs such as monobloc chairs, laptops, projectors, CCTV cameras, office equipment, generators, floodwater pumps, steel pipe tents, and other disaster response and public service materials.
Marcos said the initiative could eventually benefit more than 200,000 deserving graduating students nationwide if implemented across the country’s more than 42,000 barangays.
After the scholarship distribution, Marcos led the Makati rollout of the “Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” program, where 13,571 families, including senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable households, received 10 kilos of rice.
The rice assistance, funded through the Local Government Support Fund, will be distributed every two months or six times a year.
“Asahan po ninyo na ang inyong pamahalaan ay hindi po natutulog, hindi po nagbabakasyon, at walang ginawa kung hindi mag-isip ng paraan kung ano ang pangangailangan ng taong-bayan, kung ano ang pangangailangan ng ating mga naghihirap na mga kababayan,” Marcos said.
“Huwag po kayong mag-alala at nandito po ang inyong pamahalaan, nandito po ang gobyerno na nag-aalalay sa inyo, na tumutulong sa inyo at tinitiyak na ang buhay po ninyo ay maging mas maginhawa,” he added.
The President also visited the Barangay Tejeros Health Center, which serves elderly residents and other patients under Makati’s local health program.
During the visit, Marcos inspected facilities, checked available services, and observed the use of a GeneXpert machine for tuberculosis testing.
The health center provides free consultations, medicines, family planning services, vaccination, dental care, nutrition programs, and treatment for hypertension and diabetes.
The facility currently has six nurses and two doctors and serves an average of 80 patients in the morning and around 60 patients in the afternoon on weekdays.