Executive Secretary Ralph Recto assured the public on Sunday that the Marcos administration will continue expanding its education and food assistance programs to support poor but deserving Filipinos nationwide.
Recto highlighted the government’s efforts following his visit to Cebu, where he distributed scholarship, food, and cash aid. The presidential scholarship program currently supports 210,000 scholars across more than 42,000 barangays nationwide, including 5,330 students in Cebu City.
Under the program, five fourth-year college students per barangay receive P20,000 each to complete their studies. The funding comes from a P200,000 allocation per barangay under the Presidential Socio-Civic Projects Fund, with half earmarked for education and the other half reserved for local barangay projects.
“Simple lang ang hinihingi niya sa inyo: Mag-aral nang mabuti. Tapusin ang kurso. At pagdating ng araw, gamitin ninyo ang natutunan ninyo para makatulong din sa iba (He asks only one simple thing of you: Study hard. Finish your course. And someday, use what you have learned to help others as well),” Recto told the Cebu City scholars.
During the visit, Recto also oversaw the distribution of free 10-kilo rice packs to around 120,000 families under the Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program, an initiative targeting nearly eight million indigent families nationwide.
“Hindi ito one-time, big-time. Kada dalawang buwan ang bigayan. Simple lang ang bilin ng Pangulo: walang pamilyang Pilipino ang dapat magutom (This is not a one-time, big-time event. The distribution takes place every two months. The President’s instruction is simple: no Filipino family should go hungry),” Recto said.
Recto noted that the program also aids local farmers by sourcing the distributed rice directly from them. Supported by this year’s P57.87-billion Local Government Support Fund, the initiative runs alongside infrastructure projects funding farm-to-market roads, water systems, health facilities, and multipurpose evacuation centers.