All 1,721 barangays in the Province of Iloilo are set to receive P200,000 each under the national government’s “Bawat Barangay Makikinabang" program, combining education assistance and local development support with a total of P344 million in assistance from Malacañang to be coursed through the Iloilo Provincial Government.
Under the program, half of the assistance will be allotted for educational aid, which will benefit five college students per barangay, with each scholar receiving ₱20,000. Priority will be given to graduating or college senior students, particularly those from low-income families, households affected by unemployment or underemployment, and families without a college graduate. Students in both private and state universities and colleges are eligible.
The remaining P100,000 may be used for projects and equipment such as solar streetlights, CCTV cameras, patrol vehicles, disaster response equipment, office equipment, tents, monoblock chairs, and other public service and disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) initiatives aimed at improving frontline community services.
Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. and Liga ng mga Barangay Provincial Federation President Amalia Victoria Debuque already met today to discuss preparations for the distribution of funds.
The Provincial Government is eyeing the release of assistance on July 19 during the Iloilo Provincial Liga ng mga Barangay Day, ahead of President Bongbong Marcos’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27.
The funding is expected to create a wider impact in Iloilo, which has the highest number of barangays in the country.
Aside from easing financial burdens on students and parents, the program is also expected to help barangays implement small-scale but urgent projects to improve local services and facilities.
Governor Defensor, BM Debuque, and select members of the Provincial Finance Committee are scheduled to travel to Manila on May 28 to formalize the downloading of funds from the national government to the Iloilo Provincial Government.
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