President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday led the implementation of the “Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” program in Makati City, where more than 13,000 families received direct government assistance under the nationwide initiative.
In his remarks, President Marcos underscored the administration’s commitment to address the needs of the Filipinos, especially the vulnerable communities.
“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,” President Marcos said as he led the distribution of various assistance at the Makati Coliseum in Barangay Singkamas.
The President assured that the government continues to listen to the concerns of the public in order to provide appropriate assistance and improve their quality of life.
“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,” President Marcos said.
A total of 13,571 families received 10 kilos of rice each under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), with distribution scheduled every two months.
Beneficiaries were identified from barangays across Makati and largely composed of working-class families, senior citizens, and middle-income households.
The President also oversaw the distribution of PhP200,000 under the Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF), which has two components.
Under the first component, each barangay beneficiary received PhP100,000 for educational assistance to support five presidential scholars per barangay. Each scholar received PhP20,000 in cash assistance, benefiting a total of 115 scholars from 23 barangays in the city.
The second component allocated another PhP100,000 for community development projects identified by barangay officials as priority needs. Among the items procured were monobloc chairs, laptops, projectors, CCTV cameras, office equipment, generators, floodwater pumps, steel pipe tents, and other disaster risk reduction and public service materials.
The Makati rollout forms part of the Marcos administration’s nationwide implementation of the “Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” program, which was previously launched in Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Pasay.
The initiative aims to strengthen grassroots governance by directing national government resources to the barangay level while supporting education, food security, and community development.
In an interview, Makati Mayor Nancy Binay expressed gratitude to President Marcos for bringing the program to the city.
“Nais nating magpasalamat sa ating Presidente kasi hindi niya nakalimutan ang Makati. In spite of the fact na hindi naman maikakaila na malaki ang pondo ng Makati, binigyan pa rin tayo ng tulong ng ating Presidente,” Binay said.
Binay added that many of the program’s beneficiaries in Makati belong to middle-income families who do not usually qualify for government assistance programs. | PND
