By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday led the rollout of government assistance and development initiatives in Eastern Visayas, reinforcing the push for a whole-of-government approach to expedite and improve the delivery of services amid global challenges.
During the program at the Tacloban City Convention Center, Marcos distributed rice subsidies to eligible beneficiaries, turned over financial assistance to villages across Eastern Visayas, and engaged with presidential scholars.
Under the Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program, each recipient will receive 10 kilos of rice every two months for six cycles.
Each barangay also received P200,000 in financial assistance sourced from the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) as part of efforts to strengthen local communities.
Marcos said more than 241,000 families in Eastern Visayas are targeted for assistance, as the government continues to adopt a “whole-of-government” approach to ensure effective implementation of key social and development programs.
He underscored the importance of closer cooperation between national and local governments in delivering services, saying this is key to faster service delivery.
“Ang katotohanan, ang national government, kahit gaano kaganda ang programa, kahit gaano karami ang pondo na hawak ng national government, kapag hindi nagtulungan ang national at saka ang local, walang mararamdaman ang taumbayan,” Marcos said.
“Kahit maganda ang programa, kung hindi kami tulungan ng local government—ng mga governor, ng mga mayor, hanggang mga barangay official—ay napakatagal,” he added.
Marcos said local governments play a crucial role in identifying needs and crafting solutions at the community level.
He also vowed continued support from the national government to ensure food security amid global challenges such as rising fuel prices.
Marcos said public service must be immediate, efficient, and responsive.
“Tayo naman na nasa serbisyo publiko, iyan lang naman ang hangarin natin. Iyan lang naman ang pangarap natin, na maramdaman ng ating mga kababayan ang serbisyo ng pamahalaan, na agaran, na mabilis, na tama ang tugon,” he said.
Of the P200,000 given to each village, P100,000 will be allotted for capital outlay projects such as patrol vehicles, equipment, tents, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) and streetlight installations, while the remaining P100,000 will fund educational assistance.
The education assistance aims to support at least five presidential scholars per village, potentially reaching over 200,000 scholars nationwide.
Marcos urged scholars to make the most of the opportunity.
“Study hard and take advantage of your scholarship para makatapos kayo ng mabuti, matulungan ninyo ang pamilya ninyo (so you can finish well and help your family),” he said.
“Education—iyan lang ang kayamanan na hindi puwedeng nakawin sa isang tao. Kahit anong mangyari, hindi mawawala sa ulo ninyo ‘yung mga natutunan ninyo. Ganoon kahalaga ang edukasyon kaya ipagpatuloy ninyo,” Marcos added.
He thanked local government units for their cooperation and hoped for the success of the expanded program.
“You will be running this program, not the national government. If it runs well, asahan ninyo, ang next budget, dadagdagan natin sa susunod na taon,” Marcos said.
