By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Championing inclusivity in government programs and services, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. brought with him the ‘Bawat Bayan Makikinabang’ (BBM) Program in Talay Gymnasium, Negros Oriental on Monday.
President Marcos Jr. began by engaging with 15 Presidential Scholars representing 250 recipients from Dumaguete City and the towns of Valencia and Bacong—with each student receiving P20,000 in financial support from the Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF).
He reminded the learners of the importance of receiving quality education, “Kapag maganda ang inyong training, kapag maganda ang napag-aralan ninyo, ang kaalaman na makukuha ninyo sa magandang pag-aaral, yan ay yaman na sa inyo na talaga.
Ito ay maakakatulong sa sa sarili ninyo para pagandahin ang buhay ninyo, tulungan ang inyong mga pamilya, tulungan ang mga community ninyo.”
This complements the distribution of 10 kilograms of rice to a total of 2,230 beneficiaries comprising farmers, fisherfolk, vendors, laborers and other low-income earners through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF).
The Chief Executive addressed the benefactors in his speech, “Hangga’t nangangailangan pa ang ating mga kababayan, hangga’t meron pang kailangan alagaan, alalayan, tulungan, ay ibibigay po natin lahat ng ating kakayahan upang tumulong, upang mapaganda ang inyong buhay.”
As of press time, the BBM Program has already reached 38,279 barangays through the SCPF, along with P7.66 billion in aid and assistance distributed to several LGUs nationwide.
Other noteworthy engagements
Meanwhile, President Marcos Jr. met with coffee farmers from the Baslay Highland Agriculture Cooperative (BASHACO) in the municipality of Dauin, where he assured them of continuing government support.
BASHACO manages 487.55 hectares of forest land under the Community-Based Forest Management Agreement (CBFMA). As of April 2026, there are 1,293 active CBFMA, which benefits 167,543 members of people’s organizations nationwide.
Through the CBFMA, the government has already restored 7,645.61 hectares of forest as of writing. Members of BASHACO specialize in coffee production, with the Cooperative producing up to 30,000 kilograms annually.
Recently, BASHACO benefited from two agricultural greenhouses that were built under the Farm Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation Program.
Earlier, the President also met with members of the Philippine Army’s 302nd Infantry Brigade stationed at Camp Leon Kilat in Tanjay City, where he feted the soldiers’ initiatives towards maintaining peace and order in the area, as well as in providing humanitarian assistance and prompt disaster response.
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