Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya, in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Office of the President, led the distribution of financial assistance checks to all 61 barangays at the Bacolod City Government Center on Thursday, August 27, strictly enforcing a requirement that no student scholars are relatives of incumbent barangay officials.
Under the “Bawat Barangay Makikinabang” program—funded through the Socio-Civic Projects Fund under the Local Government Support Fund—each barangay received ₱200,000. The allocation is split evenly: ₱100,000 to fund five Presidential Scholars (₱20,000 each) and ₱100,000 for a local community development project.
To ensure conflict-of-interest safeguards, Gasataya mandated that all barangay captains submit signed certifications attesting that no selected scholar is related to any incumbent local official.
“They need to certify that scholar beneficiaries are not related to the barangay officials to ensure that those who will benefit from the scholarship program are the ones who need it most,” Gasataya stressed.
DILG City Director Christian Nagaynay emphasized that accountability and transparency guide the program under DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2026-38, requiring barangays to publicly post beneficiary details and submit fund utilization reports every 30 days.
Gasataya expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for extending equal national support to all barangays regardless of population or size, as well as to local leaders for completing compliance requirements.
Barangay selection processes varied while meeting eligibility rules: Barangay Villamonte used qualifying examinations, while Barangay Pahanocoy held a raffle system for qualified applicants following a flag ceremony.
Both barangays earmarked their remaining ₱100,000 project funds for IT equipment and office modernization to strengthen record management and service delivery.*
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