The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is investigating complaints against officials from three barangays in Negros Occidental for alleged nepotism and improper distribution of funds under the national Bawat Barangay Makikinabang Scholarship Program.
DILG Assistant Regional Director and concurrent Negros Occidental Provincial Director Teodora Sumagaysay confirmed Tuesday, August 18, that field officers have been deployed to look into reports from three barangays located in Bago City, Cauayan and Moises Padilla.
The complaints involve officials who allegedly awarded scholarship grants to their relatives.
Under the rules of the Bawat Barangay Makikinabang Program—a nationwide initiative that provides ₱20,000 in educational assistance to each of five college scholars per barangay—selection must be strictly free from conflict of interest, nepotism, and favoritism, she said.
“The selection rules are clear,” Sumagaysay emphasized, noting that the anti-nepotism rule prohibits awarding grants to relatives within the third degree of consanguinity.
Sumagaysay warned that officials who awarded funds to relatives must ensure the money is returned, while those who have not yet disbursed the funds must immediately refrain from doing so.
In addition to nepotism allegations, the agency received a separate complaint regarding a barangay official who split the allocations—distributing ₱10,000 each to ten students instead of giving the mandated ₱20,000 each to five scholars.
Sumagaysay stressed that such adjustments are prohibited, as the ₱20,000 stipend was calculated to match the financial requirements of each qualified student.*
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