LAMITAN CITY, Basilan — Financial assistance amounting to ₱200,000 per barangay is now being distributed across Basilan under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF)–Bawat Barangay Makikinabang (BBM) Program, with 255 barangays expected to benefit.
The first batch of 102 barangay officials from Isabela City, Lamitan City, and Ungkaya Pukan received their checks on August 17 during a distribution ceremony at Raayat Hall inside the Basilan Provincial Capitol in Lamitan City, according to the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).
The program is designed to put government resources closer to communities by combining educational assistance for graduating college students with funding for locally identified development priorities.
How the ₱200,000 per barangay will be divided
Under the program, each participating barangay receives ₱200,000, divided into two equal components.
₱100,000 will support five qualified graduating college scholars, with each student receiving ₱20,000 as educational assistance.
The other ₱100,000 will be used for community development priorities identified by the barangay, subject to government guidelines.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), through Memorandum Circular No. 2026-038, has issued rules governing the program, including the selection of scholars and the allowable use of the community-development allocation.
The guidelines state that the community component may cover needs such as public-service equipment, administrative and office equipment, streetlighting facilities, and disaster risk-reduction and management equipment. The funds cannot be used for infrastructure projects, salaries, wages, honoraria, or similar personnel expenses.
Basilan’s allocation reaches ₱101 million
The numbers behind Basilan’s rollout are significant.
With 255 barangays receiving ₱200,000 each, the program represents ₱51 million in total barangay assistance. Separately, the five-scholar allocation works out to another ₱25.5 million for 1,275 scholars if counted as individual educational grants.
PIA reported that on July 22, President Marcos personally handed over ₱51 million in support for 1,275 Presidential Scholars across Basilan’s 255 barangays during an event in Maguindanao del Norte.
The province, meanwhile, received a ₱101-million check, according to the latest PIA report.
The figures are consistent with the program’s structure: ₱100,000 per barangay for community priorities and ₱100,000 for five scholars, or ₱200,000 in total per barangay. The slight difference between the ₱101-million check and the ₱51-million scholar component reflects the broader SCPF allocation reported for Basilan rather than a change in the standard ₱200,000-per-barangay formula.
Part of a nationwide barangay assistance program
Basilan’s rollout is part of a much larger national effort.
Under the BBM program, every barangay nationwide is slated to receive ₱200,000 through the Office of the President’s Socio-Civic Projects Fund. Half is intended for the Bagong Pilipinas Barangay Scholars Program, while the other half supports barangay-identified development needs.
The national government has been progressively releasing the funds throughout 2026. By July 17, the Presidential Communications Office reported that the program had reached 34,830 barangays, with total allocations of approximately ₱6.97 billion.
Earlier in May, PIA reported that 7,933 barangays had already received ₱200,000 allocations, representing about ₱1.59 billion in released funds at that stage of the rollout.
The program has also been rolled out in other regions. In South Cotabato, for example, the national government turned over ₱40 million for 200 barangays, with the assistance intended for development projects and scholarship support.
What this means for Basilan communities
For Basilan, the assistance comes with two immediate objectives: helping students finish college and giving barangays resources to address practical community needs.
Governor Mujiv S. Hataman urged barangay officials to follow the program’s rules and make sure projects respond to actual community priorities and reach the intended beneficiaries. Provincial Treasurer’s and Accountant’s Office representatives also participated in the distribution and orientation.
The scholarship component could provide timely assistance to students nearing graduation, particularly those vulnerable to dropping out because of financial difficulties. Under the national guidelines, beneficiaries must be bona fide residents of the concerned barangay and come from vulnerable households at risk of discontinuing their studies. Preference is also given to students whose families have no member who has completed tertiary education.
Meanwhile, barangays have greater flexibility to identify immediate operational and community needs, provided their proposed spending falls within the program’s allowable uses.
Why the rollout matters
The Basilan distribution illustrates how the national government’s SCPF is being translated into small but targeted allocations at the barangay level.
Rather than concentrating the assistance in one large project, the BBM program spreads resources across individual barangays, pairing community equipment and development support with direct educational assistance.
President Marcos has also indicated that the administration could seek a larger SCPF budget in 2027 if the program’s implementation proves successful and the benefits are effectively delivered to communities.
For Basilan, the next challenge is therefore not simply the release of the funds—but ensuring that every peso reaches its intended purpose.
With 255 barangays, 1,275 scholars, and millions of pesos earmarked for local priorities, the impact of the program will ultimately depend on how transparently and effectively the assistance is implemented on the ground.
Leave a Reply