NEGROS OCCIDENTAL — For students struggling to stay in college, ₱20,000 can mean the difference between continuing their studies and putting their education on hold.
That is the message emerging from Negros Occidental as student beneficiaries expressed gratitude for financial assistance under the Marcos administration’s Bawat Barangay Makikinabang Program, while also calling for the initiative to reach more students who are facing financial barriers to completing college.
The assistance forms part of the program’s education component, the Bagong Pilipinas Barangay Scholars Program, which provides support to selected college students in vulnerable households.
Five students per barangay
In Negros Occidental, the program has taken on a significant scale.
All 601 barangays in the province, excluding Bacolod City, were allocated ₱200,000 each, bringing the total assistance to ₱120.2 million.
Half of each barangay’s allocation—or ₱100,000—is earmarked for educational assistance. Under the current arrangement, five graduating college students receive ₱20,000 each.
The Philippine News Agency reported that the educational assistance is intended for presidential scholars, while the remaining ₱100,000 from each barangay allocation is intended for barangay-identified development priorities.
The program is part of a nationwide initiative covering more than 42,000 barangays, according to earlier government announcements.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has emphasized that education is central to improving the prospects of students, their families and their communities. The program prioritizes vulnerable students, particularly those entering their fourth year of college who could be at risk of dropping out because of financial difficulties.
Why the ₱20,000 matters
For many college students, educational expenses extend far beyond tuition.
Transportation, school requirements, food, projects, internet access and other daily costs can put additional pressure on families already struggling to make ends meet.
That is why the financial assistance is being welcomed by beneficiaries—but the response from Negrense students also highlights a larger issue: demand for educational assistance remains much greater than the number of students who can currently be accommodated under the program.
The appeal for wider coverage therefore goes beyond simply asking for a larger payout. It reflects a broader push to ensure that students who are equally qualified but outside the initial beneficiary list are not forced to abandon their education because of financial hardship.
Negros already has a large scholarship network
The call for broader coverage comes as Negros Occidental already maintains one of the country’s more extensive provincial scholarship programs.
The provincial government funded the education of 1,276 scholars for academic year 2024–2025, covering 13 scholarship categories and allocating about ₱90 million for the program. The assistance included programs for degree completion, Indigenous Peoples, medicine and nursing, persons with disabilities and children of non-returning overseas Filipino workers.
More recently, the province partnered with National University–Bacolod to support 86 college scholars for academic year 2026–2027 under the Accelerating the Mission of Learning and Inclusive Growth program. The scholars receive full tuition and other school-fee support under the partnership.
These programs demonstrate that educational assistance in Negros is not dependent on a single initiative.
Instead, national government programs, CHED assistance and provincial scholarship programs are increasingly operating alongside one another.
Another scholarship opportunity is already drawing strong demand
The demand for government-backed scholarships can also be seen in the Negros Island Region.
In June, the Commission on Higher Education–Negros Island Region reported receiving 1,114 validated applications for the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program.
Of those applications, 196 had qualified at the time of the report, while 54 had been found ineligible and the remaining applications were still being evaluated.
The merit scholarship is aimed at high-performing senior high school graduates and covers tuition and other school fees, as well as a yearly living allowance for qualified students enrolled in priority programs.
The figures underscore the scale of demand for educational assistance across Negros.
A bigger question now hangs over the program
The ₱20,000 grants provide immediate relief, but students and families are looking beyond the first round of assistance.
The question is whether programs such as Bawat Barangay Makikinabang can eventually accommodate more qualified students, provide more sustained support, or connect beneficiaries with other scholarship and financial-assistance programs.
That issue is particularly important for students approaching graduation.
For a struggling fourth-year student, ₱20,000 can help settle urgent expenses—but completing a degree often requires support that extends beyond a single financial release.
The experience in Negros could therefore become a test case for how far grassroots educational assistance can go in keeping vulnerable students in school.
For now, beneficiaries are grateful for the help they have received.
But their message is equally clear:
The assistance is making a difference—and they hope more students get the same chance to finish their degrees.
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