MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is calling on Filipinos to speak up if they see abuse, favoritism or other irregularities in the distribution of scholarships under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s flagship Presidential Scholarship Program.
The appeal came Monday, August 17, after a social media post questioned why the child of a barangay official reportedly received assistance under the program.
Rather than automatically disqualifying the beneficiary, however, the Palace stressed that being related to a barangay official does not, by itself, make a student ineligible.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said complaints should be formally reported so authorities can determine whether program rules were actually violated.
Palace: Report It, Don’t Just Post About It
Castro said complaints involving the scholarship program may be brought to the Liga ng mga Barangay national office, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), or the Office of the President.
The Palace said the goal is to ensure government assistance reaches the students who genuinely need it rather than individuals who may have obtained benefits through improper means.
The call is particularly significant because the program relies on local-level selection.
According to the Palace, barangay officials work with their Sangguniang Barangay education committee to identify beneficiaries, while the Office of the President implements the program in coordination with the Liga ng mga Barangay national office and the DILG.
That structure places considerable responsibility on local officials—and makes transparency in beneficiary selection critical.
Who Is Supposed to Receive the Scholarship?
The Palace said the program is intended for graduating college students who are at risk of dropping out because of financial difficulties.
President Marcos has emphasized that the scholarship should reach deserving students, including those living in remote communities where financial hardship can prevent young Filipinos from finishing college.
The administration has been expanding scholarship assistance as part of its broader push to improve access to higher education.
Earlier this year, the government announced the Bawat Barangay Makikinabang scholarship initiative, under which funding is allocated at the barangay level for student assistance. In Camiguin, for example, the program provided ₱20,000 each to five selected scholars per barangay, according to the Philippine Information Agency.
Separate government scholarship initiatives are also being expanded through agencies such as the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), with officials encouraging graduating senior high school students and other qualified learners to apply for available government assistance.
Why the Controversy Matters
The issue goes beyond one reported beneficiary.
Whenever government scholarships are distributed through local selection mechanisms, questions about fairness, political influence, favoritism and transparency can quickly undermine public confidence—even when a beneficiary technically meets the requirements.
That is why the Palace’s latest message contains an important distinction: a relationship to a barangay official is not proof of wrongdoing.
Castro specifically cautioned the public against immediately judging beneficiaries, saying relatives of barangay officials may still qualify if they meet the program’s requirements and are genuinely deserving.
In other words, the government is asking the public to report evidence of abuse or irregularity, rather than treating family connections alone as evidence of fraud.
The Bigger Test: Can the Program Reach the Right Students?
The administration’s scholarship push comes as the government attempts to widen access to higher education while providing additional financial support to students at risk of abandoning their studies.
CHED has previously described the Presidential Merit Scholarship Program as a flagship scholarship initiative, with assistance targeted toward high-performing students and priority fields. Philstar reported in May that at least 20,000 scholarship slots were available for the first semester of Academic Year 2026–2027.
But with more public money and more beneficiaries involved, scrutiny is likely to increase.
The Palace now wants citizens to become part of that oversight process.
For students struggling to stay in college, the scholarship could represent the difference between earning a degree and dropping out.
For the government, the challenge is equally clear: prove that the money is reaching the students it was designed to help.
And as complaints begin to surface, the question is no longer simply who qualifies for a Presidential Scholarship—it is whether every qualified student is getting a fair chance to receive one.
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