Marcos pushes faster, simpler aid distribution for seniors

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday called on local government units (LGUs) to hasten and simplify the distribution of aid for senior citizens by digitalizing the process.

In his latest vlog, Marcos said some localities have already started using e-wallet platforms to distribute cash assistance.

“Sa distribution naman, pinapag-usapan na ang pag-digitize ng proseso. Baka puwedeng GCash,” the President said.

(Regarding distribution, the digitalization of the process is already being discussed. Perhaps GCash could be used.)

GCash is a mobile wallet app that allows users to send and receive money, pay bills, buy mobile load, shop online, and make cashless payments using their smartphones. 

“May ibang mga LGU na gaya ng Makati na sinusubukan na ang ganitong sistema,” he said.

(There are other LGUs like Makati that are already testing this kind of system.)

“Dapat tingnan pa rin ng mga local government unit ang modelong ito. Aralin ang sistema at unti-unting ma-implementa,” he added.

(Local government units should look into this model, study the system, and gradually implement it.)

Marcos also called out local government officials who use aid distribution for politicking.

“Alam niyo po, basta’t ito ay mga programa ng national government. Ang mga speech at iba pang pang-epal bago ng distribution, hindi na puwede ‘yan,” he said.

(You know, as long as these are programs of the national government, speeches and other forms of credit-grabbing before the distribution will no longer be allowed.)

“Hindi puwedeng gamitin ang government services sa pamumulitika o pagpo-promote ng sarili,” he added.

(Government services cannot be used for politicking or self-promotion.)

Earlier, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) directed local governments to strictly implement the “Anti-Epal” policy.

The agency cited Memorandum Circular No. 2026-006. It requires provincial, city, municipal, and barangay officials—as well as DILG central, regional, and field offices and attached agencies—to ensure that “no public official’s name, photo, logo, initials, color motif, slogan, or any identifying symbol appears on project signages, markers, tarpaulins, and similar materials funded by public money.”

A bill has also been filed in the Senate seeking to discourage public officials from using government programs and projects for politicking or partisan activities.

Birth certificates

Meanwhile, Marcos called on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to speed up the processing of civil registry documents such as birth certificates.

“Ay mukha talagang pahirapan ito. Sa tingin ko, sa mga nagagawa na ating improvement gamit ang eGov at internet, dapat ay isa na ito sa mga serbisyong hindi na natin inaalala," he said.

(This really looks like a struggle. With the improvements we are making through eGov and the internet, this should be one of the services we no longer have to worry about.)

"Napaka-basic naman niyan at ilang oras ang kakainin sa inyong araw para lang pilahan ang iisang dokumento,” Marcos added.

(It’s such a basic document, yet it eats up several hours of your day just to line up for it.)

While Marcos noted that the PSA recently launched its e-certificate service—allowing the public to apply for digital copies of birth certificates and other documents—he said some government offices still do not recognize digital versions of government-issued records.

“Ang mahalagang bahagi rin dito ay dapat i-recognize o dapat tanggapin ang mga digital document ng lahat ng opisina sa ating bansa. Dapat itong kilalanin ng bawat government office upang maging kapaki-pakinabang ito,” he said.

(The important part here is that digital documents must be recognized or accepted by all offices in the country. Every government office must acknowledge them for them to be useful.)—MCG, GMA Integrated News