All barangays to receive aid irrespective of political affiliations, says Palace

All barangays in the country will receive assistance amid the fuel crisis, regardless of the political allegiances of their local executives and representatives in Congress, Malacañang said on Monday.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro made the remark when asked for comment on the statement of Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste that barangays from his district did not receive assistance when President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos, Jr. distributed aid in Batangas City last week.

Marcos was accompanied by Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, a former congressman who represented the 4th and 6th districts of Batangas, and the husband of the incumbent governor, Vilma Santos-Recto.In response, Castro said she was informed that some barangays supposedly lacked documents. She said they would receive aid once their documents were completed.''Sa ating pagkakaalam at sa sinabi sa atin, may mga barangays daw na hindi kinumpleto ang mga documents at hindi po maaaring mabigyan agad-agad ng ayuda kapag walang dokumento dahil magiging subject ito sa COA report,'' Castro said.(I was informed that there were barangays with incomplete documents so they can't be given assistance yet since they need to complete this as the documents will be part of the COA report.)''So, iyong mga barangays na hindi nakapagsumite, hindi pinagsumite, pinilit na huwag magsumite ng dokumento ay huwag po silang mawalan ng pag-asa dahil ang sabi ng Pangulo, bawat bayan makikinabang, bawat barangay makikinabang, walang pinipiling kulay dito, lahat po kayo ay bibigyan ng ayuda,'' she added.(For the concerned barangays, don't lose hope because the President made a commitment that each barangay will benefit and will be given aid... no political color will prevent this, everyone will get assistance.)On Friday, Marcos graced the distribution of rice under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF).He also witnessed the ongoing orientation of Presidential Scholars under the Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF) and led the turnover of SCPF financial assistance to Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) Presidents.Recto underscored that the release of funds was governed by compliance with requirements, not by political considerations.

“Hindi ito programa ng pulitika. Ito ay programa para sa taumbayan. Walang kulay, walang kinikilingan, at walang maiiwan,” Recto said.

(This is not related to politics. This is a program for the nation. No political color being considered.)

Under the Bawat Barangay Makikinabang Program, each barangay receives P200,000, half of which may be used for development and safety projects such as street lighting, patrol vehicles, CCTVs, and power generators for health centers and evacuation facilities.

The remaining P100,000 will fund a “finisher program” for graduating college students to ensure that their education is not disrupted by economic shocks, including those stemming from global crises. 

Recto then called on all stakeholders to uphold the program's integrity.

“It exists to uplift our communities, not to serve political narratives,” he said. –NB, GMA News