Alexis Romero – The Philippine Star 

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang has vowed to expand its assistance to students and sustain its rice distribution program designed to address hunger and augment farmers’ income.

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto highlighted President Marcos’ education and anti-hunger initiatives during his visit to Cebu last week.

Speaking to the President’s scholars, Recto said the dreams of students should not be disrupted by financial constraints.

“The President has a huge trust in you, so you were chosen as presidential scholars. What is being asked of you is simple: study well. Finish your course. Someday, use what you learned to help others,” Recto said.

“For the President, education is an investment to achieve a bright future for every family and for the country,” he added.

There are 5,330 scholars from 1,066 barangays in Cebu City.

Under Marcos’ scholarship program, five fourth-year college students from each barangay are given P20,000 so they can finish their studies. This year, 210,000 students from 42,000 barangays nationwide are expected to be covered by the program.

A statement released by Recto’s office said the government is also expanding various educational assistance programs, including free tuition in state universities and colleges, as well as scholarships for medicine, science, graduate studies, specialized courses and other fields.

Recto also distributed free rice to about 120,000 families in Cebu and reiterated Marcos’ goal that no Filipino would experience hunger.

“This is not a one-time, big-time thing. Distribution will be done every two months,” Recto said.

The program aims to provide 10 kilos of rice to almost eight million poor families nationwide.

Recto said the program would benefit local farmers because the government is buying rice from them.

“The benefits are two-fold. There is rice on the table and farmers have income. The government helps both the families and farmers,” he said.

The rice distribution is bankrolled by this year’s Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) worth P57.87 billion. There are also allocations for farm-to-market roads, water systems, health facilities and multipurpose buildings that can be used as evacuation centers.

Recto urged the local governments to complete the requirements under the Ugnayang Bayan portal to fast-track the release of the funding for their projects

He said the LGSF might be increased next year.

Published Date: August 17, 2026