• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Bacolod City government distributed cheques worth P200,000 each to 61 barangays of the city Aug. 27, as part of the Bawat Barangay Makikinabang (BBM) program of the national government.
Under the program guidelines, each barangay is instructed to allocate P100,000 to five graduating students, or P20,000 each recipient as educational assistance, while the remaining P100,000 is earmarked for the socio-civic projects of the barangay.
“This is not necessary but I asked the barangays for certification that the beneficiaries of the scholarship fund are not their relatives or not in any way related to them by affinity or consanguinity, as well as to other officials,” Mayor Greg Gasataya said.
This is to ensure that only those who really need it the most can benefit from the program, he added.
Department of the Interior and Local Government Bacolod director Christian Nagaynay, who monitored the distribution, said this is a major activity for the BBM program, which requires proper documentation.
Nagaynay assured that the department will strictly monitor how each barangay disburses of the allocated funds.
He emphasized that relatives of barangay officials are strictly prohibited from receiving the scholarship grant. | TMD
