President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the distribution of a P8-billion assistance package to the country’s 42,000 barangays, aiming to strengthen grassroots response to the economic impact of the ongoing Middle East crisis, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said on Thursday.

Dubbed the “Bawat Barangay Makikinabang” (BBM) grant, the program quietly began rollout on March 24, providing each barangay with P200,000 to fund priority educational, social, and economic initiatives.

The first tranche has already reached 5,000 barangays. Among the latest beneficiaries are barangays in Pilar, Bataan, where President Marcos personally attended the distribution ceremony.

Under the program guidelines, half of the allocation or P100,000may be used for projects identified in a preset menu. 

These include installation of streetlights, procurement of patrol vehicles, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems to boost community safety, as well as acquisition of power generators for health and evacuation centers during emergencies.

“Direktang ibibigay ang suporta sa mga barangay. Utos ng Pangulo na palakasin sila sapagkat ang mga frontliners na ito ang pinakamalapit sa tao,” Recto said, emphasizing the role of barangays as first responders to community needs.

The remaining P100,000 will fund a “finisher program” designed to assist college seniors in completing their studies despite financial pressures. The initiative seeks to support up to 200,000 graduating students who may otherwise be forced to drop out due to economic disruptions linked to the Middle East situation.

“We are protecting the dreams of students who are already within reach of graduation. Hindi natin sila hahayaang huminto sa huling taon ng pag-aaral,” Recto said, noting that the intervention also aims to address a 39 percent attrition rate among college students.

To ensure efficient fund distribution and monitoring, the Office of the President has partnered with the Liga ng mga Barangay. 

The Department of the Interior and Local Government is tasked to oversee and enforce compliance with government budgeting, accounting, and audit rules through its regional offices.

Recto said the government targets to complete the fund distribution before June 2026, with full utilization of the grants expected by year-end.