Makati Mayor Nancy Binay on Monday thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for bringing the “Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” program to Makati, as 13,571 families and 115 presidential scholars began receiving direct government assistance under the nationwide initiative.

“People see our city and they see the skyline, the business district, the economy. But behind all of that are thousands of families who wake up every day and work as hard as they can just to get by,” Binay said.

Under the program, each of the 13,571 beneficiary households will receive 10 kilos of rice in four separate distributions scheduled every two months.

Beneficiaries were identified from participating barangays across the city and largely consist of working-class families, senior citizens, and middle-income households.

“Knowing that they will have rice on their table, that their children will have support to stay in school, that their barangays will have what they need — that is what good governance looks like when it reaches the people who need it most. We are deeply grateful to the President for this,” Binay said.

The assistance package also includes support beyond food aid.

Each participating barangay will receive ₱200,000 from the national government, divided into two components: ₱100,000 for educational assistance benefiting five presidential scholars per barangay, with each scholar receiving ₱20,000, and another ₱100,000 for community development projects identified as priority needs by local barangays.

Across Makati, barangays identified priorities including monobloc chairs, steel pipe tents for public service activities, CCTV systems for public safety, office equipment, generators, and flood pumps for disaster risk reduction.

The Makati rollout forms part of the Marcos administration’s nationwide implementation of the “Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” program, which the President earlier launched in Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Pasay earlier this month.

The initiative aims to channel national government resources directly to barangays in coordination with local government units.

“Makati is a prosperous city, but prosperity is never felt equally by everyone. There are families among us who need a little more support, and they deserve to receive it with dignity. This program from the President makes sure they do, and the City of Makati is honored to be part of delivering that,” Binay added.

The city government said it will oversee the distribution of rice assistance and ensure that scholarship and community development funds reach intended beneficiaries.