Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Wednesday lauded President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for continuously looking after the people of Manila, as the President personally distributed ₱20,000 scholarships to 4,426 graduating college students from the city’s six districts at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on June 3.
“Hindi tumitigil si Pangulong Marcos na tulungan ang Lungsod ng Maynila,” Domagoso said.
“Tayo ngayon ay nagkikita-kita at nagkakasama-sama, dala ng panibagong tulong ng Office of the President through the leadership of President Bongbong Marcos,” he said.
The Mayor also informed Marcos that the second tranche of the “Biyayang Bigas para sa Maynila” program is already being delivered across Manila, particularly to workers in the city.
“Since yesterday is the 2nd tranche of your ‘Biyayang Bigas para sa Maynila’ program sa Lungsod ng Maynila, idinideliver po ngayon sa lahat, lalong-lalo na sa mga manggagawa na nasa loob ng Maynila,” Domagoso said.
The 4,426 beneficiaries, drawn from Manila’s 896 barangays across six congressional districts, will each receive ₱20,000, bringing the total scholarship payout for the city to ₱88,520,000.
Marcos said the scholarship program, which he called “Bawat Bayan ay Makikinabang,” was designed to reach students who are close to finishing their degrees but are at risk of dropping out due to financial constraints.
“Sabi namin, mamili kayo sa bawat barangay ng limang estudyante na bibigyan natin ng tulong. Ang piliin ninyo ay yung mga magtatapos na, pero baka hindi makatapos dahil kulang sa pambayad, kailangan magtrabaho, o kung ano man ang dahilan,” Marcos said.
The President cited data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education showing that nearly 29% of college students dropped out in 2025, calling the figure alarming and citing it as the driving force behind the scholarship initiative.
According to guidelines set by the Office of the President, the program covers all 42,000 barangays nationwide—with five scholars selected per barangay—making it the first time direct presidential support has been extended specifically to students on the verge of finishing their college degrees.
Marcos said the ₱200,000 allocated per barangay under the Social Civic Development Program is split equally, with ₱100,000 going to the five scholars at ₱20,000 each, and the remaining ₱100,000 left to the discretion of barangay chairmen for other community needs.
