President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has committed to boosting financial support for local government units (LGUs) in the upcoming national budget, contingent on the sustained success of ongoing government interventions.
Speaking at the Batangas Province Events Center on Friday, the President launched the “Sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” program, a strategic initiative designed to streamline social and development services across the country.
During his address, he challenged local leaders to maintain high standards of public service to justify further investment.
“Patuloy po nating gagawin ito at sinasabi ko sa inyong lahat huwag niyong isipin na minsanan lang ito. Ngunit, ibabalik ko rin sa inyo, sa ating mga government official, sa ating mga local government, pagbutihan ninyo itong ginagawa nating mga programang ito,” Marcos stated.
The President made it clear that the fiscal expansion is performance-based, noting that tangible improvements in the lives of citizens would lead to a larger “piece of the pie” for local administrations.
“Kapag maganda ang naging result nito, asahan ninyo, sa susunod na budget, lalakihan pa namin ang pondo para dito,” he added.
Central to the President’s message was the necessity of a unified front.
He noted that the efficiency of these programs relies heavily on the synergy between Malacañang and provincial offices.
“The success and failure of these programs [depend] upon our working together well – ang pagkakaisa ng national government at saka sa local government. At kung maayos ang maging trabaho natin, makikita ng tao iyan,” the President emphasized.
The event also served as a distribution hub for essential goods, where Marcos led the handover of rice subsidies to roughly 235,000 residents of Batangas. The beneficiaries—primarily composed of teachers, farmers, and fisherfolk—are slated to receive 10 kilograms of rice over six distribution cycles this year.
This subsidy effort is part of a broader national strategy to mitigate the impact of inflation on food prices while simultaneously bolstering the local agricultural sector.