Defensor urges fair Iloilo student aid rollout

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. has urged barangay officials to keep politics out of the implementation of the national government’s educational assistance program, saying the initiative is intended to help financially struggling students and should not be used for electoral purposes.

Speaking in a recent interview, Defensor stressed that the assistance from Malacañang is meant to expand access to higher education and should be implemented fairly and without political influence.

“That educational assistance should not be dragged into politics. That is not for the election,” Defensor said, as barangays prepare for the rollout of the assistance program ahead of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

He said the program demonstrates the national government’s commitment to bringing services closer to communities through educational support and that the public should not misconstrue its purpose.

The governor also called on barangay officials to ensure the orderly and transparent distribution of the assistance amid complaints in some villages over the alleged unequal selection of beneficiaries.

During a June 24 press conference, Defensor said no formal complaint had reached the provincial government, explaining that the program is primarily implemented at the barangay level.

“That assistance is at the barangay level. Because of that, the decision is left with the barangay. So far, there has been no report that has reached me as the local chief executive of the province because, at the barangay or municipal level, they solve the problem and level it off there,” he said.

Defensor acknowledged that issues may arise in implementing programs at the grassroots level, noting that such concerns are not unique to the educational assistance initiative.

To help ensure the orderly rollout of the program, the governor said he would coordinate with mayors and barangay officials to promote proper implementation and minimize disputes.

Under the educational assistance program, each of Iloilo’s 1,721 barangays received PHP 200,000 from Malacañang.

Half of the amount, or PHP 100,000, is intended for barangay projects, while the remaining PHP 100,000 is allocated for educational assistance.

The guidelines provide PHP 20,000 each for five incoming fourth-year college students in every barangay.

If a barangay has insufficient or no incoming fourth-year students, incoming third-year students may be selected instead.

Priority is given to students from low-income families, particularly those from households that have yet to produce a college graduate.

The assistance is open to qualified students enrolled in private higher education institutions, state universities, and colleges.

However, because the guidelines do not explicitly prohibit dividing the PHP 100,000 allocation among more than five qualified beneficiaries, several barangays in Iloilo opted to distribute the amount among all eligible incoming fourth-year students.

The arrangement was reportedly welcomed by students and parents.

Other barangays, meanwhile, have faced complaints alleging unfair beneficiary selection and the lack of public announcements on the screening process.

The educational assistance is scheduled for release on July 19.

The program is part of the national government’s “Bawat Barangay Makikinabang” initiative, which provides PHP 344 million in assistance to Iloilo’s 1,721 barangays through the Iloilo provincial government.

The Commission on Elections has set the next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections for Nov. 2, 2026, under its election calendar.