ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos eyes digital payouts for gov't aid; urges LGUs to study Makati model

Marcos eyes digital payouts for gov't aid; urges LGUs to study Makati model

Published Mar 8, 2026 12:53 pm  |  Updated Mar 8, 2026 01:32 pm
President Marcos/YouTube screenshot
President Marcos/YouTube screenshot
President Marcos said the government is studying the digitization of financial assistance distribution, including the possible use of digital wallets, to speed up the delivery of aid to beneficiaries.
In his vlog released Sunday, March 8, the President said the government is looking at digital platforms such as GCash as a way to streamline the process.
“Sa distribution naman, pinapag-usapan na ang pag-digitize ng proseso. Baka puwedeng GCash (As for distribution, we are discussing the digitization of the process. Maybe GCash could be used),” Marcos said.
Marcos also encouraged local government units to study systems already being implemented by some cities, citing Makati as an example.
“May ibang mga LGU na gaya ng Makati na sinusubukan na ang ganitong sistema (There are other LGUs like Makati that are already trying this kind of system),” he said.
“Dapat tingnan pa rin ng mga local government unit ang modelong ito. Aralin ang sistema at unti-unting ma-implementa (Local government units should still look at this model. Study the system and gradually implement it),” he added.

No politics in aid distribution

The President also reiterated that government assistance should not be used for political promotion.
“Alam niyo po, basta’t ito ay mga programa ng national government. Ang mga speech at iba pang pang-epal bago ng distribution, hindi na puwede ‘yan (You know, if these are programs of the national government, speeches and other self-promotional activities before the distribution are no longer allowed),” Marcos said.
“Hindi puwedeng gamitin ang government services sa pamumulitika o pagpo-promote ng sarili (Government services cannot be used for politics or self-promotion),” he added.
Marcos said the prohibition is already provided under a Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) memorandum circular, as well as provisions in the 2026 General Appropriations Act governing the use of public funds.

Listening to public concerns

Marcos’ remarks were prompted by the large number of suggestions and complaints sent by the public following a previous discussion on government policies.
“Tama lang na ihayag ninyo ang inyong mga saloobin (It is only right for you to express your sentiments),” he said.
“Wala ring malaki o maliit na hinaing, lahat po ‘yan ay problema basta pabigat sa pamumuhay ng tao (There is no big or small grievance — if it burdens people’s lives, then it is a problem),” he added.

Related Tags

President Marcos Bongbong Marcos aid distribution
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.