Marcos Distributes Rice, Housing Aid, Scholarships in Quezon

President Marcos yesterday led the rollout of the “Bawat Bayan/Barangay Makikinabang” program in Lucena City, Quezon, delivering housing security, food assistance, and educational support to thousands of beneficiaries. During the event, Marcos inspected a newly upgraded passenger terminal building at the Port of Lucena, and awarded certificates of entitlement (COE) to 100 families in Barangay Ibabang Iyam covered by the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino or the 4PH program. The COEs granted the beneficiaries legal ownership of residential lots they have been occupying for more than two decades. They joined the 185 families who earlier received similar certificates under the same housing program. Marcos launched the first tranche of the “Bigay Bigas sa Masa” initiative, with 4,000 indigent families receiving 10 kilos of rice each. The rice distribution was part of the government’s food security efforts and is supported through the Sagip Saka Act. The law allows the government to directly procure rice from local farmers while providing food assistance to low-income households. In the education sector, 165 college students from Lucena’s 33 barangays were granted scholarships worth P20,000 each. After the distribution activity, Marcos proceeded to the nearby Barangay Talao-Talao to inspect the upgraded passenger terminal. The terminal – considered as Southern Tagalog’s primary roll-on/roll-off gateway connecting mainland Luzon, Marinduque and nearby island provinces – features a fully air-conditioned passenger waiting area with a seating capacity for approximately 1,000, automated ticketing counters, modern restroom facilities, improved ventilation system and solar panels.