Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste has filed a resolution seeking an investigation into alleged discrimination, corruption and unfair implementation of the “Bawat Barangay Makikinabang” and “Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” programs.
Under the programs, barangays and municipalities are entitled to receive financial assistance amounting to 200,000 pesos for educational, social and economic projects aimed at helping communities cope with the oil crisis.
Leviste alleged that some politicians have been blocking the distribution of funds, even though the assistance does not come from their personal resources.
He cited an incident in Batangas where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally visited the province to distribute 200,000 pesos to each barangay. However, Leviste said at least 80 barangays were not invited to the distribution event.
According to the lawmaker, one barangay captain was allegedly told by the Liga ng mga Barangay of Batangas that their barangay was excluded because Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto was reportedly displeased with them. Santos-Recto is the spouse of Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.
Leviste said the president may not be aware of the situation and that his reputation could be affected by the alleged irregularities in the distribution process.
He added that he has already informed Malacañang about the reported incident. In response, the Palace reportedly assured that the 200,000 pesos intended for the barangays that were not included would be provided at a later time.
The proposed resolution seeks to determine whether discrimination, corruption or other irregularities occurred in the implementation of the assistance programs.
