AMBO DELILAN

Three years after being identified as one of the poorest municipalities in Negros Occidental, Ilog is taking an ambitious step to address two pressing needs: more doctors to care for its residents and lawyers to help those fighting legal battles.

The municipality, home to more than 130,000 people but served by only one government doctor, is launching a scholarship program that will finance the medical and law studies of qualified residents beginning in 2027.

But the assistance comes with a condition: after completing their studies and passing their respective licensure examinations, the scholars must return to serve the municipality for at least one year.

For Mayor John Paul Alvarez, the program is an investment in professionals who could eventually help address the needs of their own communities.

“In this way, before I retire from politics in 2028, I will leave a lasting legacy by ensuring our community has more doctors and lawyers to serve us through the years,” Alvarez said in an interview on Monday, November 2.

The initiative comes nearly three years after the Provincial Development Council identified Ilog in December 2023 as among nine poverty-stricken municipalities in Negros Occidental, alongside Binalbagan, Calatrava, Candoni, Cauayan, EB Magalona, Hinigaran, Hinoba-an and Isabela.

The designation was based on socioeconomic concerns, including limited livelihood opportunities and widespread malnutrition.

In January 2025, Ilog, known as the Oyster Capital of Negros Occidental, was reclassified as a first-class municipality under the government’s automatic income classification system.

The municipality expects its National Tax Allocation (NTA) baseline to increase from approximately P300 million in 2025 and 2026 to P327 million in 2027.

Part of that anticipated increase will support the scholarship program developed by Alvarez and his son, Vice Mayor John Paulo Alvarez, 29.

The program will initially accommodate five medical students and 10 law students, with medical scholars receiving P100,000 per semester and law scholars P50,000.

The first batch is expected to begin receiving assistance when classes open in June or July 2027.

The municipality already maintains a separate scholarship program supporting 50 undergraduate students annually.

To more lawyers, doctors

While Ilog’s shortage of government doctors is a major concern, Alvarez said the need for legal professionals is equally important.

Many residents, particularly agrarian reform beneficiaries, are involved in disputes over land ownership and claims, making access to legal assistance a continuing concern.

Under the new program, scholarship recipients must maintain an academic average of at least 85%.

The local government intends to prioritize qualified applicants already in their third year of medical or law studies, potentially allowing the municipality to benefit from their professional services sooner.

“If there are none, we will prioritize those who graduated with Latin honors in their undergraduate studies,” Vice Mayor John Paulo said.

After graduation and passing the medical board or bar examinations, recipients must render one year of service to the municipality. They will receive a monthly honorarium during that period.

No political endorsements

The scholarship initiative has been institutionalized through Municipal Ordinance No. 2026-001, which was recently approved by the Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

“We want to ensure that our crafted municipal ordinance for this purpose is approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) before we launch the program. Thank God, the SP did just that last week,” the vice mayor said.

Mayor Alvarez also vowed to keep politics out of the selection process.

He said external examiners would administer the qualifying examination, with no municipal government personnel handling the test.

“Screening will be tough. There will be no ‘padrino’ system, no political accommodation, and no one from the municipal government will handle the qualifying exam. We will be hiring external examiners,” he said.

For the elder Alvarez, who plans to retire from politics in 2028 after three decades in public service, the scholarship program represents an effort to leave something beyond infrastructure projects and other government accomplishments.*