President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday called for a faster and politics-free distribution of government assistance, reminding local officials not to use national government programs for self-promotion during aid distribution.
In his latest BBM Vlog, Marcos said government agencies and local government units must streamline the distribution of financial assistance—particularly to senior citizens—to ensure that beneficiaries receive aid promptly and without unnecessary delays.
The President’s remarks came after a public comment raised concerns about how assistance or “ayuda” is distributed, noting that elderly beneficiaries are sometimes required to travel to public venues and wait for long periods before receiving aid. The comment also criticized the practice of waiting for politicians to arrive and deliver speeches before distribution begins.
“Basta’t ito ay mga programa ng national government, ang mga speech at iba pang pang-epal bago ng distribution hindi na po pwede yan. Hindi pwedeng gamitin ang government services sa pamumulitika o pagpo-promote ng sarili,” he said.
He stressed that speeches, self-promotion, and the presence of politicians during the distribution of aid are prohibited under the 2026 General Appropriations Act and related guidelines issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
“Bawal na po sa distribution ng tulong na nanggaling sa national government,” the President added.
Marcos also said the government is studying ways to digitize aid distribution to speed up the process, including using e-wallet platforms such as GCash.
He noted that some local government units, including those in Makati City, have already begun testing similar systems.
“Aralin ang sistema at unti-unting ma-implementa. Basta’t sa national government nanggaling yan, mabilis na. Hindi na kailangan makinig sa mahabang speech ng mga politiko,” Marcos said.
Beyond aid distribution, the President also highlighted the need to simplify the processing of civil registry documents, particularly corrections to birth certificates, as part of the government’s broader push for digitalization.
He said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has recently launched the PSA e-Certificate service, allowing citizens to request digital copies of documents such as birth and marriage certificates.
Marcos emphasized that government offices should recognize digital documents to make the system more efficient.
“At kung magre-request ng physical copy, dapat naman sa kahit saang branch ng PSA puwedeng tugunan,” he said.
However, he noted that certain processes will still require physical verification to prevent fraudulent birth registrations.
The President cited the controversy involving convicted Bambam, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo as an example of how fraudulent birth records can lead to serious legal and governance issues.
Meanwhile, Marcos said the government is also working to make identification services more accessible, particularly for vulnerable groups.
Through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the PSA, the government has introduced measures to help individuals without formal identification documents, including street dwellers and other marginalized sectors.
According to the President, the PSA now accepts various documents—such as barangay clearances—that contain a person’s name, birth date, address, photo, signature, or thumb mark as supporting identification when applying for the national ID.
