Domestic helper’s daughter among PBBM’s barangay scholars
By Renelle L. Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — For Claire S. Balmocena, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.’s educational assistance is more than just a scholarship but a demonstration of the sincerity of a government that sees the hard work of her parents in supporting her education.
Balmocena is one of the five Presidential scholars of Barangay Obrero in Butuan City who received the amount of P20,000 under the Socio-Civic Projects Fund.
Her father earns a meager salary as a baker, while her mother supports the family from afar as a domestic helper in the Middle East.
“Dako ako pasalamat nga napili ko sa programa ni President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. nga Bagong Pilipinas Presidential Scholars (My heart is full of gratitude because I am one of the beneficiaries of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s program on Bagong Pilipinas Presidential Scholars),” she said during the interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Caraga on Sept. 16.
Balmocena is a BS Hospitality Management student of Saint Joseph Institute of Technology in Butuan City. According to her, there are many college students in her barangay; however, the barangay council of Obrero considered the sacrifices and dedication of her parents in supporting her education, making her worthy as a beneficiary of the program.
“I was able to pay my tuition because of the unexpected blessing from the government. It lessened the financial burden on my parents,” she added. “The money that they allocated for my tuition was used instead to pay the tuition of my two other siblings who are also in college.”
She encouraged her fellow tertiary students in the community to study hard and to finish their education for a better future. “Education will help our families get out of poverty,” she told PIA.
Meanwhile, as outlined in the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular No. 2026-038, the Bagong Pilipinas Presidential Scholars program, under the Bawat Barangay Makikinabang initiative of the Marcos Jr. administration, is a commitment to education and investing in the future of young Filipinos.
It offers educational assistance to five deserving college students in each barangay across the country, or 42,010 barangays nationwide. Each Presidential scholar receives the amount of P20,000 to help them defray essential academic expenses. (RLE, PIA Dinagat Islands)
