MANILA, Philippines — After arguing that the government should give allowances for every Filipino student, Batangas Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste has put his money where his mouth is by funding P1,000 allowances for over 150,000 students in the 1st district of Batangas at zero cost to the government.
Through his Lingkod Legarda Leviste Foundation, Leviste has begun distributing allowances in elementary and high schools in Nasugbu, Lian, Calatagan, Tuy, and Balayan, with upcoming distributions in Calaca, Lemery, and Taal.
Leviste will complete distributing allowances before the end of the month for every student in the 1st District of Batangas.
This comes after Leviste filed House Bill No. 27, proposing a National Student Allowance Program to provide every Filipino student, from kindergarten to college, a P1,000 allowance to help cover basic needs like food, transportation, and school supplies, conditional on the student meeting minimum attendance requirements.
While the bill has gained support for addressing a critical need, it faces the challenge of getting funding among many government priorities.
Leviste has personally funded these allowances in his own district to prove that giving students allowances is a worthwhile investment for the government and encourage more programs like this.
Leviste believes this program would improve the academic performance of Filipino students, reduce poverty and increase our country’s long-term competitiveness. Leviste has also argued that giving assistance directly to students would be more efficient, equitable, and higher impact than other government projects, such that he has made this the focus of his own philanthropic initiatives.
At the launch of the program at various schools in Nasugbu, Lian, Calatagan, Tuy and Balayan on July 11, 2025, Leviste noted that many students travel long distances from their rural barangays to get to school.
“Other governments already provide students free transportation and food, showing the need for this kind of educational assistance, but the students in areas that don’t have this need it even more,” Leviste pointed out.
“Spending on education is an investment in our country’s future, and doing so through allowances conditional on attendance ensures that funding directly and efficiently benefits the students. I hope that showing the benefits of this in Batangas will help justify this program for the whole country,” Leviste said.
“A lack of budget for basic needs should not be an obstacle for any child’s education. I’ve been very fortunate in life, and I hope to now share what I have to help solve the problems in our country’s education sector,” Leviste said.
Leviste, the country’s youngest billionaire entrepreneur, decided to focus on public service in 2024 after selling a controlling stake in Solar Philippines New Energy Corporation to Meralco for P34 billion. Now in Congress, he is focused on increasing support for educational programs to end the cycle of poverty in the Philippines. /cb
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