NEGROS Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson distributed educational assistance worth a total of P1.5 million to 300 Kapatiran next-of-kin grantees at the Capitol Social Hall on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
The event was also attended by Board Member Rita Gatuslao, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Education, and the Kapatiran beneficiaries.
The program is one of the government’s key initiatives that underscore its strong commitment to providing timely and appropriate interventions for Kapatiran beneficiaries from various towns and cities in Negros Occidental, as part of its ongoing transformation program.
Lacson said in a statement that lasting peace and order in the province can only be achieved through unity and collective action, with the government, communities, and all sectors working together.
He said that cooperation and shared responsibility are vital in building a safe and progressive province.
The governor also expressed gratitude to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (Opapru), the Philippine Army, and the Philippine National Police for their support in implementing the province’s peace and order initiatives.
Gatuslao also said that the assistance serves as encouragement for the scholars to persevere and carry their knowledge forward, as the provincial government believes in their potential.
Engineer Director Susana Guadalupe Marcaida, co-chair of the Joint Enforcement and Monitoring Committee (JEMC) under Opapru, also expressed gratitude for the educational assistance provided by the provincial government.
Also present were Maria Veronica Tabara of Opapru, Colonel Victor Lupitan, who represented Brigadier General Ted Dumosmog, and Negros Occidental Scholarship Program Head Karen Dinsay, among others. (MAP)