President Marcos highlights Pantawid Pamilya success, cites top exam graduates

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. highlighted during his third State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 22, that over 420,000 families have graduated from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

Marcos emphasized that since last year's SONA, these families' conditions and their ability to face life challenges improved with the help of the program, noting its consistent success in breaking the cycle of poverty across the country.

He specifically mentioned Teacher Khane Jevie Cervantes from Davao Oriental who topped the Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers last March and Engr. Alexis Alegado who ranked first in the Civil Engineering Board Exams last April, both former beneficiaries of the program.

Cervantes comes from a large and impoverished family in Cateel, Davao Oriental, where the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program provided education and cash grants that eased their financial burdens, funding her school allowances and other academic expenses.

With such support, Cervantes pursued a degree in education at the Davao Oriental State University-Cateel Extension Campus and graduated magna cum laude in 2023 before securing the top spot in elementary education during the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) early this year.

Meanwhile, Alegado, a former beneficiary from Paoay, Ilocos Norte, topped the 2023 Civil Engineering Licensure Examination with a rating of 92.10%, graduating cum laude from Mariano Marcos State University in Batac, Ilocos Norte.