Canduman rewards board, bar exam topnotchers with cash incentives

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Barangay Canduman in Mandaue City has institutionalized a cash incentive program for residents who place among the top performers in licensure and bar examinations, becoming one of the first barangays in the city to formally reward academic and professional excellence.

Barangay Captain Dante Borbajo, who also serves as president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) in Mandaue City, said the ordinance aims to recognize the achievements of Canduman residents while inspiring others to strive for excellence in their chosen professions.

Under the ordinance, residents who place first in a licensure or bar examination will receive P50,000. Those who rank second to fifth will receive P30,000, while those who place sixth to tenth will be awarded P20,000.

Borbajo said the incentive will be given on top of any financial assistance or recognition provided by the Mandaue City government. The program is open only to registered residents of Barangay Canduman.

He said the ordinance was inspired by a previous Canduman resident who topped a licensure examination but did not receive any financial recognition.

At the time, the barangay had no allocated budget for such incentives, prompting barangay officials and council members to voluntarily contribute their own money to honor the topnotcher. The experience later led to the creation of the ordinance to ensure future topnotchers would receive financial incentives through an official barangay program.

“Garbo pud sa among barangay. Panagsa ra ang magtop sa atoang barangay unya wala tay mahatag at least ma-encourage ang uban nga maninguha sad.” Borbajo said.

(It is also a source of pride for our barangay. It’s rare for someone from our barangay to top an examination, and we wanted to be able to give something in return while encouraging others to work hard and aim for the same achievement.)

The incentives will be funded through the barangay’s Gender and Development (GAD) budget.

Borbajo said he hopes the program will encourage more Canduman residents to earn top rankings in future licensure and bar examinations and inspire a culture of academic excellence in the barangay.

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