MALABON City Administrator Dr. Alexander Rosete has highlighted the significance of the Malabon Ahon Blue Card when he was invited to speak recently at the European Education and Leadership Summit held at The Thames International University in Paris, France.
Dr. Rosete, recognized during the event with the European Excellence Award for his ‘unwavering dedication, extensive experience, remarkable achievements, and invaluable contributions towards the betterment of the nation and the society,’ showcased how the local government has revolutionized the delivery of social services to ‘Malabueños.’
The MABC, one of Mayor Jeannie Sandoval’s flagship initiatives launched in December 2022, is a digital social welfare program designed to provide efficient, timely, and convenient access to aid and essential services for Malabon residents.
He presented a paper titled “From Policy to Progress: The Case of the Blue Card Supplemental Aid Program in Malabon City, Philippines.”
He explained during the summit that the MABC was developed as part of the city government’s broader vision to streamline community support services and poverty alleviation efforts—making them simpler, faster, centralized, and resident-focused.
The top city official said further that the MABC program was introduced by the Sandoval’s administration as a challenge to traditional governance models, where well-intentioned programs often failed to reach those in need.
“We started small but today, more than 91,000 families—that’s almost the entire population of Malabon—are registered in the Blue Card system.”
The program continued to expand until different features – Burial and Hospitalization Assistance that provides P5,000 aid each to families in need of help for their expenses; the ‘Eskwela’ Savings Program that allows Grade 1 students to save money for their future; and the MABC ‘Para sa Mga Kababaihan’ that supports solo mothers in caring for their children and accessing livelihood opportunities – were launched in 2024 and 2025.
He added that since the MABC system is fully digital, the local government has real-time data on how it was able to help, how much of the city’s budget was allocated for the aid, and also identify areas for improvement of service delivery.
