Kabataan Partylist–North Caloocan condemned the use of Caloocan City’s local government aid to threaten and control University of Caloocan City (UCC) students.

Student reported that the incident happened in the first week of December 2025 at North City Hall. City employees publicly harangued and intimidated the students, delaying the distribution of ₱5,000 financial assistance for over an hour. They reprimanded those who had complained on social media about the delayed payout. Employees also told students they should “be thankful” to the city major for the cash aid as a “debt of gratitude.”

“Why? He’s free to run for a position. We don’t see any reason to thank him for the aid…it is from the people’s taxes,” one reprimanded student said.

Students also expressed disappointment and distrust toward the local government.

“We don’t get any update (about the aid)… it’s like they have forgotten (it), or worse, already pocketed,” another student said.

Worse than the delayed release was the dishonesty and the feeling of being punished for asking questions, another student said.

“If this aid is really meant for students, why do they seemingly have to silence us first before releasing it?”

Students were barred from bringing cellphones to the event to prevent videos from reaching the public. City representative Congressman Oscar Malapitan was also present and promised a second batch of aid by the second week of January. There has been no update since.

Last month, the issue of the delay and confusion about the release of the promised ₱5,000 financial assistance for UCC graduating students spread on the Facebook page “Batang NorCal.” Students from UCC South also reportedly received their aid first, while others would only be given windbreakers instead of cash.

Kabataan Partylist–North Caloocan said the financial aid anomaly is only one among the heap of issues UCC students face. This also manifests the Caloocan City local government’s rotten and corrupt governance.

The group urged UCC students to stand for their democratic rights and fight for genuinely free and accessible education.