MANILA -- A total of 3,000 residents of Siquijor have received cash and rice aid on Sunday from a revolutionary program of the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. that seeks to distribute assistance to citizens by legislative districts of the House of Representatives.
The Cash and Rice Distribution (CARD) Program is a project of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) of Sec. Rex Gatchalian in response to the challenge of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. for lawmakers to provide free rice and financial aid to the people.
“It (rice) is a staple in every Filipino’s diet. No Filipino meal is complete without rice. That is why we at the House of Representatives have gone to great lengths to ensure that this staple remains within the reach of the common Filipino,” Romualdez, the leader of the 300-plus-strong House of Representatives, said in a speech at the launching of the CARD Program at the provincial capitol of Siquijor.
The program aims to provide P2,000 aid to every beneficiary all over the country: P1,000 as cash aid and P1,000 for a 25-kilogram sack of rice.
“Binuo natin ang programang CARD upang manatiling abot-kamay ang bigas sa ating mga kababayan, partikular dito ang mga matatanda, mga may-kapansanan at iba pang mga sektor na disadvantaged.
Ngayong araw, hindi lang kayo tatanggap ng bigas, tatanggap din kayo ng tulong-pinansyal na maaaring gamiting puhunan para sa inyong kabuhayan,” Speaker Romualdez said.
He said that the House has done everything to make rice affordable to Filipino citizens, from conducting hearings designed to get to the bottom of issues of hoarding, to visits at warehouses and public markets to ensure that the price of rice is within reach even by the poor.
“The cash assistance and rice distribution (CARD) program, which we are launching here today, is another step in this direction,” Speaker Romualdez said.
“Batid naman po natin na may mga sektor na sadyang mapagsamantala, at pilit na pagkakitaan ang pangangailangan ng Pilipino sa bigas – bagay na nagdudulot ng artipisyal na pagtaas ng presyo ng importanteng bilihing ito. Maaari naman natin silang habulin at parusahan. Ngunit hindi naman nito maseseguro na may bigas sa hapag kainan," he said.
He thanked the DSWD for spearheading the implementation of this project, as the assistance is under the department’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Program.
The DSWD identifies all the beneficiaries, which includes senior citizens, PWDs, solo parents and IPs.
“Maraming salamat po sa Department of Social Welfare and Development sa inyong pakikiisa at agarang pagtalima sa adhikain ng ating mahal na Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na ang lahat ng Pilipino’y may sapat na pagkain,” Speaker Romualdez said.
“Umasa po kayo na patuloy po ang Administrasyong Marcos, kasama ng Kamara de Representante, na maghahanap at magpapatupad ng iba pang mga epektibong programa para matugunan ang inyong mga pangangailangan, tungo sa mas mabilis na pag-unlad ng ating bansa,” he added. "Ito po ang Bagong Pilipinas.”
The program was launched last year, and it aims to provide cash and rice assistance to qualified Filipino families, which will be identified by legislative districts.
The CARD Program was earlier initiated in Metro Manila, covering all its legislative districts with each having 10,000 beneficiaries for a total of 330,000 residents, and in Biñan City and Sta. Rosa in Laguna. (PND)
