A number of home appliances, some home improvements, and, most importantly, three college graduates.
These are the fruits of labor of Delma Galas, Saturday night’s featured beneficiary of former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano’s Sari-saring Pag-asa (SSP) program.
In a featured video on the program’s September 18, 2021 episode, Galas shared how her sari-sari store helped her raise her children, now all college graduates, and provide for the daily needs of their family and the maintenance of their family home.
But Galas’s family began to struggle to provide even the basics for them when the country was placed under community quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When she received P3,500 in cash aid from the SSP program, she allocated P2,500 for the replenishment of her store’s stocks and P1,000 for her husband’s maintenance medicine.
“Tuwang-tuwa ako dahil nga kung hindi ko natanggap y’ung P3,500 na y’un, hindi kami nakabili ng gamot para sa mister. Y’un ang importante pa naman,” Galas said.
(I am very happy because if we did not receive the P3,500 in cash aid, we would not have been able to buy the medicine for my husband. That’s what was important.)
She also shared a few tips for her fellow sari-sari store owners.
“Ang diskarte lang sa pagtitinda, kailangan marunong ka mag-isip kung ano y’ung dapat ang mas mabili na matinda, y’un dapat ang kailangan uunahin mo,” Galas added.
(The strategy is you have to know which products sell faster so you can prioritize them.)
On September 18, the SSP program announced 100 more beneficiaries, including 60 from San Juan City, Parañaque City, and Manila City, and 40 others from the previous livestream of the program.
The SSP program is the brainchild of Cayetano and his wife Taguig 2nd District Rep. Ma. Laarni “Lani” Cayetano to provide struggling sari-sari store owners with P3,500 — P2,500 for restocking and P1,000 for meeting their family’s basic needs.
The program complements the former Speaker’s weekly Sampung Libong Pag-asa initiative, which was based on the 10K Ayuda Bill proposed in the House.
Both programs provide cash assistance to Filipino families and small businesses to help them and their communities recover from the pandemic.
