Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday pledged to continue assisting Filipinos facing financial difficulties during the pandemic through the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program.
“Ang effort po natin is to honor God and to serve our people through bayanihan,” Cayetano said during a Facebook livestream prior to the start of the latest episode on November 24.
(Our effort is to honor God and to serve our people through service for one another.)
The November 24, 2021 episode featured 25 pre-selected market vendors from Dolores, Quezon who each received 10K Ayuda. They consisted of 12 vegetable vendors, nine fruit vendors, three fish vendors and one rice vendor.
The vendors themselves were visited by hosts Barbie Galicia and Pao Espineda.
“Ang 10K na makukuha ko ay idadagdag ko sa aking puhunan, sa pagtitinda ng gulay para sa pagdating na pasko may bago pa akong mabenta,” vegetable vendor Reylan Mendoza said.
(The 10K I get will be added to my investment so that when Christmas comes, I have more vegetables to sell.)
Dolores Municipal Mayor Orlan A. Calayag, who joined the two hosts, said the town is doing its best to manage the situation brought about by the pandemic.
“Sa kabila ng pandemya, ang aming ekonomiya ay pinipilit namin buhayin,” Calayag said.
(So far, we are managing our COVID situation. Despite the pandemic, we are trying to revive our economy.)
“Napakalaking biyaya nito para sa amin sa pagkat sa panahon ng pandemya bukod sa tulong na matatanggap namin, mararamdaman namin na may nagalala sa amin,” he added.
(This is a great blessing for us because during the pandemic, apart from the help we receive, we will feel that someone cares for us.)
Launched on May 1, the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program gives P10,000 in financial assistance to select individuals affected by the pandemic. The former Speaker spearheaded the initiative in order to campaign for the inclusion of the P10,000 financial aid provision under the Bayanihan 3.
The program focuses on various affected sectors each week in order to raise awareness to the general public as well as the government regarding a Filipino family’s need for stable financial assistance in the midst of a global health crisis.
As of writing, a total of 13,706 beneficiaries have already received the cash assistance.
