Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Taguig 2nd District Rep. Lani Cayetano on Friday vowed to strengthen their programs for livelihood and skills training so they can help more women across the country provide for their families, especially during the pandemic.
During the Facebook livestream of their Sampung Libong Pag-asa program on November 5, 2021 dedicated to women, Rep. Lani said 75 to 80 percent of their projects are currently focused on generating livelihood opportunities for Filipinos.
Most of the beneficiaries, she said, are women whose spouses had lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
“Lahat ng oportunidad na magagawa natin upang tulungan ang mga kababaihan, sisikapin natin na ma-improve pa ang mga programa natin at maabot pa ang maraming kababaihan hindi lamang sa Taguig at Pateros kundi sa buong bansa,” she said.
(We will do our best to further improve our programs in order to create as many opportunities as possible for women and reach out to many more women not only in Taguig and Pateros but throughout the country.)
The former Taguig City Mayor also said she and the former Speaker will continue to provide medical assistance to women, including mental health counseling and aid to breast cancer patients.
Progressive Ladies League’s (PLL) co-founder and president Evelyn Arago said a lot of Filipino women, especially homemakers, are experiencing stress and anxiety during the pandemic due to increased difficulty in meeting their families’ basic needs.
“Marami ang displaced workers ang mga asawa… ‘Pag pinag-aaralan namin, y’un lagi ang lumalabas, [na ang kailangan ay] y’ung tulong sa kanila [kung saan] y’ung kalahati pwede mong gamitin sa ibang pangangailangan at ang kalahati para magpatuloy na merong kinikita,” Arago said during the program.
(A lot of women have husbands who are displaced workers. In all the studies that we have conducted, the results suggest that the best way to help the women treat their anxieties during the pandemic is to provide them with something that will help them purchase their basic needs and continue their sources of income.)
Sampung Libong Pag-asa
The Cayetanos have been providing skills training and livelihood assistance to the women of Taguig and Pateros through the PLL, a non-government organization established by the Congresswoman in 2004 to promote women’s rights and welfare.
Since then, the organization has grown to accommodate women from other parts of Metro Manila and Region IV-A.
“At ‘yang skills na ‘yan tutulungan mo ng maliit na puhunan para makapagsimula talaga sila (And those skills should be supported by a capital so they can actually start applying them),” Rep. Lani said, referring to the P10,000 in cash aid received by the 113 women beneficiaries of the latest edition of the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program.
One of the women beneficiaries was Julieta Villanueva, a barangay health worker from Marikina City who used P7,000 from the cash aid as capital for a small barbecue business, P3,000 as payment for their household bills, and P1,000 as emergency savings.
“Talagang napakihirap ng buhay. Hindi natin alam kung saan tayo kukuha ng pambili ng pagkain sa araw-araw, kaya y’ung P10,000 po malaking bagay po sa pamilya ko,” Villanueva said.
(Life is really very hard. We don’t know where to get money to buy food every day, so the P10,000 in cash aid is a really big deal for my family.)
The leaders and members of the PLL also thanked the Cayetanos for their “relentless” support to Filipino women.
“Sila po ang naging sandigan at naging katulong po ng amin hong organisasyon para ho maipagpatuloy namin yung aming mga layunin, mga adhikain — y’ung makatulong po hindi lang sa mga kababaihan dito sa Taguig kundi sa kababaihan sa iba’t ibang lugar ng bansa natin,” PLL Coordinator Alma Dogwe said.
(They have been the foundation and partner of our organization who helped us pursue our goals and aspirations — to help not only the women here in Taguig but also those in the different parts of the country.)
