Recognizing the challenges faced by solo parents amid the pandemic, former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday said the government still needs to do more to help them and address their needs.
“Napakahirap maging magulang sa panahon ng pandemic, lalo kung solo parent ka,” Cayetano said before the airing of the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program on his official Facebook page on December 8, 2021.
(It is extremely difficult to be a parent amid the pandemic, especially if you are solo.)
“Maraming nagbabago, lalo sa attitude ng gobyerno sa pagtulong sa ating mga solo parents, pero napakarami pa ring dapat gawin,” he added.
(Many things are changing — even the attitude of the government towards helping solo parents is changing, but there are still more things to do.)
He said being a solo parent is a challenge in itself, but this is made even more difficult by the suspension of face-to-face classes.
“Lalo ngayon na wala pang face-to-face classes and even if pasukan na, talagang y’ung mga challenges ng isang parent,” he said.
(Especially now that there are no face-to-face classes, and even if schools opened, the challenges are really there.)
Twenty-five (25) solo parents from the Municipality of Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija received 10K Ayuda during Wednesday’s episode of Sampung Libong Pag-asa, an initiative of the former House Speaker and his allies from the Balik sa Tamang Serbisyo (BTS) sa Kongreso.
“Huwag kayong mawawalan ng pag-asa. Dasal (Pray) and put step to your faith,” Cayetano said to solo parents.
He also thanked Nampicuan Mayor Victor Badar for assisting him and his team in selecting the beneficiaries.
Launched on May 1, the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program gives P10,000 in financial assistance to select individuals affected by the pandemic.
As of December 6, 2021, a total of 14,323 beneficiaries have already received the cash assistance.
Cayetano and his allies in Congress spearheaded the initiative in order to campaign for the inclusion of the P10,000 financial aid provision under the Bayanihan 3.
