The Office of Senator Alan Peter “Compañero” Cayetano continued to provide support to recovering small business owners in Bulacan through the Sari-Saring Pag-Asa (SSP) program on June 5-6, 2023.
The two-day event helped store owners and individuals from San Jose del Monte and Bustos, Bulacan as well as surrounding communities. A total of 324 business owners were given assistance during the first day in San Juan del Monte, while 266 families were provided aid to speed up their economic recovery.
Marites Capindig was one of the San Jose Del Monte beneficiaries who received assistance from the program. She owned a small store before the pandemic, but her family was forced to go use up their store’s inventory during the first months of lockdown. She has been slowly making steps to recovery since then.
“Eto pong nakuha ko kay Senador Alan Cayetano, malaking tulong po ito sa akin [na] pandagdag po ulit ng puhunan para makappagsimula po ulit ako,” she said.
Jimmy Evangelista echoed Marites’ sentiments. As one of the Bustos recipients, the jeepney driver and sari-sari store owner said he will use the assistance to buy additional stocks for his business, and wished Senator Cayetano to continue these projects.
“Mahal na Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, sana po’y magtuluy-tuloy ang binibigay ninyong tulong sa amin na ganito. Ito po’y malaking tulong sa pamilya namin at sa aming mga Pilipino, sa aming mga taga-Pilaridel, Bustos,” he said.
Both SSP programs were accompanied by an Inter-Sectoral Medical Desk that was ready to address medical concerns during the two-day span, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cataract, and hypertension.
Only six patients asked for medical assistance in San Jose Del Monte, but there were 25 medical inquiries from patients in the vicinity. Meanwhile, 25 patients from Bustos were able to get assistance, and the desk also answered 56 medical queries from SSP recipients.
The SSP is a partnership between the Office of Senator Cayetano and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). It’s categorized under the department’s Assistance to Persons in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, meant to provide assistance to people and households who are experiencing difficulty bouncing back from the pandemic’s economic repercussions.
Meanwhile, Senator Cayetano continues to work on legislation that will improve the living standards of the Filipino people. Among the bills he has filed are the Puhunan Tungo sa Kaunlaran Act, the Barangay Health Centers Act, and the Mahal Ko, Barangay Health Worker Ko Law.###
