Another sari-sari store owner received hope amidst the pandemic after being chosen as a beneficiary under senatorial bet and former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano’s Sari-Saring Pag-asa program.
In a pre-recorded interview shown during the program’s Facebook livestream on Tuesday, October 12, Melda Santos of Barangay Hagonoy, Taguig City said the financial assistance helped her earn more by providing additional capital to replenish her inventory.
“Noong una ko pong paninda, ang kinikita ko lang po ay P1,500. Tapos dinagdagan niyo po ako ng P3,500, kumita na po ako ng P3,500,” she said.
(I used to earn only P1,500. When I was given the P3,500 aid, I started earning around P3,500.)
Santos, who was selected as beneficiary on August 31, 2021, said she is now more able to save money from her daily earnings, which she intends to reinvest in her store in order to expand it.
“Sa araw-araw ho akong nagtitinda, nagse-savings po ako [ng] P20, P50. Araw-araw po iyan sa loob ng isang taon,” she added.
(In my daily sales, I save around P20 or P50. I save money everyday in the span of one year.)
“Iniipon ko ho iyan para pandagdag sa aking puhunan, para siya ay kumita o lumago pa,” she said.
(I’m saving that to increase my business’ capital, so that it would profit and grow more.)
The Sari-Saring Pag-asa program is an initiative of former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano which aims to distribute P3,500 in aid to sari-sari store owners to help them replenish their stocks and cover some household expenses.
Cayetano had earlier explained that he aims to “teach the people how to fish” to help them become financially independent and support the country’s economic recovery and growth in the long run.
As of October 9, 2021, the program reached more than 4,200 beneficiaries nationwide.
