Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday urged voters to pressure Malacañang, the Senate, and all presidential aspirants for the passage of the 10K Ayuda Bill since the money is already available for the stimulus proposal.
“Y’ung mga senador natin, ang ating Palasyo po, y’ung mga presidential candidates, i-barrage po natin na gusto natin yung P10,000 ayuda dahil may pera po,” Cayetano said.
“P500 billion ang idadagdag sa ating budget (next year), P200 billion lang ang kailangan natin ‘no, lahat na ay meron, bawat pamilyang Pilipino,” he added.
(We have to barrage our senators, Malacañang, our presidential candidates with messages saying we want the P10,000 in direct stimulus because we have the money for it. P500 billion will be added to the budget next year, and we only need P200 billion to be able to give cash aid to every Filipino family.)
Cayetano made the remarks during a live video on his Facebook page prior to the Sari-saring Pag-asa livestream on November 23, 2021.
The episode saw 200 small business owners from Quezon City and Padre Burgos town in Quezon province receive P3,500 each in cash aid.
Also present in Tuesday’s livestream event were ANAKALUSUGAN Partylist Rep. Mike Defensor who with Cayetano is part of the Balik sa Tamang Serbisyo (BTS) sa Kongreso legislative alliance, as well as local officials from Quezon City and Padre Burgos, Quezon Province.
The Sari-saring Pag-asa program, which aired its 37th episode on Tuesday, has reached a total of 6,187 microentrepreneurs since it was launched in mid-2021.
The initiative, which provides cash grants of P3,500 to sari-sari stores and other small businesses affected by the pandemic, is an extension of Cayetano and his allies’ lobbying efforts for greater state economic aid for Filipinos.
Cayetano has been advocating for a broad-based economic stimulus program to help the country recover from the pandemic. At the core of his proposal is the 10K Ayuda Bill, which when passed will mandate direct stimulus payouts of at least P10,000 to every Filipino family to help them with immediate household needs and restart their businesses.
*’Let’s do it together’*
The former House Speaker on Tuesday also invited more people to help small businesses in their respective communities, suggesting that their assistance can be made in kind.
“Kung mapansin niyo po na yung sari-sari store niyo po na kapitbahay niyo, katabi niyo, nauutangan niyo ay walang-walang laman na, e kung worth P200 yan, bigyan niyo ng P500 o P1,000, any help now will be greatly appreciated,” Cayetano said.
“Pwede rin ang iyong talents, lahat po tayo ay may talento. Yung iba po ay magaling din mag-comfort. Minsan smile lang, tapik, kamusta, okay na. There’s so much that we can do if we do it together,” he added.
(If you see the sari-sari store next door is completely empty, whether it’s P200, P500 or even P1,000, help them when you can because any help now will be greatly appreciated. You can also help them through your talents, everyone has at least some talent in them. Some are really good at giving comfort. Sometimes a smile, a tap on the shoulder or a “How are you?” is enough. There’s so much that we can do if we do it together.)
Cayetano also reminded Tuesday’s viewers that any help given to small businesses will have multiplier effects across many communities and even whole sectors of the economy, and encouraged people to match the government’s efforts in providing aid to stores and families in need.
“So again, gobyerno at bayanihan (ang kailangan natin). Sabi sa Bibliya, kung mahal mo ang Panginoon pero sasabihin mong di mo mahal ang kapwa mo, ikaw ay sinungaling. So ilagay po natin ang ating pananampalataya sa gawa, at isang paraan po ng paggawa ay sa pagtutulong talaga,” Cayetano said.
(Again, government and collective action are what we need. The Bible says that if you say you love God but don’t love your neighbor, you make yourself out to be a liar. So let’s put our faith to work, and one way to really do that is by helping out those in need.)
