A total of 9,000 beneficiaries from Batangas received rice and cash aid from three programs that target the vulnerable sectors of Philippine society that do not receive financial assistance from any established social amelioration program of the government.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez spearheaded the distribution ceremonies for the Cash Assistance and Rice Distribution (CARD) program, the Integrated Scholarships and Incentives for the Youth Program (ISIP), and the Start-Up, Investments, Business Opportunities and Livelihood (SIBOL) program in Batangas Aug. 24.
All of these programs are upon the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and initiated by Romualdez, who, together with the House of Representatives, is always finding ways to help those who belong to the vulnerable sectors, such as indigent senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), single parents, and indigenous people, a press release from his office said.
For the CARD program, 3,000 beneficiaries in Batangas received P5,000 each through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) and 20 kilograms of rice in a simple ceremony held at the Lipa City Youth and Cultural Center.
Romualdez said the CARD was formulated to support vulnerable Filipinos by providing them with affordable access to rice and essential cash assistance. The program not only intends to boost the purchasing power of the public but also serves as a strategic measure against hoarding and price manipulation of rice stocks.
For the ISIP, a total of 3,000 students received P5,000 each under the DSWD’s AKAP, including five kilograms of rice in a distribution held at the Lipa Academy of Sports, Culture and Arts.
Beneficiaries receive P5,000 from the program every six months to cover tuition and other expenses. Identified student-beneficiaries will also be enrolled in the Tulong Dunong Program (TDP) of the Commission on Higher and Technical Education, where students can get scholarship assistance per year amounting to a total of P15,000.
They will also get priority slots in the Government Internship Program (GIP) after graduation, and their unemployed parents or guardians may be enrolled in the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.
SIBOL, meanwhile, offers opportunities for entrepreneurs to innovate and contribute to the country’s economic growth, and aims to support MSMEs and start-up businesses through a convergence of government initiatives and private sector efforts and substantial capital infusion.
A total of 3,000 small entrepreneurs received P5,000 each and five kilograms of rice in a distribution held at the Claro M. Recto Events Center. ||
