Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday urged government not just to provide relief to the people affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and other urban areas but also help them in their recovery.
“Hindi sapat sa ngayon ang relief. Ang kailangan natin ay relief at recovery. Ipagsabay,” Cayetano said during the Facebook live stream of Sampung Libong Pag-asa on Wednesday, August 18.
(Relief is not enough now. What people need is relief and recovery at the same time.)
“Kung magbibigay tayo ng food pack or isa, dalawang libo, malaking tulong pero relief yun. Pantawid. Ang kailangan natin ay relief at recovery para pantawid at pang-ahon,” he added.
“If we give food packs or P1,000 or P2,000 in cash, it can help but it’s still considered relief. They need both relief and recovery.)
Cayetano and his allies in the Balik sa Tamang Serbisyo (BTS) sa Kongreso have been pushing for the 10K Ayuda Bill which seeks to provide every Filipino family with P10,000 in direct aid to help them with their daily needs as well as put up their own small businesses.
The proposed measure was filed in February and was consolidated into Bayanihan 3, but the provision of P10,000 for every family was not adopted.
Meanwhile, Cayetano and his group have been distributing P10,000 in cash aid to selected individuals through the Sampung Libong Pag-asa, which is shown on the former Speaker’s Facebook page.
During the two-week ECQ in Metro Manila, the program has been held daily instead of weekly in order to reach more people, particularly displaced workers.
On Wednesday night, 30 displaced workers and frontline workers from San Juan, Mandaluyong, and Manila were chosen as beneficiaries. They include drivers, technicians, salon staff, salespeople, warehouse workers, clerks, restaurant staff, health workers, barangay staff, and security guards.
Additionally, 45 pre-selected Facebook commenters and 35 randomly selected livestream viewers from Cayetano’s official page were selected as beneficiaries.
All in all, a total of 8,711 Filipinos have received the 10K Ayuda as of August 18, 2021.
Sari-saring Pag-asa
Prior to the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program, Cayetano was joined by Taguig 2nd District Rep. Lani Cayetano and Batangas 2nd District Rep. Raneo Abu in the “Sari-Saring Pag-asa” where they gave assistance to a total of 80 beneficiaries.
Throughout the program, Cayetano encouraged viewers to continually reach out to those in need, saying bayanihan is important now more than ever.
“Ang Lord, may gagamitin na mga tao, so isama natin sa dasal natin, na gamitin din tayo. Iba sa ‘tin, magaling ang ulo, so magaling magturo. Iba po satin maraming gamit na pwedeng ipamigay,” he said.
(The Lord works through different people, that’s why when we pray, we have to ask Him to use us for good. Some of us may be gifted with intellect in which we can help others by teaching. Others may be materially blessed and can even gift others with the same).
Cayetao also called on the people to support the government in its efforts to battle the pandemic.
“Madali po tumuligsa, pero ngayon pong krisis, may mawawala po ba kung sumunod tayo sa mga health protocol?” he said.
(It is easy to condemn, but during a crisis, we won’t lose anything if we follow health protocols.)
