AROUND 35,000 beneficiaries in Parañaque City have each received 10 kilograms of rice under the “Mula sa Puso Para sa Pamilya” initiative of first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
The latest rice aid distribution was held Thursday at the Parañaque Sports Complex. Of Parañaque City’s 16 barangay (villages), Barangay San Antonio residents numbered 2,579 on Thursday. City officials said two more distribution rounds are scheduled before the end of the year.
The first lady thanked local government officials and residents for their support and participation in the program, noting the initiative was meant to aid vulnerable sectors across Metro Manila.
The rice for distribution was directly purchased by local government units (LGUs) from local farmers through money from the Local Government Support Fund and from Sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Bayan Makikinabang initiative.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. launched the rice aid program to help ease the effect on the poor of rising food prices amid the Middle East war.
Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said the program prioritized senior citizens; tricycle, pedicab and jeepney drivers; persons with disabilities; fisherfolk; solo parents; beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program; and 555 families displaced by a fire in May.
“He (The President) is visiting various LGUs to personally check on the condition of our fellow citizens. The City of Parañaque deeply feels the love and care of our beloved President,” Olivarez said.
“Through the Local Government Support Fund, 35,000 vulnerable families in Parañaque will benefit, and our citizens will receive not just one, but multiple tranches of assistance,” he added.
Also present during the activity were San Juan City Mayor and League of Cities of the Philippines President Francis Zamora, Parañaque 1st District Rep. Eric Olivarez, 2nd District Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan, and Department of the Interior and Local Government Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Lopez de Leon.
