The 19th Congress under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez will pay more attention to the needs of the poor, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co on Sunday said.
To help and uplift the poor is the priority of the 19th Congress, Co stressed.
“At the opening of the 19th Congress since last July, Speaker Romualdez has told me that we will focus on how to help our poor fellowmen improve their lives since this is what the Marcos Jr. administration wants,” he said.
“For this reason, the Speaker has allocated billions of pesos in the 2023 national budget for social services of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, and Department of Health,” he added.
Co is the House appropriations committee chairperson.
He said the billion-peso budget is already enough to help those in the marginalized sector, particularly the poor, through DSWD’s Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situation, DOLE’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) and DOH’s Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients (MAIP).
The House of Representatives is fully aware of the hardships of the Filipino people amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted.
“If one does not the job, there is DOLE’s TUPAD. If one needs food, medicine, or transportation fare, one can approach DSWD,” Co said.
One does not even have to worry if one could pay for one’s hospitalization, as they can go to the DOH, he cited.
“Speaker Romualdez wants this Congress to focus on the needs of our poor. He wants to ensure that these people have someone to lean on when they need the assistance, and that the government is there to give to extend help,” he said.
Previously, Speaker Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre again joined hands in extending aid to families stricken by recent floods in Mindanao—this time in Davao del Norte.
Staff members from the offices of the said House leaders turned over P1 million in cash aid and more than 1,600 food packs Monday to the affected barangays of Tagum City, and the towns of New Corella, Asuncion, Kapalong, Carmen and Braulio E. Dujali.
Each food pack, worth P500, contains three kilos of rice, three packets of instant noodles, three pieces of canned goods, and six sachets of 3-in-1 coffee.
Augmenting the food assistance donated by the Speaker’s office and Tingog were an additional 3,000 family food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“This is the least that we can do for our countrymen who were displaced by the floods. Rest assured that we will always be responsive to calls for assistance from disaster-stricken provinces. A little malasakit (compassion) can go a long way, and we’re here to lend a hand,” Speaker Romualdez said.
The distribution of food packs and cash donations were done in coordination with Davao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Alan “Aldu” Dujali and Vice Governor De Carlo “Oyo” Uy, who provided the offices of the House officials with a list of recipients.
Last month, the same offices turned over 1,000 family food packs and 17,650 pieces of bottled water to Misamis Occidental after heavy rainfall caused floods and landslides in the province. A P2-million cash assistance was also given to the province.
Earlier last year, the House Speaker also initiated a fund drive and relief operations to provide aid to the victims of Typhoon Paeng.