Former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and his allies on Friday vowed to send aid to Batangas residents displaced by the increasing unrest of Taal Volcano.
Speaking before launching the distribution of cash aid in Baguio, Pangasinan, and La Union on July 2 as part of their weekly Sampung Libong Pag-Asa program, Cayetano said they will provide masks, food, and financial assistance to residents and officials in Batangas.
“Sa mga gustong magbayanihan, lalo na po sa mga area na malapit sa Taal, kailangan po nila uli ang ating tulong,” he said.
(To those who want to help, those living near the Taal volcano need our assistance once more.)
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOCS) placed Taal volcano under Alert Level 3 after a sudden phreatomagmatic eruption on Thursday, July 1.
Member lawmakers of the Balik sa Tamang Serbisyo group also expressed their concern and support for residents living near the volcano.
Batangas 2nd District Rep. Raneo Abu assured his constituents that he will immediately return to the province to lead local response to the volcanic unrest.
“Di tayo magpapatalo sa Bulkang Taal (We will not be defeated by the Taal volcano),” he said.
Bulacan 1st District Rep. Jonathan Sy-Alvarado asked the affected residents to stay strong amid the ongoing situation in Taal volcano.
“Tatagan niyo lang po ang inyong kalooban. Mag-isip parati ng positibo at tutulungan tayo ng Panginoon,” he said.
(Stay strong. Think positive and the Lord will help us.)
In January last year, the House of Representatives under Cayetano, who was then House Speaker, held a plenary session at the Batangas City Convention City after Taal volcano erupted.
Lawmakers then pushed for a P30-billion supplemental budget for residents affected by the eruption. The move was supported by President Rodrigo Duterte.
*10K Ayuda Bill*
Meanwhile, Cayetano reiterated his call on Congress to support the enactment of the 10K Ayuda Bill, which seeks to provide cash aid for families affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Nagdecide tayo na P10,000 kasi gusto natin pang-ahon di lang pangtulay,” he said. “Di natin kailangan hintayin na mawala ang COVID-19 bago tayo bumangon.”
(We decided that the amount should be P10,000 because we want them to rise up from this crisis and not just get by. We don’t need to wait for the COVID-19 pandemic to disappear before we start rising up.)
The 10k Ayuda Bill was filed on February 1 with the aim of promoting household consumption and stimulating the economy. While the bill was consolidated to the Bayanihan 3 bill, its provision on the distribution of P10,000 cash aid to every Filipino family was left out.
On Friday, Cayetano and his allies distributed P10,000 each to 400 beneficiaries in Northern Luzon and 100 commenters on the Facebook livestream of their Sampung Pag-Asa Program.
The Sampung Libong Pag-Asa took off from the vision of the 10k Ayuda Bill. Since the program’s inception on May 1, the program has already reached more than 4,000 beneficiaries nationwide.
Cayetano encouraged beneficiaries to use the cash aid to start their own businesses.
“Wag matatakot magsimula ng negosyo. Marami ang nagsasabi wag magnenegosyo ngayon dahil pandemic,” he said. “Sa Sampung Libong (Pag-Asa), it’s our pleasure na makatulong na masimulan ang business niyo.”
(Don’t be afraid to start a business. A lot of people are saying that we shouldn’t start a business during a pandemic. In our program. It’s our pleasure to help you start your own business.)
*Hope*
One of the program’s beneficiaries was coal and rice vendor Fredielyn Garcia of Bugalion, Pangasinan. She said she used the cash aid to start a small rice and coal business.
“Wag po tayo mawalan ng pag-asa. Lagi lang po tayo manalig sa Diyos. Maraming tutulong po sa atin,” she said.
(Let’s not lose hope. Let’s always have faith in God. Many will come to help us.)
In Baguio, visual artist Bienvenido Villaluna said he and his fellow artists were deeply affected by the pandemic due to a decline in clients and difficulty in acquiring art materials.
“As an artist, yung epekto ng pandemic na ito, parang kang sinasakal. Para matuluyan ka na,” he said.
“Gagamitin ko yun (cash aid) sa mga paintings since yan ang kinakabuhay ko. Makakabili na ako ng pintura. ‘Tas yung mga lumang brush, mapapalitan ko na,” he said.
(As an artist, it felt like the pandemic was choking us. It felt as if it wanted to finish us. Now, I will use this cash aid on my paintings since they are my source of income. I will now be able to buy paint and replace my old brushes.) ####
