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The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and House of Representatives (HOR) will lead the distribution of rice and financial aid to at least 2.5 million “poorest of the poor” Filipinos in the next two weeks.
The distribution of rice and financial assistance under the “Malaya Rice Project” will begin in Metro Manila, in collaboration with the region’s 33 lawmakers and the DSWD’s Field Office-National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR), DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications and spokesperson Romel Lopez said on Friday, Oct. 6.
“The DSWD FO-NCR social workers will be the ones to distribute the rice and cash aid through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the department,” Lopez said in a statement.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Speaker Martin Romualdez have agreed that the 33 Metro Manila lawmakers will identify 10,000 indigent residents per congressional district who are eligible for rice assistance, including senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disabilities.
Each beneficiary will receive P1,000 and 15 kilos of rice worth P500 to P600, with the process expected to take less than a month, Romualdez said as quoted at a news conference on Thursday.
In addition to Metro Manila, the project will be implemented in Metro Cebu, Davao, and other highly urbanized areas where poor people are in need of assistance.
With over 250 legislative districts in the country, DSWD said the initial target of 10,000 recipients per district will benefit at least 2.5 million Filipinos during the first round of the rice distribution and cash aid project. — Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
