2.5 million poorest of poor to get aid

Some 2.5 million of the poorest of the poor will receive rice and financial assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the House of Representatives within the next two weeks under the "Malaya Rice Project."

DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said the rice and financial aid distribution will kick off in the National Capital Region in a partnership between the DSWD's Field Office-National Capital Region and 33 lawmakers from the NCR.

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Speaker Martin Romualdez met and agreed that the 33 NCR lawmakers would identify 10,000 indigent residents per congressional district who are eligible to receive the rice assistance, including senior citizens, solo parents and persons with disabilities.

"FO-NCR social workers will distribute the rice and cash aid under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the department," Lopez, also DSWD spokesperson, said during the Weekend Report aired live on DSWD's Facebook account.

In a news conference on 5 October, Speaker Romualdez told House reporters the rice distribution is in line with the program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to bring affordable quality rice to the people, particularly those categorized as the "poorest of the poor."

"This is not a one-shot deal. This will be part of the program, hand-in-hand with the DSWD using the AICS. And once it is successful, and I'm confident it will be, we'll replicate it and do further successive rounds," Romualdez said.

According to the Speaker, each beneficiary will receive P1,000 and 15 kilos of rice worth P500 to P600, with the process taking less than a month.

Aside from the NCR, the "Malaya Rice Project" will be implemented in Metro Cebu, Davao and other highly urbanized areas.

With more than 250 legislative districts in the country, the initial target of 10,000 recipients for each district will benefit at least 2.5 million Filipinos in the first round of the rice and cash aid distribution project.