DSWD, HOR to distribute rice, cash aid to 2.5 million poor Filipinos in next 2 weeks

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

The DSWD said the handing out of rice and financial aid will kick off in the National Capital Region in partnership with 33 lawmakers from NCR and the DSWD's Field Office-National Capital Region, according to DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez.

"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 program of the Department," Lopez, who is also a DSWD spokesperson, said during the Weekend Report aired live in DSWD's Facebook account.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez met and agreed that the 33 NCR lawmakers will identify 10,000 indigent residents per congressional district who are eligible to receive rice assistance, which includes 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 taking less than a month, according to the Speaker.

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

"Hindi ito one-shot deal. So this will be part of the program again, hand-in-hand with the DSWD using the AICS. And once it is successful, and I'm confident that it will be… we'll be able to replicate this and do further successive rounds of this," Romualdez explained.

Aside from the NCR, the "Malaya Rice Project" will also be implemented in Metro Cebu, Davao, and other highly urbanized areas where there are poor people in need of assistance.

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 during the first round of the joint DSWD-HOR rice distribution and cash aid project.