Manda residents shine with rice aid

A total of 3,100 beneficiaries from vulnerable households in Mandaluyong City received 10 kilos of rice each under First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos’ “Mula sa Puso Para sa Pamilya” initiative on Friday.

The rice distribution forms part of the First Lady’s socio-civic program

in support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s flagship “Sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” initiative.

Funded through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), the program benefited residents of all 27 city barangays, including 2,000 senior citizens, 1,000 members of jeepney and tricycle operators and drivers associations, and 100 children with disabilities.

Addressing the beneficiaries, the First Lady conveyed President Marcos’s message of gratitude and affection for the people of Mandaluyong while acknowledging the continuing economic challenges faced by many Filipino families.

“I was sent here to deliver his message that he loves all of you,” Mrs. Marcos said.

The First Lady recalled how the support Mandaluyong residents showed during a difficult period in the President’s political career left a lasting impression on their family.

“I remember when my husband ran for vice president and lost. When we went to Cebu afterward, everyone from Mandaluyong stood up and applauded. We couldn’t help but cry. That’s why we love Mandaluyong,” she said.

Relief even temporarily

Recognizing that the rice assistance was a modest contribution, the First Lady expressed hope that it would help ease the burden of the beneficiaries, even for a few days.

“I know these are difficult times. We cannot eradicate poverty 100 percent. But I hope this small rice assistance will, at the very least, help make things a little easier for the next couple of days,” she said.

As in previous distributions under the Mula sa Puso Para sa Pamilya initiative, beneficiaries also had a chance to win raffle prizes, including additional sacks of rice, rice cookers, digital television boxes, and television sets courtesy of the First Lady.

For 62-year-old Cora Tolores of Barangay Addition Hills, a Bantay Bayan volunteer and TODA member, the rice assistance will provide immediate relief to her household.

Tolores shared that she and her husband, a tricycle driver, are raising four grandchildren after their father died three years ago, making every peso count as prices of basic commodities continue to rise.

The Mula sa Puso Para sa Pamilya initiative continues to complement the Office of the President’s Bawat Bayan Makikinabang program by providing direct assistance to vulnerable communities nationwide, in line with the Marcos administration’s Bagong Pilipinas agenda.