Siquijor residents receive cash, rice aid

MANILA, Philippines — Residents of Siquijor yesterday received P1,000 cash and a 25-kilogram sack of rice each as part of the Cash and Rice Distribution (CARD) program.

The CARD program is a project of Speaker Martin Romualdez and Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, which responds to President Marcos’ challenge to provide free rice and financial aid to Filipinos.

“Rice is a staple in every Filipino’s diet. No Filipino meal is complete without rice. That is why we at the House of Representatives have gone to great lengths to ensure that this staple remains within the reach of the common Filipino,” Romualdez said during the CARD program launching in Siquijor, where 3,000 beneficiaries received aid.

Beneficiaries include senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents and indigenous peoples.

Romualdez said the House has done everything to make rice affordable, with hearings to probe hoarding and visiting warehouses and public markets.

“There are exploitative sectors profiting from and taking advantage of Filipinos’ need for rice, resulting in artificial price hikes. We can punish them but it would not ensure there would be rice on the dining table,” he added.

Romualdez thanked the Department of Social Welfare and Development for spearheading the project’s implementation, which is under DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program.

The CARD program was simultaneously launched last year in Biñan City and Sta. Rosa in Laguna and Metro Manila, covering all of Manila’s legislative districts with 10,000 beneficiaries each for a total of 330,000 residents.