To help revive the Bicolanos’ sources of livelihood that were heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the office of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano distributed assistance to hundreds of members of the Legazpi City Public Market Association and Banquerohan Farmers Association on Friday under the senator’s Presyo-Trabaho-Kita/Kaayusan (PTK) Program.
In partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the PTK program distributed P2,500 in cash aid each to almost 300 members of the Legazpi City Public Market Association and the Banquerohan Farmers Association at the Legazpi City Convention Center on March 3, 2023.
Femy Ludovice Blanquisco, president of the Legazpi City Public Market Association, said multiple market stalls had been forced to close during the pandemic. She thanked the senator for his concern to small business owners like them who need the government’s support to sustain their livelihood.
“Noong pandemic, nabuwag kami dahil nagsara ang aming mga tindahan at negosyo kaya malaking tulong sa aming vendors itong dagdag puhunan para makaangat, makabangon, at makaiwas sa pag-utang,” Blanquisco said during the PTK handover of assistance.
Maria Valladolid, president of the Banquerohan Farmers Association, said as the PTK program has aided them in the past, this new tranche of assistance would surely enable the group to grow amid difficult times.
“Nilalabanan namin ang kahirapan kasi nandyan si Senator Alan, sumusuporta sa amin,” she told the PTK team.
The Banquerohan Farmers Association, composed of 283 coconut farmers and 209 rice farmers, first received seed capital from PTK in 2015, which they used to fund its own loan program with five percent interest.
The fund was used by members to buy fertilizer and food for their families, and some were even able to pay their children’s tuition.
Cayetano’s PTK program is a 10-year-old initiative in which existing and new sectoral cooperatives are given seed capital in multiple tranches so they can help their members grow their small businesses and provide cash aid to members during crises.
Sari-saring Pag-asa
Also this week, another program of Cayetano — the Sari-saring Pag-Asa Program (SSP) — provided assistance to more than a thousand Bicolano sari-sari store owners with their daily needs and to enable them to expand their small businesses.
In a province-wide handover from February 27 to March 2, 2023, Cayetano’s team gave assistance to at least 1,400 sari-sari store owners in various areas in Oas, Legazpi City, and Tiwi, Albay. These events were done in coordination with local government officials and in partnership with DSWD through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Program.
Under the SSP, which is Cayetano’s flagship program for budding business owners, the store owners received help in the form of P3,500 in cash aid each and a booklet explaining the program and giving tips on how they can grow their business.
The SSP distribution was done with the help of Albay Governor Edcel “Grex” Lagman, Legazpi City Mayor Carmen Geraldine “Gie” Rosal, Legazpi City Councilor Joseph Philip Lee, Tiwi Mayor Jaime Villanueva, Oas Mayor Ging Escoto, and Iraya Norte Barangay Captain Greggy Ricarte.
They expressed gratitude for the help Cayetano has provided for the Bicolanos.
“Sa ating butihing senador – Senator Kuya Alan Cayetano – sa binigay ninyong SSP dito sa bayan ng Oas, ako po ay nagpapasalamat in behalf sa aming constituents sa inyong programa. Sana po ay marami pa pong programa na maibigay sa aming bayan,” Oas Mayor Ging Escoto said.
“Malaking tulong po ito para sa ating small businesses para lalo pong madagdagan ang kanilang kapital at lalo na po pandagdag sa kanilang mga negosyo. Thank you very much to Senator Alan from the city government,” Legazpi City Councilor Joseph Philip Lee said.
