ANGELES CITY – Senator Imee Marcos said the rising acquisition of petrol products in the oil producing countries was inadvertently pushing high cost of basic commodities in the country affecting the lives of the lowly Filipinos.
“Hindi maipagkakaila and hirap ng buhay ngayon,” said Sen. Marcos citing the ever increasing price of petrol in the country.
Senator Marcos visited Barangay Pampang, Angeles City on Wednesday morning to distribute Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) along with Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. and representatives of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Marcos said we had no control on the prices of basic commodities. “Kakain ka pero ang mga presyo wala naman tayong control. Tataas na naman ang presyo ng gasolina P2 noong nakaraang linggo,” said Senator Marcos.
Marcos later left for Baliwag, Bulacan where she is also distributed cash assistance to selected indigents along with DSWD.
Some 1,447 indigent Angeleños have received P3,000 assistance each from the DSWD on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, during distribution of medical and cash aid in Barangay Pampang.
Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. and Senator Imee Marcos, took part in the distribution of cash assistance.
The project is part of DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS).
The 1,447 indigents comprised the second batch of beneficiaries from the said DSWD assistance. On November 2022, Sen. Marcos and Mayor Lazatin led the distribution of AICS to the first batch of 1,063 Angeleños at The Infinity grounds in Barangay Pulung Maragul.
“Huli po tayong binisita ni Senator Marcos noong Nobyembre 2022, kung saan 1,063 beneficiaries ang nakatanggap ng tulong mila sa AICS program, na nagkakahalaga ng ₱3.2 million,” Mayor Lazatin recalled.
Furthermore, the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center has also received ₱1 million worth of Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients (MAIP) thru the initiative of Sen. Marcos. “Napakahalaga po ng ginagampanang tungkulin ng RLMMC sa paghahatid ng health services lalo na sa ating mga maralitang kababayan,” Lazatin stated.
“Kung mabibisita po ninyo ang hospital, sana po ay maantig ang inyong kabutihang puso na matulungan kami sa pagpapalaki ng hospital, para po mas marami pang mapagsilbihan na pasyente,” Mayor Lazatin added.
Meanwhile, a total of 1,000 malnourished kids including those who were already cleared from malnourishment and have normal weight received food packs from the city government. Mayor Lazatin thanked Sen. Marcos and the DSWD for allotting cash assistance for his indigent kababayans.
“Buong puso po akong nagpapasalamat sa ating butihing Senadora sa kanyang walang sawang pagbibigay ng tulong sa ating mahal na siyudad,” Lazatin said.
The distribution of aid will be held at Barangay Pampang Covered Court. Expected to attend the event includes Association of Barangay Captains President Danilo Nacu; Barangay Pampang Captain Carlos Dela Cruz; Chief Adviser IC Calaguas; Secretary to the Mayor Raffy Lazatin Angeles; Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel; City Social Welfare and Development Officer Edna Duaso; Gender and Development Officer Mina Cabiles; City Tourism Officer Anneleen Antonio-Sugui; Angeles City Economic Development and Investment Promotions Officer Irish Bonus-Llego; Quality Management System Head Chrysalene Cunanan; and Information and Communication Technology Division Chief Michael Lising.
The AICS program is a social safety net or a stop-gap mechanism to support the recovery of individuals and families from unexpected crisis such as illness or death of a family member, and other crisis situations.