CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA 7) — The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) recently held the ‘Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair’ in the City of Naga, Cebu, which gathered several government agencies to deliver their assistance for informal sectors such as job order workers, market vendors, construction workers, farmers and fishermen.
Benny Villaver, a 76-year-old tricycle driver from Talisay City, was one of the 8,114 beneficiaries who received the P5,000 financial assistance under the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Villaver shared how the assistance will help his family amid the challenges posed by the rising gasoline prices and the popularity of ride-hailing services that affect his income.
“Lisod ang pangita tungod kay daghan ang aduna na’y cellphone nga pwedeng makakuha og mga pasahero,” Villaver said.
(Earning an income is difficult because there is now an app where passengers can book rides using their cellphones.)
Villaver shared that he will be using the cash aid to buy groceries and maintenance medicines for his wife who suffers from diabetes.
AKAP is an offshoot of DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) to help individuals and families who are classified as low-income and minimum wage earners, primarily those who are vulnerable to the economic inflation or increasing basic commodities.
DSWD-7 assistant regional director for administration Tonyson Luther Lee led the distribution to over 8,000 beneficiaries from the cities of Carcar, Naga, and Talisay and the municipalities of Minglanilla, San Fernando, and Sibonga.
“With over 8,000 beneficiaries of the P40.5 million worth of financial assistance, we hope we made an impact on the lives of people in Cebu amid the increasing prices of commodities,” Lee said.
DSWD also set up a Public Information and Complaints Desk to handle inquiries from the participants on the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
To date, DSWD-7 has distributed cash assistance to 40,858 individuals and food packs to 8,662 individuals during the ‘Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair’ of O
PAV. (JJT/PIA 7 Cebu reports from the DSWD Region 7)
