CITY OF TANAUAN, Batangas — A total of 150 sari-sari store owners from the cities of Tanauan and Lipa, Batangas received P3,500 in cash aid each under former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano’s Sari-Saring Pag-Asa (SSP) program, Saturday.
In a short speech during the program on September 25, Cayetano said the country’s sari-sari store owners are as important as the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in keeping the economy afloat.
“Alam niyo, ang [mga] sari-sari store at [mga] microenterprise, kasama ang mga OFWs, ang bumubuhay sa ating ekonomiya. Ngayon, kami naman ang kailangan niyo,” Cayetano said.
He said the program does not only aim to provide sari-sari store owners with a one-time payout, but also make them a part of a community where they can share ideas and resources, and help each other out.
“D’un po sa inyo na willing maging bahagi ng community, lahat naman halos may cellphone o laptop, gusto namin ni Congresswoman Lani [na] makapagbuo kami ng iba’t ibang community kasi may mga kausap kami na kapag bulto ang bibilhin sa kanila, mas mura,” Cayetano addressed the bene-ficiaries.
Cayetano and his wife Taguig 2nd District Rep. Ma. Laarni “Lani” Cayetano were joined by Batangas 2nd District Rep. Raneo “Ranie” Abu, Batangas 3rd District Rep. Ma. Theresa “Maitet” Collantes, and former Batangas 3rd District Rep. Nelson “Sonny” Collantes.
The SSP program is the brainchild of Cayetano and his wife Rep. Lani Cayetano, which provides struggling sari-sari store owners with P3,500 – P2,500 for restocking and P1,000 for meeting their family’s basic needs.
The program complements Cayetano’s weekly Sampung Libong Pag-Asa initiative, which was based on the 10K Ayuda Bill proposed in the House. Both programs provide cash assistance to Filipino families and small businesses to help them and their communities recover from the pandemic.-.| – BNN
