Romualdez lauds community pantry project for Mayon evacuees

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Friday lauded the office of Albay 3rd District Rep. Fernando “Didi” Cabredo for his plans to set up a “community pantry” for the evacuees in the province who have been affected by the continued restiveness of Mayon Volcano.

Thr Speaker’s office was informed that Cabredo will use the P500,000 financial assistance he received from Speaker Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre to set up to community pantry, which the Albay solon will dub “Community Pantry nina Speaker and Cong Didi”.

“It’s very heartwarming to see the return of the community pantry during this situation in Albay. Community pantries symbolized malasakit (compassion) and hope for Filipinos during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. I am happy and humbled to serve as an instrument of this laudable initiative that would benefit the evacuees,” Speaker Romualdez said.

As restrictions brought about by the pandemic stripped many Filipinos of their livelihood, kind-hearted citizens set up tables and filled it with canned goods, fresh produce, water, toiletries, and other basic necessities. People could freely take whatever items they needed for that given day. Thus, the community pantry was born.

“We learned that Cong. Cabredo intends to buy vegetables from farmers affected by Mayon’s outbursts and give these away for free to evacuees via the planned community pantry. This is definitely worth emulating as it would maximize the number of people who would benefit from this initiative,” the Speaker said.

Cabredo’s district wasn’t the only one that received P500,000 in cash assistance from the Speaker and Tingog Party-list; the same amount was turned over the offices of Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman and 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda.

The three lawmakers also received P500,000 worth of relief goods from Speaker Romualdez from his personal disaster relief fund.

Meanwhile, Speaker Romualdez also reported that it has already endorsed to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) the release of P10 million for Salceda’s constituents via the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) cash-for-work program.

Salceda made this request earlier this week even as he said that the Mayon situation could be “protracted”. Thousands have been displaced by the volcano’s ongoing rumblings. The Office of Speaker Romualdez and Tingog Party-list had put together an assistance package consisting of P1 million (P500,000 in cash and P500,000 worth of relief packs) from Romualdez and Tingog, plus P10 million worth of payouts from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program. This total to P33 million.