A total of 52,400 senior citizens in Nueva Ecija’s first congressional district received financial assistance amid the pandemic.
The aid came from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the family of 1st District Rep. Estrellita Suansing.
Suansing, who personally supervised the distribution of P1,000 to every senior citizen at the municipal gym in Licab, said their family beefed up the fund to make sure the program called “Malasakit sa Kapwa” could reach all needy elderly people.
“Senior citizens are the ones who need protection, such as vitamins, medicines for their maintenance.”
“Lalung-lalo na ito mga senior citizens dahil sila ‘yung nangangailangan ng proteksyon –vitamins, gamot, pang-maintenance nila (Especially the senior citizens because they are the ones who need protection, such as vitamins, medicines for their maintenance),” the legislator said.
Of the recipients, 13,000 were from the municipality of Guimba; 12,000 from Talavera; 6,500 each from the towns of Sto. Domingo, Aliaga, and Cuyapo; 3,000 each from Licab and Zaragoza; and 1,900 from Nampicuan.
Upon the initiative of her daughter Mika, the lawmaker said they are also extending assistance in the form of grocery packs to teachers, market vendors, persons with disability (PWDs) and single parents.
“I also plan to give assistance to tricycle drivers.”
“Balak ko rin na magbigay mga ayuda sa mga tricycle drivers kasi hindi lumalabas yung ating mga kababayan kaya wala silang masyadong kita (I also plan to give assistance to tricycle drivers because they don’t come out to work so they don’t have much income),” she said.
Meanwhile, Suansing called on senior citizens to get vaccinated against COVID-19.