Cayetano: Act in faith as we help fellow Filipinos hit by Odette

Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday urged Filipinos to act in faith in response to the havoc wrought by super typhoon Odette last week.

“Nakikiramay kami sa lahat po ng tinamaan ng Odette… Let us all act in faith para po makatulong sa ating mga kababayan, ” Cayetano said in a Facebook livestream on December 21, 2021.

(We mourn with those who have been affected by Odette… Let us all act in faith so we can help our fellow Filipinos.)

“We are also doing our own coordination,” Cayetano, who has been pushing for a faith-based and values-oriented leadership in the country, said.

“Pag-pray po natin na lahat po ay ma-contact, at magkaroon ng daan o magkaroon po ng access, hindi lang sa communication, pero sa pagkain, tubig, kuryente, at lahat ng kailangan nila,” he said, noting that he and his team are arranging ways in order to give aid to affected areas.

(Let’s pray that we will be able to contact everyone, that roads will be cleared, and that there will be accessible not only by land, but also access through communications and other basic utilities like food, water, and electricity.)

Typhoon Odette made its first landfall in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte on Thursday, December 16.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Disaster Response and Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) said on December 20 that 1,805,005 people or 452,307 families were affected by Odette, with 109,914 families staying in 2,481 evacuation centers.

The national government on December 19 pledged to provide P2 billion in aid to affected areas, according to President Rodrigo Duterte.

The typhoon exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) after leaving a trail of devastation in Visayas and some parts of Mindanao.

Sari-saring Pag-asa

The typhoon notwithstanding, Cayetano has been continuing his Sari-saring Pag-asa program to help change the lives of sari-sari store owners whose small businesses have been affected by the pandemic.

“Tuloy-tuloy po ang pakikilaban natin, ang atin pong struggle, to convince the government to put more funds na direct financial aid. Nagbubunga naman po ito, hindi exactly in the way we want, but that’s part of the struggle naman,” he said.

(We’ll continue to fight the struggle to convince the government to put more funds for direct financial aid. This bore fruit, albeit not in the way we want, but that’s part of the struggle.)

Cayetano has been pushing for a P10,000 direct stimulus to aid Filipinos during the pandemic. It is with this advocacy in mind that his twin programs “Sampung Libong Pag-asa” and “Sari-saring Pag-asa” were brought to life.

The December 21, 2021 episode of the Sari-saring Pag-asa program featured Quezon City resident Elizabeth Matabang, a mother of four and a sari-sari store owner.

“Ang kinikita namin maghapon, P3,000, (We earn P3,000 throughout the day)” Matabang said, recalling that what used to be a P6,000 income before the pandemic has been cut in half.

When Matabang was chosen as one of the beneficiaries of the program on October 30, 2021, she took the opportunity to use financial aid to restock her small sari-sari store.

“Noong nadagdagan na ng binigay sakin ni Senator Alan Cayetano, medyo tumaas nang kaunti…Blessing y’ung binigay sa akin ni Senator Alan Cayetano,” she said, noting that with the financial aid, her store now earns P5,000 a day.

(When I received aid from Senator Alan Cayetano, my income increased….It really is a blessing.)

“Y’un lang ang masasabi ko sa lahat ng kagaya kong may tindahan – tiyaga, sipag, at saka kaunting lambing sa mga customer,” Matabang said, addressing her fellow sari-sari store owners who have been similarly affected by the pandemic.

(That’s all I can impart to my fellow small business owners – hard work, perseverance, and rapport with your customers.)

The Sari-saring Pag-asa program provides P3,500 in cash aid to selected sari-sari store owners across the country to help them replenish their items amid the pandemic. As of writing, 9,241sari-sari store owners have benefitted from the program.####