Over 28,000 Sultan Kudarat beneficiaries get rice aid, earns Romualdez “Mr. Rice” monicker

OVER 28,000 individuals in Sultan Kudarat on Sunday received more than 500,000 kilograms of rice, along with cash and food packs under the  revolutionary aid program of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. that seeks to provide assistance to the vulnerable sectors of society.

The assistance packages were distributed to the Sultan Kudarat beneficiaries through the Cash and Rice Distribution Program (CARD) and the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair held simultaneously in the province.

A joint project of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, the House of Representatives, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), CARD was crafted in response to President Marcos’ challenge to the Speaker to provide rice assistance to the poor delivered through legislative districts.

“Sa pamamagitan nito at iba pang programang pinatutupad ng pamahalaan, ipinaaabot ng ating mahal na Pangulong Bongbong Marcos Jr. ang kanyang malasakit sa mga kapwa niya Pilipino dito sa Mindanao – na kahit malayo man kayo, ay malapit pa din po kayo sa kanyang puso at isipan,” said Speaker Romualdez in his speech at the opening of the program held at the Sultan Kudarat State University in Tacurong City.

“Sa ilalim ng Bagong Pilipinas movement, wala pong maiiwan, lahat kasama sa pag-unlad,” he added.

Sultan Kudarat Governor Pax Mangudadatu thanked Speaker Romualdez for the service caravan and rice distribution programs in his province as he assured the solidarity of Sultan Kudarat people with Bagong Pilipinas under President Marcos and its vision for peaceful and progressive Philippines.

“Ito na po ang pinakamalaking distribution ng bigas sa kasaysayan ng aming probinsya, kaya kung mamarapatin po ninyo maliban sa Mr. Speaker, nais ko kayong tawaging Mr. Rice,” Mangudadatu said.

Around 18,000 individuals in the province received rice and cash package under CARD. Under the program, the DWSD identifies the beneficiaries and each will receive P2,000 worth of aid under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) broken down as follows: P1,000 as cash aid and P1,000 for a 25-kilogram sack of rice.

“We are grateful to the DSWD for cooperating in this program that benefits thousands of Filipinos, especially those who come from vulnerable sectors,” Speaker Romualdez said.

Speaker Romualdez noted that the CARD and and BPSF programs were crafted with the principle of equitable distribution in mind.

“Ang bigas ay buhay, at alam ito ng pamahalaan ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. Kaya naman tayo po ay nakaisip ng isang programang magbibigay ng bigas sa ating mga kababayan alinsunod sa kanyang naging hamon. At para sigurado na walang maiiwan, gagawin natin ito per district ng Kongreso,” said Speaker Romualdez, the leader of the 300-plus-strong House of Representatives.

As part of the PBSF service caravan, around 10,000 qualified individuals in the province also received 10 kilos of rice each, or a total of 100,000 kilograms, along with P700-worth of food packs..

“This is the value we place on rice distribution to the sectors who need them. Kasama na dito ang ating mga senior citizens, PWDs, solo parents at indigenous peoples (IPs), para maramdaman nila na nandito ang kanilang pamahalaan na handang tumulong sa lahat ng oras,” Romualdez, one of the primary proponents of the CARD Program, said.

“Makakaasa ang ating mga kababayan na patuloy pa tayong maghahanap ng programa at paraan para isabuhay ang adhikain ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. na maglunsad ng mga epektibong proyekto para matugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga mamamayan,” he added.

Initiated last year, the CARD program seeks to provide cash and rice assistance to qualified Filipino families, identified by legislative districts.

The pilot distribution was done in Metro Manila, covering all its 33 legislative districts, as well as in Biñan City and Sta. Rosa in Laguna.

Speaker Romualdez said the initiative is a response to the increasing rice prices and aims to support vulnerable Filipinos by providing them with affordable access to rice and essential cash assistance.

The program is envisioned with the twin benefit of not only boosting the purchasing power of the public but also serving as a strategic measure against hoarding and price manipulation of rice stocks.

The CARD Program represents a joint effort of government agencies to address the challenges of rising rice prices and promote economic stability for the benefit of the Filipino people.

Meanwhile, Speaker Romualdez, along with Gov. Mangudadatu, Rep. Princes Rihan Sakaluran and other lawmakers, also led the unveiling of the Romualdez building that would house the medical school at the Sultan Kudarat State University.