PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s sister Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios “Imee” Marcos visited Consolacion town, northern Cebu on Monday, June 6, 2022, to distribute cash aid and packs of “Nutribun” to residents there.
Imee, the older sister of the president-elect, was accompanied by local officials led by Consolacion Mayor-elect Teresa Alegado and officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) when she made her visit.
The senator’s visit coincided with the distribution of cash aid to 400 beneficiaries of DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (Aics) program.
In an interview with reporters, Marcos said she is eyeing to expanding the Aics cash distribution to more vulnerable sectors, especially those who were not covered with the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.
“Ang trabaho ko po ay mangulit sa DSWD to make sure na mababahagian talaga yung mga pinaka vulnerable sectors in the marginalized communities kaya po tayo andito.Alam naman po natin na mayroon issue ang DSWD na ipinamamahagi lamang ang ayuda doon sa 4Ps families na suki na nila,” Marcos said.
“Minsan yung mga yun ay medyo guminhawa na at yung mga ibang nangangailangan talaga di na bibigyan. Kaya tayo po ay nakikiusap na bigyan sana yung totoong mahirap,” she added, stressing that the Aics cash assistance should be equally distributed to indigenous families that really deserve the help.
Marcos also said she would propose to the Senate the expansion of the assistance nationwide to reach those who really need it the most.
Aics is a government program that serves as a social safety net or stop-gap measure to support the recovery of indigenous individuals and families suffering from unexpected life events or crises.
The program started in 2014 and was revised in 2019 to complement the social amelioration program to sustain the basic necessities of the families severely affected by both health and socio- economic problems.
So far, about 7,000 individuals nationwide have benefitted from the Aics cash assistance, most are from the National Capital Region, said DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista.
Nutribun
Aside from giving cash aid, the senator also provided free lunch to the beneficiaries, including packs of “Nutribun,” a bread product introduced by the senator’s late father, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. when he ruled the country as President in the 1970s. The Nutribun became a hot topic during the campaign of the president-elect, who vowed to include it back in the government’s feeding programs as a way to promote proper nutrition.
The Nutribun is actually a part of the United States Agency for International Development’s Food for Peace program from 1971 to 1997, which aimed to counter the growing rate of malnutrition back then.
Senator Marcos said that aside from Consolacion, she will also visit Barangays Mabolo and Tisa in Cebu City, as well as other areas in the northern and southern parts of the province to distribute aid.
She also thanked the Cebuanos who played a big part in helping her brother win the presidency.
Cebu Province (including the highly urbanized cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu) is the most vote-rich among the country’s 81 provinces with its 3,288,778 registered voters, and 1,515,812 of those voted for Marcos while 1,772,999 voted for his running mate and vice president-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio.