By Brian Campued
A total of 2,645 residents in Valenzuela City received 10 kilograms of rice on Tuesday under First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos’ “Mula sa Puso Para sa Pamilya” initiative, ending June with the 7-day rollout of the rice aid program in Metro Manila.
The program benefited senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and members of the Pederasyon ng mga Samahan para sa Pabahay at Kaunlaran sa Valenzuela (PESAPakava), who, despite inclement weather, gathered at six simultaneous distribution sites across the city, with the main venue at the City Hall Amphitheater.
During the event, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, represented the First Lady, who led the inaugural National LGBTQIA+ Gathering 2026 in Intramuros, Manila on the same day.
This followed a similar activity in San Juan City on Monday and last week’s 5-day rollout in Manila and Quezon City, bringing relief to vulnerable families struggling with the rising cost of basic commodities.
In San Juan, around 4,400 senior citizens received the second wave of rice assistance, while the remaining recipients are scheduled to receive theirs within the week. A total of 8,898 senior citizens in the city are beneficiaries of the program.
The First Lady thanked the city government for partnering with the national government in bringing services closer to communities and called on Filipinos to remain united.
“Sama-sama po tayo sa Bagong Pilipinas… At the end of the day, lahat tayo ay iisa. Sama-sama tayong babangon muli,” she said.
Under the Bawat Bayan Makikinabang Rice Distribution program, each beneficiary will receive 10 kilograms of rice in four distribution waves this year.
The rice assistance was funded through the Local Government Support Fund, with the concerned local government purchasing the rice directly from local farmers.
-jpv
