700,000 families in Manila to get monthly food subsidy during pandemic

Workers unload boxes containing food for distribution under the Manila COVID-19 Food Security Program. (Photo from the Manila Public Information Office)

MANILA, Philippines — Some 700,000 families in Manila will get a monthly food subsidy during the pandemic under the COVID-19 Food Security Program (FSP) launched recently by Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.

The subsidy includes 3 kilograms of rice, 16 canned goods, and eight sachets of coffee. About P3 billion has already been allocated for the program.

“We will strive that no family in this city will go hungry,” Moreno said in Filipino. “In Manila, we will all eat. It may be a bold dream, but we are avoiding the inevitable. And I hope the suffering of citizens will not come in the months ahead.”

The mayor also took the opportunity to assure the public that the ongoing housing projects of the city would continue despite the pandemic.

The monthly food subsidy for each family includes 3 kilograms of rice, 16 canned goods, and eight sachets of coffee. (Photo from the Manila Public Information Office)

“We will continue to achieve our goal, aspirations, and visions while other concerns can wait,” he said. “So whatever we do, big or small, we will make sure that people will benefit from it. In the City of Manila, the people come first. That’s what our direction will be in 2021.”

[atm]