Solon says 19th Congress remains focused on uplifting poor

Batasang Pambansa plenary. —MALACAÑANG FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Helping and uplifting the poor is among the priority of the 19th Congress under the leadership of House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

In a recent House interview, Ako Bicol and House Appropriations Chairman Rep. Elizaldy Co said helping families get out of poverty is among the primary concern of the House leadership.

“Pagbukas pa lang ng 19th Congress last July, sinabi na sa akin ni Speaker Romualdez na tutukan ang pag-ahon ng mga mahihirap na kababayan dahil ito nga din ang gusto ng Marcos administration,” Co said.

(When the 19th Congress opened in July, Speaker Romualdez told me to focus on uplifting our poor countrymen because this is what the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants.)

“For this reason, ilang bilyon ang ipinalaan ni Speaker Romualdez sa 2023 national budget para sa social services ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), at Department of Health (DOH),” the lawmaker said.

Although Co did not provide a breakdown on how much funds they allocated to DSWD for Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) by DOLE, and Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients (MAIP) by DOH, it is believed to be enough to help the poor Filipinos.

The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee explained that the country has come out of the pandemic so they are aware of the hardships the countrymen have gone through.

“Speaker Romualdez wants this congress to focus on the needs of our poor. Yung bang may malalapitan sila sa oras ng kanilang pangangailangan at mabibigyan talaga sila ng sapat na tulong ng gobyerno [That they have someone they can run to in times of need and that they will get the genuine assistance from the government],” he concluded.

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