Low-income families in Manila will receive monthly food subsidy from the city government through the Food Security Program (FSP), an initiative which seeks to alleviate the economic impact of the pandemic.

“May mga bagay na hindi na muna natin tutugunan pero ito’y iyong mga bagay na sa tingin kong makapaghihintay dahil naniniwala ako na ang tao ay may kumakalam na sikmura, ang kalsada’y wala. Uunahin na muna natin ang tao sa lungsod ng Maynila (There are things that we have to forego for now but these are projects that can wait because I believe that people are hungry. We will prioritize our constituents),” Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso said.

The city has allocated about PHP3 billion for the program, which seeks to benefit about 700,000 families monthly.

The food pack includes three kilos of rice, 16 pieces of canned goods, and eight sachets of coffee.

The first batch of food packs was delivered in some areas in Tondo on Wednesday.

“Pipilitin natin sa lungsod na walang pamilyang magugutom. Sa Maynila, kakain tayo. It may be a bold dream, but iniiwasan natin iyong inevitable at sana nga hindi dumating yung mga susunod na buwan ng kahirapan ng mamamayan (We will assure that nobody from the city gets hungry. In Manila, we have something to eat. It may be a bold dream but we are trying to avoid what is inevitable as we hope that the following months will not be that difficult),” he said.

With the FSP initiative, Domagoso expressed hopes that it will at least help low-income families curb hunger caused by the pandemic.

Meanwhile, aside from the FSP, Domagoso said the city’s ongoing housing projects will continue despite the pandemic as he assured his constituents that his administrations’ direction for 2021 will prioritize them. (PNA)