Selected owners of sari-sari stores and poor working students here on Tuesday received cash assistance from the office of Taguig–Pateros’s 1st District Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano.

Twenty owners of sari-sari stores received PHP3,500 each while 20 indigent working students received PHP10,000 each as financial aid coursed through the office of Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne Baronda.

“We thank former Speaker Alan Cayetano for always remembering the Ilonggos. What he gave them today is a big help to the recipients and their families as they struggle to survive this pandemic,” Baronda said in her message during the distribution.

She added that when Cayetano was still the House Speaker, he always included Iloilo City in his programs and projects.

During the pandemic, he also coursed through Baronda’s office funds for the purchase of assistance to front-liners.

The sari-sari store owners were chosen through a validation that was conducted in barangays while only working or self-supporting students qualified for the support.

“He always has a heart for working students,” she added.

Baronda’s office has been facilitating the provision of assistance to various sectors affected by the pandemic.

Last week she met with the Ilonggo HipHop Artists Association who lost their job and discuss the possibility of helping them overcome the challenges brought about by the pandemic. (PNA)