USWAG Ilonggo Partylist Congressman James “Jojo” Ang Jr., alongside Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., who also serves as the Regional Chairman of Uswag Ilonggo, Iloilo 2nd District Congressman Michael Gorriceta, and Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, led the distribution of over P30 million in financial assistance to 13,500 residents of Iloilo City and Iloilo province during a two-day payout event on August 21-22 at the Iloilo Sports Complex.
The event was attended by Senator Francis Tolentino, Congresswoman Camille Villar, DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr., and PNP Chief Police General Rommel Marbil.
The beneficiaries, including 12,000 from Iloilo City and 1,500 from the province, received aid through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) and Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP). The financial assistance ranged from P2,000 to P3,000.
The AICS program offers financial support for medical, burial, transportation, education, and other urgent needs, while the AKAP program targets individuals classified as “near poor,” aiming to prevent them from falling below the poverty line.
“This payout is part of our usual efforts, but what makes it different is the venue we’ve chosen. We needed a larger space than usual, so we opted for the sports complex, which can accommodate 7,000 to 8,000 people,” Ang said in an interview.
He emphasized the ongoing commitment of USWAG Ilonggo to support those in need, regardless of the political calendar.
“We’re committed to helping the Ilonggos as much as we can. For the province, we focused on areas close to the city this time so that we wouldn’t have to travel to each municipality. There is no discrimination here; we prioritize those who need it the most. As long as we have the funds, we will give it back to the people. This is the people’s money, and it should be returned to them,” Ang stated.
In addition to financial aid, the event featured an exciting raffle, offering beneficiaries a chance to win various prizes, including food packs, household items, and even motorcycles.
Local officials, including Iloilo City Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon, Raisa Treñas, city councilors, and other dignitaries, were also in attendance.
Beneficiaries expressed their gratitude for the aid, noting how the assistance would ease their daily struggles.
Bonavie Barios, a 42-year-old resident of Iloilo City, shared that the aid would help her provide an allowance for her niece and serve as additional capital for her small business.
Ricky Gregorio, a 47-year-old hardware store worker from Legaspi in Iloilo City, highlighted the importance of the assistance, saying, “This financial assistance is a big help; I will use this to buy rice for my family.”
Karen, a 33-year-old mother from Santa Barbara, also expressed her appreciation, saying, “I will use this assistance to buy milk for my child. We just recently got out of the hospital, so this is a great help.”
