Mandaue gov’t’s food for work program: Free rice for cleaning surroundings

FOUR kilos of free rice in a month for indigent families in Mandaue City in exchange for ensuring the cleanliness of their surroundings.

This is the condition for those in the marginalized sector to avail of the free monthly rice aid of the Mandaue City government’s Food for Work program.

Jessie Perez, City Social Welfare and Services (CSWS) head, said that the Food for Work program had been designed to cushion the impact of the increasing prices of basic commodities by providing those in the marginalized sector with free four kilos of rice.

“Dili kaayo siya dako nga tabang, but somehow makatabang siya sa atong poorest of the poor sa atong barangay (It is not that big of an assistance but somehow it could help the poorest of the poor in our barangays),” Perez said.

He said that they had started distributing free rice to indigent families in Barangays Tipolo, Umapad, Cambaro and Ibabao – Estancia in Mandaue City last September.

Perez also said that the distribution of the free rice would be twice a month with two kilos every bi-monthly distribution.

He also said that the first distribution of free rice would be to inform them of the program, the next distribution and release of the free two kilos of rice to these families in the marginalized sector would depend on their efforts to maintain cleanliness in their surroundings.

He said that they had people who would inspect the areas of these indigent families to make sure that these beneficiaries were complying with the condition of the Food for Work program.

“We would rather ask them na mag-clean sila sa ilang house aron mahatagan og rice assistance ngadto sa mga constituents,” he said.

He said that putting such condition would remind them of their responsibility to clean their areas.

He also said that the barangays would be tasked to determine if the indigent families who would avail of the program were residents of the city.

He said the beneficiaries would be checked in the barangay if they would qualify as those from the marginalized sector — their living condition and where they live.

The health coordinator of the city and the CSWS social worker would also check the list if they would be qualified to avail of the program.