By Chito Chavez
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said on Wednesday that the number of food packs distributed to local residents went past the two million mark with several hundred thousands more to be given away before the third wave of distribution.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte
(Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte official Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN)
“As of latest tally, the city government, excluding those given out by our barangays, has distributed more than two million food packs as assistance amid the enhanced community quarantine,” said Belmonte.
“This is a testament of the city’s commitment to provide for its residents as we do our best to deal with the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),” she added.
Belmonte said the city government initially provided more than 500,000 food packs to indigent residents during the start of the quarantine period.
But despite this, some local residents continued to grumble complaining that their neighboring barangays got more sets of food packs from the city government.
Others complained about the late deliveries of the food packs that further exacerbated their burden as the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was extended to April 30.
Belmonte warned barangay officials that charges will be filed against them if they fail to distribute or pilfer the contents of the food packs.
In past interviews, Belmonte explained the food packs of the barangays vary in quantity and quality of the contents depending on their cash liquidity or spending capacity.
With the huge tally of distressed residents, Belmonte saw the need to increase the number of food packs to 950,000 for its second and third batches to cover more members of the informal sector, street dwellers, boarders, renters, stranded people in the city, and even households from the middle income sector.
“The local government spent around P1.1 billion to provide food packs for indigent residents and another P700 million for those not included in the barangays’ original list of indigent constituents. This includes the middle class, as well as renters, boarders and people stranded in our city during the lockdown” Belmonte explained.
She thanked city hall employees, volunteers, barangay officials and other sectors for their help in the packing and distribution of food packs.
“It has been a challenge, but because of the help of our employees, volunteers, barangay officials and tapped sectors like those jeepney and tricycle drivers who helped us prepare and pack, we were able to deliver these basic needs to our residents,” Belmonte said.
At the same time, Belmonte called on residents who have yet to receive food packs from the city government to approach their respective barangay captains for assistance.
“Batay sa ating numero, dapat nakatanggap na ng dalawa o tatlong food packs ang bawat pamilya sa lungsod na nangangailangan. Kung mayroon man na hindi pa nakatanggap, mabuting lumapit sila sa barangay,” Belmonte said.
(Based on our numbers, each needy family in the city should have received two or three food packs. If there are any who have not received, it is better for them to go to the barangay).