Senator Mark Villar assured Catandunganons of further assistance from his office and that of Sen. Cynthia Villar last week as he led the distribution of P5,000 cash assistance to 600 workers under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
In his brief remarks at the Catanduanes Convention Center last Aug. 1, 2024, the senator said he wants to know what projects are needed in the province, noting that the budgets of the local government units are not enough.
“I will fight for additional budgetary allocation from the national government,” Villar stated, adding that there is a need to help farmers through further interventions to assure the continued progress of the province.
Announcing that he will not be a candidate in the 2025 elections, he asked for the support of the people for his sister Camille, who is Las Pinas’s representative in Congress, so that Catanduanes will have another senator.
He thanked Governor Joseph Cua and Virac Mayor Samuel Laynes for making the aid distribution a reality for tricycle drivers, delivery riders and port workers.
Cua expressed gratitude for the gesture of Sen. Villar and his sibling in selecting Catanduanes as one of the beneficiaries of the AICS allocation from his office.
He remarked that the assistance is much appreciated by recipients as the island has also been hit by heavy rains in recent weeks.
For his part, Mayor Laynes lauded the senator as a silent achiever and described the aid distribution as a much-needed effort among government officials to ensure that no one among the population is underappreciated.
However, he pushed for long-term solutions, including advocating for fair wages, safe working environments, and providing access to social security and health benefits.
He thanked Villar for his initiative, citing his compassionate and responsive leadership as shown by the assistance that would somehow bring relief to the unsung heroes of the people’s daily lives.