BALANGA CITY – Sen. Imee Marcos on Saturday visited Mariveles town and this city and witnessed the distribution of the expanded Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (e-AICS) in the amount of P3,000 for each beneficiary.
The senator addressed thousands of beneficiaries coming from Balanga City and the towns of Mariveles, Limay, Orion, and Pilar.
Ricky Gacayan, social welfare and development provincial team leader, said e-AICS is a project of the Department of Social Welfare and Development where 1,000 beneficiaries per town receive P3,000 each.
Gacayan said that for Orion and Pilar, only 500 beneficiaries for each town were handed Saturday P3,000 each while the rest of the 500 to be given in the next batch.
Afterwitnessing e-AICS distribution, Marcos answered some questions on onions, on the replacement of former President Gloria Arroyo as senior deputy speaker, and about the burnt main post office building in Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila.
She said she does not believe that the price of onions should be so high. “Hindi naman dapat nangyari iyon kasi di naman nangyayari sa Pilipinas yon. First time, so maliwanag na may nagmamanipula at yung media at iba pa ay talagang ipinahiwatig na kung saan yong mga smuggler, mga trader, mga bodega kaya kinakailangan pursigido ang ating DA at yung Customs kasi nakita natin may 13 kaso na yata na naka-file.”
“Sana tuloy-tuloy at paspasan nila dahil ang problema din sa sibuyas ay kulang ng planning yata dahil nakita natin yung urong-sulong sa pagi-import. Huwag tayong ganoon, iplano natin kung ano talaga ang kakailanganin, ilang talagang tonelada ang maaani tapos i-compute natin ano yong puwang na kukulangin at iyon lang ang iimport,” she furthered.
She said that during the time of her late father President Ferdinand E. Marcos, only one-half of what was lacking in supply was imported. “Tapos kapag nadesisyunan na yung amount na kulang, import na kaagad sa tamang panahon kasi yong nangyari noong nakaraang taon nahuli ang pag-import kaya dumagsa ang imported na sibuyas.”
“Noong panahon naman ng ani kaya bagsak na bagsak ang presyo umabot sa P40 mula sa P70-P60/kg kaya medyo nahibang-hibang kami doon sa Ilocos hanggang sa Bayambang, Pangasinan hanggang sa Bongabon hanggang sa Mindoro nagkagulo ang mundo. Iplano natin maigi,” Marcos said.
On the replacement of former President Arroyo as House senior deputy speaker, Marcos answered: “Wala kasi akong alam eh, nakikipagmarites ako ng pilit nandito mga congressmen tanungin ninyo. Di umabot sa amin, alam mo naman ang senado artistahin wala kaming pakialam diyan.”
With her were Bataan 2nd District Rep. Albert Garcia, 3rd District Rep. Maria Angela Garcia, Gov. Jose Enrique Garcia 3rd and other officials.
On the burning of the main post office in Manila, Marcos said she was saddened.
“There’s no doubt it was very beautiful. There are solid doors of narra and imported marbles and all kinds of very unique and very special metal work. Sayang na sayang. It is really very sad, lahat kami sa senado naghahanap ng pera at sinong gagawa kasi hindi yon ganoon kadaling gawin at ulitin lahat ng art work na nandoon. Kakaiba kasi talaga siya,” the senator said.
