As the National Capital Region (NCR) and other major provincial cities have been placed under the most restrictive enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) yet due to the surge cases of the Delta variant, Quezon City Councilor Candy Medina knows the importance of food security for every residence in Quezon City.
This is the reason behind the District Two legislator’s recent drive to distribute relief goods containing rice, canned goods, coffee, noodles, and other essential items to some 1,250 families living in the densely and underprivileged barangays in Payatas, Commonwealth, Batasan Hills, Holy Spirit, and Silangan.
“In this time of lockdowns, we understand that food is a very essential part of our constituent’s daily living. Even before enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), our local government continues to do its work on the ground to reach and help out families in Quezon City, particularly District Two,” Medina said.
The second district Councilor echoed her support for Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte in pushing the local food security program in times of crisis. “Napakalaki po ang magiging tulong sa pag plano ng food security nang ating gobyerno lalo na sa krisis ng ating bayan. Alam naman natin ang naging partisipasyon ng ating local government unit (LGU) sa pagbigay ng ayuda noong unang kasagsagan ng lockdown. Kung kaya’t ang ating pamunuan ay sumusuporta sa ating Mayora para sa pagpapatibay ng pag plano ng food security upang maibsan ang kinakaharap na krisis ng ating bayan” Medina said.
A recent report from the Department of Health revealed that there has been a total of 1,649,341 cases of COVID-19 in the entire country. From this figure, 116 belongs to the highly active and transmissible Delta variant, 83 of which hailed from the National Capital Region (NCR).
“With the surge of Delta variant in the country, the safety and wellbeing of our constituents is the most important thing for us. These secondary lockdowns teach us a lot of things, but the most important lesson is to be resilient and united with one another. Alam naman po natin na itong lockdown ay hindi natin napaghandaan, kung kaya’t kami po sa pamahalaang lungsod ng Quezon City kasama ang Distrito Dos ay ginagawa ang lahat nang aming makakaya para matugunan ang ating mga kababayan,” explained Medina.
The three-term Councilor since 2007 reiterated her appeal to the public to be more vigilant and follow every safety guideline and protocol implemented by the local government units (LGU).
“Hindi po natin malalabanan ang COVID kung tayo ay hindi susunod sa mga binibigay na safety protocols ng ating LGU. Kailangan po natin magkaisa at magtulungan tayong lahat,” Medina added.
Despite the risk of transmission of COVID-19, Medina has been distributing relief goods personally together with her staff to underprivileged families. “Even pre-COVID days, lagi pong bukas ang ating pamunuan upang tumulong sa ating mga ka-distrito. Bagama’t may kaakibat na panganib ang aming pagpunta sa mga lugar na aming tinutulungan, kami po ay laging nag-iingat at nananampalataya sa Maykapal na tayo ay gabayan sa bawat hakbang na ating ginagawa para sa ikabubuti ng ating bayan,” Medina said.
Aside from her regular relief donations, Councilor Medina also organizes a weekly “Meat on Wheels” rolling store serving her district, which gives residents an opportunity to purchase cheaper fresh meats compared to those sold in the public market. The rolling store was recently seen at the Base 3 Riverside in Barangay Commonwealth.
