Aside from receiving basic commodities, thousands of Taguig residents also availed of the dental and medical services offered onsite. Some 1,500 medical and security personnel were deployed to ensure the safety and convenience of the beneficiaries. The activity was conducted in coordination with the office of Hon. Yasser Garnace Pangandaman, Association of Barangay Chairmen (ABC) President of Taguig City.
Immediately after the Lingap sa Mamamayan in Taguig, another Lingap Pamamahayag was conducted in the INC’s Tondo congregation chapel where 10,000 residents from Baseco, Tondo, and Parola were also given care packs.
INC General Auditor Glicerio B. Santos, Jr., said that intensified programs to combat poverty and assist struggling communities in the country will be the top priorities of the Church’s outreach programs in 2016, and that under the leadership of Ka Eduardo, “much emphasis has been placed on the Church’s outreach and socio-civic activities, which seek to benefit not just INC members, but also less fortunate communities around the country who need help.”
The Lingap sa Mamamayan activities for 2016 kicked off at the Culiat Muslim compound on January 2, as part of an annual activity held to commemorate the birthday of former INC Executive Minister Ka Eraño G. Manalo, a tradition now being continued by Ka Eduardo. The activity likewise involved free medical and dental services and the distribution of basic goods.
“These projects are being undertaken consistent with our belief that God has given us the responsibility to reach out and take care of our fellow man, especially those in need,” explained Santos.
“As long as we have countrymen who grapple with poverty, the INC will continue to do what it can to provide means to help uplift their welfare. Our goal is not just to help the needy—it is to help them help themselves.”
The new eco-farming site has an area of 16,000 hectares. Plantations that will produce bananas, corn, rice, and coffee will be put up to provide jobs for members of the two indigenous communities. The INC will also provide a mini water reservoir, farm equipment, farm input, land tilling tools, and vehicles for the use of the farms.
Aside from these, 3,000 houses will be put up for the use of the Lumad and B’laan families.