• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The LITAW (Liwanag, Internet, Water, Assistance, Welfare) program of Senator Francis Tolentino, which is set to be implemented by January next year, may also be availed by Negrenses affected by the Kanlaon volcano eruption.
Tolentino, who attended the distribution land titles and CoCROM (Certificate of Condonation and Release of Mortgage) to more than 6,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries in Cadiz City on Thursday, said LITAW is a program designed as a holistic solution for the countless Filipinos who face immense hardship due to natural disasters such as super typhoons, fires, and earthquakes.
It will ensure that the most critical needs, such as electricity, internet access, clean water, and direct welfare assistance, are swiftly addressed, to allow the affected families to regain a sense of normalcy during the recovery period, he added.
“In times of calamity, families should not be immediately burdened with utility payments. The Filipino family’s priority is to repair their home,” Tolentino also said.
“There should be a subsidy in place, and I believe through the DSWD, we should temporarily hold utility payments for internet, water, and electricity.”
Tolentino said that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will lead the implementation of the program while Congress will provide a budget for it.
The senator was the principal author of the Three Gives Law, enacted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed consumers to pay their utility bills in installments.*
