Vowing that Manila will not let its people go hungry amid a worsening global crisis, Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Thursday, May 7, released P5 million in capital assistance to one thousand small business owners across the capital.
Domagoso made the declaration at the San Andres Sports Complex in Malate, where the Manila Department of Social Welfare formally distributed the aid under the Kaagapay sa Kabuhayan Program, with each beneficiary receiving P5,000 to launch or expand micro-enterprises ranging from carinderia operations and banana cue vending to meryenda stalls and other small livelihood ventures.
The Mayor acknowledged the financial strain bearing down on Manila households, citing the unresolved Middle East conflict and its ripple effects on the domestic economy.
He said the capital assistance is treated as seed money that recipients must grow with discipline and long-term thinking.
“Habang may buhay, may pag-asa,” he told the crowd. “Gusto ko isapuso ninyo. At hindi lang isapuso’t isipan, dapat niyo ‘yun isagawa.”
Drawing from his own upbringing in Tondo, Domagoso painted a picture of what small beginnings can yield.
“Yung nanay ko, pagkakakita ng lote, nagtatanim ng talbos ng kamote,” he recalled. “Talbos ng kamote ang tinanim, bahay na ang tumubo.”
The Mayor held the story up as a living proof that patience and resourcefulness, not capital alone, build lasting lives.
He then recounted how a beneficiary during the pandemic turned a one-thousand-peso cash aid into a thriving food business now featured on TikTok.
“Isang libo lang yung nakuha niya, isa na siyang sikat na kainan,” Domagoso said, urging recipients to treat Thursday’s assistance the same way—as a seed, not a windfall.
Domagoso pressed the point further, urging beneficiaries to practice what he called the principle of delayed gratification.
“Wag mong ipagpagana sa sarili mo dala ng meron kang sobra sa ngayong araw na ito. ‘Yun ay patuloy mong isuli, itabi, at hangga’t maaari, ibalik mo sa negosyo,” he said.
Alongside the cash assistance, one hundred starter kits were distributed across seven livelihood tracks—Unisex Hair Cutting with 28 kits leading the count, followed by Massage with 19, Nail Care with 15, Bread and Pastry with 14, Hair Dressing with 11, Cookery with 8, and Skin Care with 5.
Beneficiaries were drawn from Manila’s six congressional districts, BASECO, and the Manila Manpower Development Center, with the total reaching 1,020.
Priority was given to persons with disability, solo parents, indigent and senior citizens, special cases, and MMDC graduates.
Domagoso closed with a call for collective action, saying Manila’s revival cannot rest on government alone.
“Hindi ko kayang mag-isa. Kailangan ko kayong lahat,” he said. “Magsama-sama tayo upang muling uminam ang sikat ng Manila Bay sa Lungsod ng Maynila, hindi sa atin man lamang kundi para sa susunod na salinlahi ng ating lungsod.”
