The current COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has indeed had a considerable impact on the daily activities of residents in their daily lives. In order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus and also keep the community from being exposed, the Government has implemented the Enforcement of Restrictions on Community Activities in several regions in Indonesia and one of them is implemented in the Minahasa area, North Sulawesi.

The implementation of PPKM certainly also has an impact on the process of fulfilling the basic needs of the community to the economic activities themselves, so the Government intervened to overcome these obstacles by providing PPKM Rice Social Assistance phase I in Minahasa, North Sulawesi.

PPKM Rice Social Assistance itself is a government program run by the Ministry of Social Affairs which appoints Perum BULOG to distribute rice to the Family Hope Program (PKH) who have been recorded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and will be entitled to receive the rice assistance.

And in order to succeed the program, Perum BULOG cooperates with DNR Corporation through its business unit, DNR Logistics, as one of the transporters who deliver the rice aid to the people registered in PKH in several regions in Indonesia. In this case, Minahaasa is one of the other regions that are part of DNR Logistics to distribute the rice social assistance in 15 provinces in Indonesia.

Minahasa Community Response to PPKM Rice Social Assistance Phase I

The community also felt helped by the rice distributed by the Ministry of Social Affairs through Perum BULOG and delivered by the transporter, DNR Logistics. This rice social assistance can be used to meet the needs of the community together with their families.

"Thankful for the 10 kg rice assistance from the Government which can meet the needs of our family at home when PPKM is implemented like now," said Mrs. Riko Cynthia Tumbol from Kawangkoan District who is a housewife in her daily life.

In line with Mrs. Riko, Mrs. Yessi Sekeon also expressed her appreciation of the assistance she received from the Government and could be received quickly through the distribution sent by DNR Logistics.

"The impact of this PPKM is very big for us. We always hope that the Government will continue to pay attention to the community and with this rice social assistance, it is one of our great hopes for assistance from the government," said Mrs. Yessi in her interview.

The rice obtained by the Minahasa people from Perum BULOG delivered by DNR Logistics is medium rice. (Source: DNR)

Not only feeling helped, the community also expressed their hope that the Government can continue to pay attention to residents who are currently affected by PPKM regulations. This is a hope so that the community can continue to fulfill their basic daily needs.

"The impact of PPKM is very big for us. We always hope that the Government will continue to pay attention to the community and with this rice social assistance, it is one of our great hopes for assistance from the government," said Mrs. Yesi who was met in the field.

Perum BULOG Synergizes with All Parties, One of Them is DNR Logistics

Answering the challenges and expectations of the community in the midst of the current PPKM situation, Perum BULOG has also prepared rice that is maintained in quality so that it can be suitable for consumption by the community.

"For the PPKM rice social assistance program this time, of course we prepare medium quality Government reserve rice in accordance with Presidential Instruction No. 5 of 2015 which is distributed to the community with well-maintained quality and has passed strict quality control before being given to the community directly," said Khristian Prasetia as Head of the Maintenance and Quality Control Section of Perum BULOG North Sulawesi and Gorontalo Regional Office.

In addition to preparing the best quality rice, Perum BULOG also maintains good coordination with all parties so that the PPKM Rice Social Assistance phase I can run quickly, precisely, and can also target directly to the people in need. Coordination from Perum BULOG is also carried out with the transporter in order to get harmony in distributing the assistance.

"Our coordination with all parties involved is very good and intense. With joint preparation with the Ministry of Social Affairs and DNR as the transporter, we can distribute the PPKM Rice Social Assistance phase I quickly and also according to the planned schedule because we have prepared the distribution process carefully," Khristian added.

"The cooperation with the transporter is very good. Despite experiencing obstacles such as the terrain, we jointly find ways so that the distribution of rice can be done well. Because there are several places that cannot be passed by large trucks, we together with DNR are looking for ways to distribute it using other vehicles such as motorbikes or other means of transportation so that the distribution can be carried out on schedule," said Khristian in his statement.