MANILA, Philippines — The government should extend at least P10,000 cash assistance to contractual workers and those in the informal economy who will be most affected by the community quarantine imposed in Metro Manila due to COVID-19, Senator Risa Hontiveros said Sunday.
According to the Senator, around 650,000 Filipino households will become the “new poor” in Metro Manila alone due to the economic implications of the lockdown.
“Habang marami ang nagpa-panic-buying, mas marami ang panic na lang kasi walang pang-buy,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“The government should immediately track down and extend PhP 10,000 assistance to these households which will mostly come from vulnerable contractual workers and workers in the informal economy,” she added.
The same cash assistance should also be immediately disbursed to poor households within the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) household targeting system, Hontiveros stressed.
President Rodrigo Duterte has placed Metro Manila under community quarantine from March 15 until April 14 amid the spike in coronavirus cases.
Land, domestic air, and domestic sea travel to and from Metro Manila are suspended within the duration of the lockdown.
Hontiveros explained that companies laying off workers and COVID-19’s adverse effects on the informal economy will place households more at risk in terms of their food security and health.
The opposition stalwart further urged DSWD and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to craft and implement a comprehensive safety net for the poor and near-poor who will be adversely-affected by the COVID-19 lockdown, starting with the said cash assistance.
“This cash aid will keep Filipinos in poverty and near-poverty afloat during this COVID-19 crisis. It will help them cope with the expected inflation in goods due to the lockdown. In times of crisis, cashflow is crucial especially for poor Filipino families who need money for essential items like food, shelter, water, and medicine,” Hontiveros explained.
The Philippines has so far recorded 111 COVID-19 cases, of which 8 have already died.
The Philippines is currently under a state of public health emergency due to the virus, which originated from Hubei province, China.
The World Health Organization declared the disease as a global pandemic after it killed nearly 5,000 people and infected 110,000 others worldwide.