MANILA, Philippines — Beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and poor families in the cities of Manila and Parañaque will receive their emergency subsidy as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and enhanced community quarantine starting Friday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles announced.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) earlier said it had received the first P100 billion of the P200 billion worth of cash aid to about 18 million poor families affected by the month-long enhanced community quarantine of Luzon.
The beneficiaries are to receive subsidies of from P5,000 to P8,000 per household monthly for two months.
“Hintayin lamang po ninyo ang pakikipag-ugnayan sa inyo ng mga naatasang kawani hinggil sa sistemang ipatutupad upang maayos itong maipapamigay,” Nograles, spokesman of the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, said in a virtual press briefing.
The Palace official likewise advised 4Ps beneficiaries to wait for further announcement to avoid large crowds in banks.
“Sa mga benepisyaryo ng 4Ps, ngayong araw din po sisimulang ipasok sa inyong mga card ang benepisyong ito. Uulitin ko ang paalala, maghintay ng anunsyo upang hindi tayo magkumpulan sa mga bangko,” he stressed.
About half of the country’s population was ordered to stay home, mass gatherings were banned and public transportations were suspended after President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire island of Luzon under a month-long enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), effectively a lockdown, starting March 16.
Meanwhile, Nograles also reported that 34,253 workers have availed of the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program, or CAMP.
CAMP is a one-time P5,000 subsidy for workers whose incomes have been affected by the ECQ.
“Bukod po sa 5,000 CAMP subsidy, and DOLE po ay nakapag-distribute na rin ng 165,929 family food packs para sa ating mga manggagawa,” Nograles noted.
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