Martial law not the answer to people’s hunger during quarantine — Pangilinan

MANILA, Philippines — The expeditious delivery of assistance to low-income Filipino households, not martial law, will address the increasing number of violators of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Senator Francis Pangilinan said Monday.

Pangilinan made the remark after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) confirmed the existence of an internal memo to the Philippine Air Force (PAF), where it described a “martial law-type role” for the members of the military and police in enforcing the quarantine.

The said memo was in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that he would order military and police personnel to enforce “martial law-like” lockdown measures to control the increase of ECQ violators.

But Pangilinan said many violate the quarantine protocols because they have yet to receive government’s assistance.

“Hindi martial law ang sagot sa gutom ng taongbayan—delivery of the cash assistance ang solusyon (Martial law is not the answer to public’s hunger, delivery of the cash assistance is the solution),” Pangilinan said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source.

Citing Duterte’s report to Congress in relation to government’s measures on the coronavirus pandemic, Pangilinan said that only 25 percent of 18 million beneficiaries of the social amelioration program has received the assistance.

“So you have 75 percent of your people not being able to cope with loss of jobs, who are not earning anything today, who are going hungry and they would have to go out to figure out how to address the hunger,” Pangilinan said.

“Between a martial law-type of crackdown and fast tracking the assistance, I think the right direction is to fasttrack the assistance and make sure the cash assistance and relief goods reach those in lockdown,” the senator added.

The national government, Pangilinan said, should release the funds and necessary resources already to local government units and monitor the releases.

“Ako, pagkakatiwalaan ko ‘yung local governments. Let’s trust the local governments. Sila ang mananagot sa kanilang mga botante e. Bigyan natin ng mas malawak na suporta ang ating mga pamahalaang lokal,” Pangilinan said.

(I would trust the local governments. Let’s trust the local governments because they are the ones accountable to their constituents. Let us give our local governments wider support.)

“Kung mayroong corruption issues, bantayan. Kung mayroong mga hindi nakakatanggap, i-report. Pero ibigay yunga pondo, i-release yung pondo (If there are corruption issues, then monitor them. If there are beneficiaries who are not receiving the assistance, then report it. But the funds have to be released to them),” he added.

Section 4 (c) of Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act tackles the provision of an emergency subsidy to around 18 million low income households in the country affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The subsidy amounts from P5,000 to P8,000 a month for two months and is computed based on the “prevailing regional minimum wage rates.”

Earlier, the DILG directed barangay chairmen to make public the names of their community’s beneficiaries for the social amelioration program in order to promote transparency in the process of releasing funds for the needy.

EDV