IATF says 25 percent of gov’t beneficiaries already received cash aid

MANILA, Philippines — Merely 25 percent of the families covered by the national government’s Emergency Subsidy Program (ESP) have already received their cash aid in view of the enhanced community quarantine due to coronavirus crisis.

Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, citing data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), bared this in a briefing on Tuesday, saying that 4,597,854 low-income and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) families have been provided the said emergency subsidy.  The number, he said is equivalent to 25.54 percent of the 18 million target beneficiaries of the program.

“The government continues to prioritize efforts to provide our people with the financial assistance needed to ensure that everyone can secure the basic necessities during the [enhanced community quarantine],” Nograles said.

While only a quarter of the beneficiaries have received the emergency subsidy, Nograles said that more than 90 percent of the funds for the program have been released to local government units (LGUs).

“Sa puntong ito, hinihintay po namin ang accomplishment report ng mga LGUs na nakatanggap na nung Emregency Subsidy Program para ipamahagi sa kanilang constituents,” Nograles said.

(At this point, we are waiting for the accomplishment report of the LGUs that have received the Emergency Subsidy Program for distribution to their constituents.)

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.”

Meanwhile, Nograles said the DSWD has also distributed 445,580 family food packs to LGUs, with 384,426 family food packs still available in DSWD’s warehouses across the country.

Edited by JPV