Over 11 million families to receive second tranche of financial aid – Palace

SAP distribution

MANILA, Philippines —Around 11.5 million families in areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) are the targeted beneficiaries of the second tranche of the social amelioration program’s financial aid package, Malacañang said Thursday.

“Dito po sa pangalawang tranche sa buwan ng Mayo, ang makakakuha na lang po ay mga nasa area ng ECQ, at ang sumatutal po na lalabas dito ay 11.5 million families po ang makakakuha,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview on dzMM.

(For the second tranche this May, the beneficiaries are those who live in ECQ areas which is about 11.5 million families.)

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier approved the addition of  five million families that will benefit from the first tranche of the financial aid program amid the coronavirus disease  2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

“Ang rationale naman po kaya nilimit na sa ECQ areas, yung GCQ areas kasi kahit papano nagbubukas na yung kanilang mga ekonomiya, nakakapagtrabaho na sila. Samantalang yung mga nasa ECQ, wala pa rin pong trabaho,” Roque explained.

(The rationale behind limiting the aid to families in ECQ areas is because areas in GCQ areas are slowly opening up its economy and people can work start working.  Those from the ECQ, meanwhile, still can’t return to work.)

Under the social amelioration program of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, some 18 million poor families will be given a monthly cash aid of P5,000 to 8,000 for two months under a P200-billion budget.

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, a Luzon-wide ECQ has been enforced initially until April 15.

This shuttered businesses excluding the essential ones like groceries, drug stores and healthcare facilities.

It was extended to April 30 and then to May 15 but areas with low risk to the virus transmission have been shifted to general community quarantine (GCQ), leading to the resumption of some businesses at a reduced capacity.

GSG