P5,000 each for 40,000 Parañaque families

MANILA, Philippines — About 40,000 eligible households in Parañaque will each receive P5,000 in cash assistance from the city government under the new “Paraña-Cash” program starting in June.

Mayor Edwin Olivarez said that beneficiary families would be “left-out households” which did not receive any form of aid from the national government.

The city government was able to raise funds for the Paraña-Cash program after it realigned the P200-million budget earmarked for the construction of a 3,000-seater sports astrodome beside the newly built Parañaque City College building.

Construction of the astrodome will instead start next year after its inclusion in the 2021 city budget.

According to city information officer Mar Jimenez, eligible households, through a representative of legal age, should register by filling out a form to be given by barangay officials or online through app.bploparanaque.com/paranacash.

Applicants should certify that no one in their household received financial assistance from the national government. This includes the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) and expanded Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, SAP for public utility drivers, the COVID-19 (new coronavirus disease) Adjustment Measures Program and Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers, Barangay Ko Bahay Ko from the Department of Labor and Employment, among others.

After a validation interview to be conducted by barangay officials, eligible households shall be given a Parañaque Help EMV card in which the Paraña-Cash payout will be deposited.

Launched last year, the Help card is a unified ID card which can also be used as an online wallet or debit card and for paying online transactions.

“The distribution scheme may be carried out house-to-house, sitio-by-sitio, or plaza type depending on population density and size of the area, with strict adherence to stringent social distancing measures,” Jimenez said.