SWS: 72% of Filipinos say their families got financial aid from gov’t amid pandemic

MANILA, Philippines — Seventy-two percent of Filipinos said that their families received financial help from the national government amid the coronavirus pandemic, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed Sunday.

According to the survey, respondents were asked the question: “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, did your family receive help like money from any branch or agency of government?”

The survey showed that the proportion of those saying their families received financial aid from the government was highest in Metro Manila (85%), followed by Balance Luzon (75%), Mindanao (65%), and Visayas (64%).

Further, the survey noted that the proportion of those saying their families received financial assistance from government was higher among non-elementary graduates (71%), elementary graduates (75%), junior high school graduates (77%), and those with some college (71%), compared to college graduates (58%).

The survey was conducted using mobile phone and computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) of 1,555 adult Filipinos nationwide, with sampling error margins of ±2% for national percentages.

The national government has a social amelioration program (SAP) in place to provide assistance to Filipinos affected by the pandemic.

/MUF