Even an Ilocano will have a hard time budgeting P1,000 aid – Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — Even thrifty Ilocanos cannot budget the P1,000-assistance for individuals affected by the reimposition of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the so-called National Capital Region (NCR) Plus bubble.

Senator Imee Marcos, an Ilocano herself, said this Monday, asserting that such an amount –whether given in cash or in-kind – is simply not enough.

“Kahit ano pang dakilang Ilokana, hindi kakayanin ang P1,000. Talaga imposible ‘yun. Tapos magulo pa ‘yung usapan kung P1,000 in cash or in kind,” Marcos told reporters in an interview.

(Even an Ilocana cannot manage P1,000. That’s really impossible. Then, it’s still obscure if it’s P1,000 in cash or in-kind.)

Marcos said it would even be difficult for a family to purchase food items such as pork and chicken, prices of which have recently soared in the market, with the P1,000-assistance.

“At the end of the day, ang totoo kulang talaga ang pera. Kulang ang budget ng national government kaya ‘yung mga may kaya nang kaunti, ‘yung mga LGUs (local government unit) na malalaki sa Metro Manila, siguro dadagdagan ng mga ‘yan,” Marcos said.

(At the end of the day, the reality is the fund is not enough. The budget of the national government is not enough that’s why those who have a little more, those bigger local government units in Metro Manila, maybe they will augment it.)

“At ‘yung kawawa ngayon ay ‘yung mga probinsya at munisipyo na sinasabing fifth and sixth class na talagang hindi na kayang dagdagan pa ang binibigay ng national government,” she added.

(And those woeful are provinces and municipalities that are said to be the fifth and sixth class which cannot really afford to augment what the national government is giving.)

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier approved an in-kind and cash assistance worth P1,000 for ECQ-affected individuals. Several members of a family can receive the ECQ aid, but only a maximum of P4,000 worth of assistance will be given per family.

READ: P1,000 cash aid not enough for 2-week ECQ – Bayan Muna

‘Publish recipients of P1,000 aid’

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the assistance will be released to LGUs, which should then be responsible for its distribution to affected residents.

Marcos suggested that LGUs should make public the names of those who will receive or have received the government’s P1,000 aid.

“May suggestion sana ako sa mga LGU, palibhasa ang tagal kong nag-gobernador, ano kaya ‘yung ipaskil natin online or physically sa mga barangay kung sinu-sino ang nabigyan na at sinu-sino ang bibigyan pa,” Marcos said.

(My suggestion for LGUs, since I was governor for a long time, is for them to post online or physically in every barangay who already received and will receive the aid.)

“Kapag magreklamo, at least naisapubliko. Higit sa lahat may transparency at accountability,” she added.

(If there would be complaints, at least the list was made public. Most of all, there is transparency and accountability.)

Marcos likewise raised possible issues with the ECQ aid distribution, pointing out that offices like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) have a limited list of data.

KGA