DSWD chief admits ‘slow start’ in distribution of aid in ‘NCR Plus’
MANILA, Philippines — The distribution of financial aid to those affected by the lockdown in the so-called National Capital Region Plus had a “slow start,” the Secretary Rolando Bautista of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary admitted Monday.
As of April 11, merely 8% of the funds allotted for the program has been disbursed, Bautista said during the pre-recorded meeting of the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infections Diseases (IATF) with President Rodrigo Duterte.
That’s roughly 1.7 million of the more than 22.9 million beneficiaries in NCR Plus — which is composed of Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan.
“We can see here that there was really a slow start of the rollout. As we experienced last year, the start now was really slow. But after four to five days, that’s when the faster distribution of special assistance started,” Bautista said in Filipino.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier approved a P1,000 of in-kind and cash aid for every individual affected by the lockdown in NCR Plus. Several members of a family can receive the ECQ aid, but no family can get more than P4,000.
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