‘AYUDA’ LINE Residents queue to receive their cash aid under the government’s social amelioration program. —RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the allocation of over P10 billion for the granting of aid to 80 percent of Metro Manila’s population as the government is set to place the area under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) later this week.
Each individual, who is qualified for assistance, will be given P1,000 in cash aid, while a household will be given P4,000, the President’s long-time aide, Senator Bong Go, said in a statement Tuesday.
Allocated funding of P10.894 billion, as recommended by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and other concerned agencies, will cover the assistance for 10.894 million individuals in the National Capital Region (NCR) or 80 percent of its population, the senator noted.
Go, however, did not specify where the government will source the said funds.
The senator then called on authorities to immediately put in place necessary measures to ensure no administrative delays will affect the distribution of financial aid in NCR.
“Dahil direktang ida-download ang mga pondo sa mga LGUs (local government units) sa NCR, ang apela ko naman sa mga lokal na pamunuan ay siguraduhing maibibigay kaagad ang ayuda sa mga tamang benepisyaryo sa isang maayos, mabilis at ligtas na paraan na walang katiwalian,” he said.
(Because the funds will be directly downloaded to LGUs in NCR, I appeal to the local officials to ensure that the aid will be given to the right beneficiary in a decent, fast and safe manner and without any corruption.)
Metro Manila will go back to ECQ status, the government’s strictest COVID-19 lockdown, from August 6-20, as President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the pandemic task force.
Until then, the nation’s capital region would be under general community quarantine with heightened restrictions until Thursday, August 5.
Go, chairman of the Senate health committee, acknowledged the need for stricter restrictions to curb the spread of new infections.
Nevertheless, he stressed that addressing the issues of hunger and poverty is a vital part of any successful mitigation strategy.
He added that preventing the spread of new COVID-19 variants is “necessary” to protect the gains made with the government’s vaccination rollout.
As of Monday, over 9 million individuals have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Philippines.