Workers earning no more than P23,000 monthly to get P5,000 aid – House

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Workers who are considered near-poor, or those with a monthly salary of P23,000 or less, will get a one-time P5,000 financial aid under the Ayuda sa Kapos sa Kita Program (AKAP), according to Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

After the bicameral conference committee approved the final version of the proposed 2024 national budget, Co revealed on Tuesday that it would include a P60 billion allocation for AKAP, targeting around 12 million households.

Co, who chairs the House Committee on Appropriations, said that the AKAP, in its goal of fighting inflation, would like to equip near-poor workers with means to buy goods.

“Under AKAP the near poor who earn P23,000 or less would be given social aid. That’s the new program of our administration, of the House under Speaker Martin Romualdez,” Co said.

“More or less around 12 million households are target beneficiaries under this program, which includes construction workers, drivers, factory workers, and the like.  More or less P5,000 would be given per person because this is part of our program against inflation.”

Further clarification with Co’s office showed that funds for the AKAP would be part of the locally-funded projects of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Romualdez stressed the importance of the project as it would extend assistance beyond the marginalized sector, most of whom are covered by the conditional cash transfer program of the government.

“Some salient features of the 2024 budget have made sure, on the part of the House, that this budget will be one in fighting inflation because the prices of goods are increasing, and it will be very much pro-poor. We are very much focused on the social service and social welfare program for the poor,” Romualdez said in a separate event on Tuesday.

“And we actually expanded that definition… We’re trying to expand that to the near-poor, so to speak. We’ll be adding more families. We’ll be more inclusive in that sense. So all the social services will be provided for them,” he added.

Co said the proposed 2024 budget — which is up for the president’s signature after the House and the Senate ratified it on Monday — was attuned to the administration’s program for health, infrastructure, and food security.

“Pagkain, trabaho, kalusugan, edukasyon at pabahay – yan ang mga pamana ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. na bibigyang katuparan sa pamamagitan ng pambansang budget sa 2024 at mga susunod na taon,” Co said

“Food, jobs, health, education and housing – these are the president’s legacy projects to be delivered through the 2024 budget and beyond,” Co said.

“But apart from regular budget items, we’re most proud of three legacy projects that President [Ferdinand] Marcos [Jr.] and Speaker Martin Romualdez hope to fulfill through this budget. These include Legacy Food Security, Legacy Specialty Hospitals, and Legacy Housing for the Poor,” he added.