Makabayan solon laments ‘small’ P1,000 ‘ayuda’ for individuals in ECQ areas

ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — A member of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives on Wednesday lamented the P1,000 aid to be distributed to individuals in areas under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), saying that the amount was “too small.”

“Saan makakarating ang P1,000 na ito at maximum daw na P4,000 kada pamilya?” ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said in a press briefing of the Makabayan bloc.

(Where will the P1,000, which is a maximum of P4,000 per household, will take us?)

“Itong P1,000 kada indibidwal at P4,000 ay napakaliit kumpara natin ito last year (This P1,000 per individual or P4,000 is too small compared to last year’s),” she added, referring to the P5,000 to P8,000 cash assistance given to some 18 million families during the ECQ period in 2020.

During his televised address to the public Monday night, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the proposal of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to distribute P1,000 worth of in-kind aid per person or not more than P4,000 per each family affected by the ECQ imposed in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces.

DBM Secretary Wendel Avisado later said that it is up to the local government units to decide if the amount will be given in cash or in kind.

Some 22.9 million beneficiaries from the National Capital Region Plus bubble—composed of Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Rizal—are expected to receive aid from the government.

Castro, meanwhile, said that the Makabayan bloc will still push with its proposed measure to give families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic a financial aid of P10,000 each.

It was Gabriela Women’s party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas who filed the proposed measure, wherein P10,000 will be distributed to 18 million low-income and poor families over the next two months.

“Ito yung sapat at disente at nakabubuhay na ayuda para sa ating mga mamamayan,” Castro said.

(This amount is the most sufficient and decent assistance for the people.)

/MUF