MANILA, PHILIPPINES— President Rodrigo Duterte approved on Monday night the funding for the cash aid to be given to 80% of the population of the National Capital Region as the region is set to be placed under enhanced community quarantine on August 6, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go announced.
The cash assistance will be P1,000 per individual or a maximum of P4,000 per household belonging to the low-income group.
“Nagpapasalamat ako kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa pagtugon sa ating apela na magbigay ng ayuda sa mga pinakamahihirap na maaapektuhan ng ECQ sa NCR simula Agosto 6 hanggang 20,” Go, Duterte’s longtime aide, said in a post on Facebook.
(I am grateful to President Rodrigo Duterte for hearing our appeal to give financial assistance to the poor who will be affected by the ECQ in NCR from August 6 to 20.)
“Ngayong gabi ay inaprubahan na po niya ang pondo para sa financial assistance na ipapamahagi na nagkakahalaga ng isang libong piso kada kwalipikadong indibidwal sa NCR, na may maximum na apat na libong piso kada household,” he added.
(Tonight he approved the funding for the financial assistance which will be P1,000 per qualified individual in NCR, with a maximum of P4,000 per household.)
The cash assistance will be given to at least 10.8 million people in NCR, which is 80% of the 13-million population in Metro Manila.
“Mahigit 13 milyon ang populasyon sa NCR at 80% nito o mahigit 10.8 milyong indibidwal ang mabibigyan natin ng ayuda ayon sa DBM, NEDA, at iba pang mga ahensya,” Go said.
(The population in NCR is more than 13 million, and 80% of this or more than 10.8 million individuals will receive the cash assistance, according to the Department of Budget and Management, National Economic and Development Authority, and other agencies.)
The senator urged local government units to ensure the cash assistance will be given to qualified beneficiaries in a timely and orderly manner.
“Dahil direktang ida-download ang mga pondo sa mga LGUs 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,” Go said.
(Since the funds will be downloaded straight to LGUs in NCR, I am asking local government officials to ensure the cash assistance will go to the right beneficiaries in an orderly, fast and safe way with no corruption.)
The senator said the cash assistance will benefit those to be greatly affected by the restrictions during ECQ, especially daily wage earners who will not be able to work during that time.
“Sa pamamagitan ng ayudang ito, matutulungan natin ang mga mahihirap nating kababayan na maitawid ang kanilang pamilya habang apektado ang kanilang kabuhayan dahil sa ECQ, lalo na ang mga daily wage earners at mga ‘isang kahig, isang tuka,'” Go said.
(With this assistance, our countrymen will be assisted in seeing their families through while their livelihood are affected due to ECQ, especially daily wage earners.)
Malacañang said Monday that low-income residents of the NCR will receive P1,000 to P4,000 cash aiddue to the region going under ECQ amid the COVID-19 pandemic from August 6 to 20.
“Walang ECQ kung walang ayuda (No ECQ if there is no cash assistance),” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.
“Sigurado may ibibigay na P1,000 per person and maximum of P4,000 per family. Hindi pa lang sigurado saan kukunin,” he added.
(P1,000 per person and a maximum of P4,000 per family will surely be given [to qualified beneficiaries]. We just don’t know yet where the funds will be sourced from.)
Due to the threat of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, NCR will be under ECQ from August 6 to 20.
Under ECQ only essential trips and services are allowed. Only authorized persons outside residence (APOR) will be allowed to go out of their homes.
Meanwhile, the NEDA said the Philippine economy will lose hundreds of billions of pesos while hundreds of thousands of jobs are at stake for each week that Metro Manila — the country’s economic center — is under the strictest quarantine classification.
“Each week of ECQ in NCR will cost the economy P105 billion,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said, citing latest estimates from the NEDA.
“Also increase[s] poor people by up to 177,000 and 444,000 more without jobs,” Chua said.
Metro Manila registered an average of 1,394 new COVID-19 cases daily from July 26 to August 1, “a 46% increase from the previous week” during which 953 new infections were recorded each day, the OCTA Research group said Monday.
In their latest monitoring report, the independent team of experts said the reproduction number of the virus in Metro Manila rose to a “very high” 1.59. The figure refers to the number of people that each COVID-19 case can infect.
The Philippines’ COVID-19 caseload increased to 1,605,762 on Monday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 8,167 new infections, marking the fourth straight day with over 8,000 new cases.
Total recoveries also rose to 1,515,054 after 9,095 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness.
Meanwhile, the death toll hit 28,093 after 77 more patients succumbed to COVID-19.
This leaves the country with 62,615 active cases, 93.9% of which are mild, 1.3% are asymptomatic, 1.48% are moderate, 2.1% are severe, and 1.2% are in critical condition.
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