Makati merchants urged to apply for cash grant until Dec. 31

Mayor Abigail Binay said the city government has already received around 5,000 applications. (File photo by Judgefloro/Wikimedia Commons, CC0)

MANILA – Business owners and other merchants are urged to apply for the Makati Assistance and Support for Businesses (MASB) Program until December 31, to get a cash grant ranging from PHP10,000 to PHP100,000.

Mayor Abigail Binay said the city government has already received around 5,000 applications.

Binay encouraged suppliers of goods and services to get accreditation from the city’s business permit and licensing office (BPLO) to earn various incentives and other merchant benefits under the MASB program.

“The MASB Program aims to provide recovery funds to businesses, boost the local economy, and promote the employment of Makatizens, especially those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Binay said in a statement on Friday.

The funds for the cash grant will be covered under the city’s PHP2.5-billion economic relief program whose main objective is to pump-prime the local economy during the health crisis.

Merchants are urged to register online via www.proudmakatizen.com to get accreditation and apply for a PHP100,000 financial grant to help them recover their businesses affected by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Binay noted that only businesses operating within the city, including branches with head offices outside Makati, and those with a valid 2020 business permit with no tax obligations, are qualified to apply for the program.

The city government is targeting to assist some 78,000 businesses registered in Makati.

Binay reiterated that the initiative is part of the city government’s efforts to revamp its business programs and push for economic recovery amid the health crisis.

Meanwhile, the city government said the financial assistance will be released directly to registered and accredited Makati-based suppliers as payment for goods and services, as well as to employees for their salaries and allowances through drawdowns.

Under the MASB Program, qualified businesses will be entitled to grants ranging from P10,000 to P100,000, depending on the type of business and the number of Makatizens employed by the business.

The business owners who applied for the program must be a bonafide citizen of Makati City or a resident of the city-run relocation areas in Calauan, Laguna and San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan.

The applicants must be aged at least 18 years old and must be a Makatizen cardholder, a beneficiary of the Makati Health Plus program (Yellow Card), or a registered voter in Makati.

For small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with special business permits (capital of PHP50,000 or less), the amount of grant will be as follows: 100 percent owned by a Makatizen, with no Makatizen employee, PHP10,000; not owned by a Makatizen but with one to two Makatizen employees, PHP10,000; 100 percent owned by a Makatizen with one to two employees, PHP15,000; owned or not owned by a Makatizen with more than two Makatizen employees, PHP20,000.

All other SMEs and businesses that are 100 percent owned by a Makatizen with no Makatizen employee can get PHP15,000. Regardless of ownership, businesses with one to three Makatizen employees can receive PHP20,000; with four to six Makatizen employees, PHP40,000; with seven to nine Makatizen employees, PHP60,000; with 10 to 12 Makatizen employees, PHP80,000; and with more than 12 Makatizen employees, PHP100,000.

“There is no minimum period that the qualified business must be operating prior to the submission of the application for the PHP100K MASB Program,” said Binay.

Upon the release of the cash grant, qualified businesses are required to comply with three conditions.

For the next two years, business operators should continue their operations, do not lay off any Makatizen employees, and should comply with the city’s health ordinances and safety guidelines.

Binay said the grant recipient who violates the MASB Program conditions will be required to repay the full amount within 30 days.

Failure to comply with repayment conditions will result in the cancellation of business permits.

The city government warned the business operators that the license will only be renewed upon full payment of the drawdowns.