P9.7-B ECQ aid funds distributed in NCR: DILG

MANILA – A total of 86.87 percent or PHP9.77-billion out of the PHP11.2-billion funds for cash assistance to low-income beneficiaries affected by the recent enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) have already been distributed by local government units in Metro Manila.

“Sa National Capital Region tayo po ngayon ay nakapagbigay na ng 86.82 percent ng pamamahagi ng ayuda sa NCR at umaabot na po sa halagang PHP9.77 billion kung saan 9.7 million beneficiaries ng NCR ang nabigyan na po ng ayuda (In the National Capital Region, we have now provided 86.82 percent of the total amount of aid funds to NCR and it has reached the amount of PHP9.77 billion of which 9.7 million beneficiaries of NCR have been given aid),” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año told President Rodrigo Duterte during the Talk to the People aired on Thursday night.

Año said the cities of Caloocan and Navotas have completed aid distribution while the cities of Pasay, Malabon and the municipality of Pateros have reached a distribution rate of 98 percent and is expected to complete the same by the end of August.

Manila, meanwhile, has also completed the payout of ECQ aid on Thursday night.

Año added that Laguna and Bataan are also making progress in the distribution of aid.

“Dito naman sa probinsiya ng Laguna, mahigit 1.134 milyong benepisyaryo na ang nakatanggap sa lalawigan ng Laguna at ito po ay umaabot ng 41 percent at umaabot sa halagang PHP1.134 billion makikita natin ang bayan ng Pakil at Biñan ay nakatapos na, 100 percent. Sa Bataan po ay patuloy ang pamimigay ng ating mga ayuda at magbibigay pa kami ng ulat sa susunod na linggo (In the province of Laguna, more than 1.134 million beneficiaries have already received in the province of Laguna and this reached 41 percent which is equivalent to the amount of PHP1.134 billion. As we can see, the towns of Pakil and Biñan have finished aid distribution, 100 percent. In Bataan, our aid will continue to be distributed and we will provide a report next week),” he stressed.

The DILG has earlier extended the deadline for the distribution of ayuda to low-income individuals and families in Metro Manila to August 31, upon the request of some LGUs.

Metro Manila LGUs were initially given 15 days to complete the payout which started on August 11 and was supposed to end on August 25.

Under Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 3, s. 2021 signed by the DILG, DSWD and DND, those affected by the implementation of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in NCR will receive financial assistance of PHP1,000 per low-income individual with a maximum PHP4,000 per low-income family.

The whole of Metro Manila was placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20, to arrest further spread of coronavirus, especially the highly contagious Delta variant.

Initially, Duterte approved the release of PHP10.89 billion aid funds for the ECQ-hit NCR recipients and later gave the go-signal to add another PHP368 million, bringing the total cash aid to PHP11.256 billion.

This is on top of the PHP2.7 billion and PHP700 million approved cash aid budget for the low-income individuals in Laguna and Bataan, respectively, which were also placed under ECQ.