Malacañang on Thursday said the government will study the possibility of extending cash assistance to minimum wage earners and the middle class, but noted that any such move would depend on available funds.
“That will be studied. It will also depend on the budget allocated for it,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said in Filipino upon being asked whether minimum wage earners and middle-income Filipinos could eventually receive direct cash aid.
She said the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. continues to balance assistance across sectors, emphasizing that no group is being left behind.
“First and foremost, all of us, the President does not single out anyone, are receiving blessings,” Castro said, noting that commuters are already benefiting from government programs such as fare discounts and free rides in mass transport systems, as well as delayed fare increases.
The PCO official explained that the transport sector was prioritized for aid because it was among the hardest hit by rising fuel costs.
“It just so happens that the transport sector was the first to be given, because they were the first affected and they desperately need assistance,” Castro said.
