Residents of the NCR Plus area will receive financial aid from the government as the Enhanced Community Quarantine protocols take effect tomorrow (Monday).
“The President understands that while we are under ECQ, some will not be able to work so there will be assistance that we will give to our kababayan,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.
“Assistance will be given to individuals who will not be able to work during this one week ECQ,” he added.
Roque said details of the “ayuda” will be disclosed to the public on Monday as economic managers finalize discussions on where to source the funds and how much cash assistance per affected household will be released.
Roque said placing Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan will have a minimal impact on the economy since it will cover Holy Week holidays.
Earlier this week, acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua warned that imposing two weeks of a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in response to the current surge
in COVID-19 cases would have resulted in a rise in the number of hungry people by 58,000 from the current 3.2 million. The number of unemployed would also increase by 128,500 from the current 506,000.
Chua said the country is already losing P700 million in salaries per day in areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
Last year, the government released P200-billion in emergency subsidy worth between P5,000 and P8,000 to poor households affected by the ECQ.
At the House of Representatives, Taguig Rep. Alan Cayetano earlier urged the leadership to pass a measure which seeks to provide P10,000 cash aid for every Filipino household amid the pandemic.
“There is no question that our people are still in desperate need of assistance,” the lawmaker said, adding the government has the resources to provide additional financial aid to Filipinos suffering from the continuing effects of the pandemic.