About 22.9 million poor Filipino workers affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces will receive financial assistance from the government, according to the Palace.
The funding will come from P23 billion in unspent money from Bayanihan to Recover As One-Act.
He said President Duterte is still studying the aid plan.
“Mayroon namang pagkukunan tayo para sa SAP (social amelioration program) na bibigay natin sa mga naapektuhan ng ECQ (enhanced community quarantine),” said Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado.
According to Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, not as much aid as last year can be provided.
He also said that local government units prefer in-kind assistance.
Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal were subjected to the ECQ from this Monday to April 4 due to the increasing number of new COVID-19 cases.
Details on the financial aid are expected to be provided this Monday night, in conjunction with President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement of the community quarantine classification in “NCR Plus” from April 4 to the end of April.
Almost 23 million workers affected by ECQ to get cash aid
The Palace, on the other hand, said that the impact of the extended ECQ on the country’s economy needs to be balanced even though it does not look like the number of cases will increase too much if the ECQ ends on April 4 compared to if it lasts until April 18.
“Binabalanse po natin ngayon iyan, kinokonsidera natin ‘yong total health ng ating mga kababayan, ‘yong cost-benefit analysis in terms of ‘yong mga karagdagang Pilipinong magugutom at mamamatay sa iba pang mga dahilan bukod po sa COVID-19,” said Roque.
This is after the Department of Health (DOH) said that one week’s ECQ did not seem to be enough to curb the rise in COVID-19 cases.
The DOH’s projection shows that the number of COVID-19 cases will decrease during the ECQ but expect the cases to be spike again once the restrictions are eased.
So one of the visible ways of the agency is to extend the ECQ for a few more weeks.
Meanwhile, Malacañang also lambasted critics that said the government did not prepare for the resurgence of the COVID-19 cases.
“Huwag po kayong makinig diyan sa mga utak-talangka na iyan. Buong mundo po ay may problema sa new variant, hindi po tayo nag-iisa,” said Roque.