Cash aid distribution for the enhanced community quarantine-weary residents in Metro Manila and four neighboring provinces of Laguna, Rizal, Cavite, and Bulacan will be accomplished before the May 15 extended deadline, officials said Saturday.
Interior and Local Government Undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya told Super Radyo dzBB on Saturday the “ayuda” payout process for qualified beneficiaries was now going smoothly, especially in the National Capital Region.
“The distribution is well ahead of deadline, some NCR LGUs can finish the distribution by the end of the month,” Malaya said.
He added that last Friday, the distribution rate was already at 66.87 percent, “meaning, P7,471,426,000” has been distributed.
According to him, the budget allotted for NCR alone is at P11.172 billion.
The top 5 LGUs in terms of distribution rate include Mandaluyong, San Juan, Caloocan, Manila, and Quezon City.
Meanwhile, more than 12,000 Employee Compensation pensioners will get a total of P252 million or P20,000 in financial assistance each from the Government Service Insurance System in compliance with Administrative Order 39 recently signed by President Duterte.
Under the order, President Rodrigo. Duterte directed the grant of a one-time financial assistance to all EC pensioners, as they “experience undue financial hardships because of their vulnerabilities, and in anticipation of the prolonged economic impact of the (COVID-19) pandemic in their lives.”
“While we are happy to announce that we will release P20,000 one-time financial assistance to each of our EC pensioners after the implementing rules of AO 39 is published, we would like to clarify that EC pensioners are former government employees who retired early due to work-related sickness, injury or disability and availed of benefits under Presidential Decree 626. EC survivorship pensioners are spouses of EC pensioners who died,” GSIS President and General Manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said.
GSIS is currently coordinating with the Employees Compensation Commission and SSS to finalize the implementing rules and regulations for the AO. Granting will take effect immediately after the IRR publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines website or in a newspaper of general circulation.
For inquiries, visit the GSIS website (www.gsis.gov.ph), or Facebook account (@gsis.ph), email [email protected], or call the GSIS Contact Center at 8847-4747 if in Metro Manila or 1-800-8-847-4747 (for Globe and TM subscribers) or 1-800-10-847-4747 (for Smart, Sun, and Talk ’N Text subscribers).