The government has issued the joint guidelines for the release of financial aid to qualified residents in Metro Manila, paving the way for the distribution of ayuda likely this coming Wednesday, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.
In a statement, Año said local government units in the National Capital Region may begin the distribution of the financial assistance of P1,000 per low-income individual, with a maximum of P4,000 per low-income family, in the middle of next week after making the necessary preparations.
He said the LGUs are given 15 calendar days to manage the distribution of the financial assistance, but the period may be extended upon request of the mayors.
“The target beneficiaries of these ayuda in NCR are the low-income individuals and families identified by the LGUs, who are physically residing, permanently or temporarily, or present in the city or municipality under ECQ, at the time of the ECQ declaration,” he said.
As for other areas outside Metro Manila that are also under ECQ—the provinces of Laguna and Bataan as well as Cagayan de Oro City and Iloilo City— the government is preparing separate funds for their cash assistance, Interior Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said.
Meanwhile, the Interior department is eyeing the inclusion of around P6.71 billion in the proposed Bayanihan 3 law for the hiring of additional 25,000 contact tracers who will help in the government’s COVID-19 response until 2022.
Densing said this is to meet the ideal contact tracing ratio of 1:800.
“If Congress passes the Bayanihan 3, we may ask for around P6.71 billion to hire an additional 25,000 contact tracers for the whole of 2022,” he said.