DOF said middle class in second tranche of social amelioration program, says Remulla

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez has said that financial assistance would be set aside for the middle class amid community quarantines implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Cavite governor Jonvic Remulla said Monday.

Remulla last week wrote President Rodrigo Duterte to ask that the middle class be included in the government's financial relief prograns.

The enhanced community quarantine in Luzon has resulted in work stoppage for hundreds of thousands of workers.

"Nagcommunicate sa akin si Secretary Dominguez, kasama raw sila sa next tranche ng distribution ng SAC. Kung ano ang porma noon ay hindi ko pa alam, pero ang sabi niya kasama ang middle class sa second tranche," Remulla said on Super Radyo dzBB.

“Nahihirapan rin kasi ang middle class, ubos na ang kanilang savings sa isang buwan,” he added.

Remulla said  Dominguez did not provide a timeline concerning the distribution of aid for the middle class.

“Nasa kanila na iyon.  Inarticulate ko lang ang nararamdaman ng aking mga kababayan, at buong Pilipinas pala ay ganun na rin ang pakiramdam,” Remulla said.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said there was no timeline as regards the government's decision whether or not to push through with financial aid for the middle class.

According to a 2018 study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) which serves as the  government's primary socioeconomic policy think tank, 40% of the country's population belong to the middle income class, while majority or 58% belong to the lower income class.

Based on PIDS, the middle income households are divided to three categories:

• lower middle income class (households which monthly income is between P19,040 to P38,080)
• middle middle income class (households which monthly income is between P38,080 to P66,640) and
• upper middle income class (households which monthly income ranges from P66,640 to P114,240).

The government has already instituted a social amelioration system which grants P5,000 to P8,000 cash aid per low income family, depending on the minimum wage rate of each region.

The target beneficiaries of the social amelioration aid belong to either the poor or informal sector which are at risk of not earning a living during the enhanced community quarantine who may have at least one member belonging to any of the following vulnerable or disadvantaged sectors:

• senior citizens;
• persons with disability;
• pregnant and lactating women;
• solo parents;
• overseas filipinos in distress
• indigenous peoples
• underprivileged sector and homeless citizens
• employees who are under no work, no pay scheme
• farm workers/fisherfolk
• sub minimum wage earners
• sari-sari store owners and
• informal economy workers (public utility drivers, househelp, contractual workers, farmers, stranded workers), among others.

The social amelioration aid, however, excludes those under the Conditional Cash Transfer program who have been granted aid under Emergency Subsidy Program, as well as those formal sector workers who will be aided by the Labor department.

Likewise, the social amelioration aid excludes senior citizens who receive monthly pension from Social Security System and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) as retirees. -NB, GMA News