Gov’t can’t afford another round of assistance if ECQ extended in NCR Plus —DBM chief

The government cannot afford to distribute another round of assistance should the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) be extended in the National Capital Region and four nearby provinces.

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said the P22.9 billion assistance that the government approved on Monday is just a “one-time” aid for the one-week strictest lockdown in the NCR Plus area—Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Rizal.

“One-time financial assistance lang po ito. Pagka ito ay tumagal pa, hindi na sasapat. Kaya hanggang doon lang po ang kaya nating gawin sa kasalukuyan,” Avisado said.

[This is only a one-time financial assistance. If it (lockdown) is extended, government funds will not be nough. So this is all we can do at present.]

The Development Budget Coordination Committee, which is led by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), has not held talks yet on the possibility of another tranche of financial assistance.

This, as the DBM chief explained that there are also spikes in the number of COVID-19 cases in other regions outside the NCR Plus.

“Kaya po 'di natin masasabi na kapag ito ay tumagal pa eh meron pa tayong ibibigay. Wala po kaming pinag-uusapan na ganyan. Ang atin ay one-time assistance ang kaya nating gawin sa ngayon,” he said.

The Department of Health said the one-week ECQ in NCR Plus is not enough to sustain a downward trend

It has recommended a one-week extension of the ECQ reimposed over NCR Plus, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Tuesday.

On Monday night, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the assistance program that would cover around 22.9 million low-income individuals amid the implementation of ECQ in NCR Plus.

Each qualified individual will receive P1,000 in kind.

In the same radio interview, Avisado said the DBM will release the Special Allotment Release Order and the Notice of Cash Allocation to the Bureau of Treasury to start the downloading of funds to the local government units.

The government wanted to fast-track the distribution of the assistance within the week as the ECQ imposed by the national government will only last until April 4, he added.

Should there be delays in the distribution, Avisado said the LGUs can still distribute it after the ECQ. —KG, GMA News