Palace: Increased hunger due to work stoppage amid COVID-19 threat

Published May 22, 2020 09:11 AM By LLANESCA T. PANTI, GMA News

The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll showing 4.2 million families experienced involuntary hunger is linked to work stoppages amid the COVID-19 pandemic, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. said Friday.

Roque was responding to the SWS survey which also showed the government was the most common source of food help amid COVID-19 pandemic at 99%, followed by relatives, private groups or institutions, friends, and private individuals.

“Talaga pong nakakalungkot iyan, kaya lahat po ay ginagawa natin para magbigay ng ayuda sa mamamayan. Nais sana natin maiwasan ang ganyang malungkot na balita, subalit po sarado ang ating ekonomiya kaya marami pong nahihirapan,” Roque told GMA's Unang Balita.

Roque was referring to the time from March 16 to  May 15 when Luzon has been placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ)—a measure that banned mass transport and prohibited mass gathering which resulted in work stoppages in many industries except for food and medicine.

The government has distributed P5,000 to P8,000 cash aid, depending on the minimum wage of each region, for low income families amid the COVID-19 pandemic but it has been marred by delays.

Quarantine rules have since been eased since May 16 to modified ECQ and general community quarantine (GCQ) where 50% to 75% of the workforce per company are allowed to physically report back to work, but mass transport remain prohibited in MECQ areas.

Areas under MECQ include: the highly urbanized cities of the National Capital Region and municipality of Pateros; Bataan; Bulacan; Nueva Ecija; Pampanga including Angeles City; Zambales; and Laguna.

“Naiintindihan po ito ng Presidente [Rodrigo Duterte], kaya nga po magtulungan tayo para mabuksan na po ang ating ekonomiya at mabawasan ang nagugutom,” Roque added.

The government is expected to decide if there will be further easing of quarantine rules by May 31.

Asked of the likelihood of placing the entire country under GCQ where scaled down mass transport is allowed, Roque said it is too early to decide.

“May 22 pa lang po. Masyado pa pong maaga. Titignan po natin ang datos,” Roque added.—AOL, GMA News
 

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